The Hembrees

Olivia's birth

2011-11-21T07:57:00.001-08:00

On a recent trip to Water Valley, I was reminded that my blog hasn't been updated in almost 6 months. I will try my hardest to update you readers, but it may take a while. For now, here are some pics of Olivia's birth day:) She was delivered at Woman's Hospital in Flowood, MS on June 2, 2011 at 2:47 pm. She weighed 6 pounds, 7 ounces, and was 18.5 inchs long. My sweet Amanda got to be Olivia's nurse after she was born. I was so honored to have her there. Rob was a great coach for me too. He was warned by a friend previously about how involved he would be in the process, so I don't think he was too frightened by it:) We had so many wonderful family and friends that came to celebrate with us on that day. It was a great day! There were 13 babies born that day so the hospital was PACKED. I was one of the last to deliver so all the nice suites were taken, but I got an upgrade the next day. More later....enjoy!

falling behind...

2011-09-03T10:44:00.001-07:00

wow! I haven't posted in a LONG time. Olivia pretty much consumes my free time these days. Since it's a long weekend, I hope to play catch up. So, stay tuned...

40 weeks pregnant

2011-07-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

40 weeks pregnant and on the way to the hospital.

church baby shower

2011-05-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

My sweet church, Pear Orchard Presbyterian, gave me a baby shower recently. Rob and I love our church and are so blessed to be a part of such loving people. It was a really sweet day. Mom came down to go with me. After eating and opening presents, some of the ladies read bible verses or just words of encouragement to me. They had them printed up on cards and gave them to me. Rob and I will have to keep them by our bed and probably read them nightly as we embark on the world of parenting. After that the woman prayed for us. It was such a special day!

Water Valley baby shower

2011-05-21T10:16:00.000-07:00

My sweet friends Tanya, Kellie, Cortney, Kelley, and Jennifer gave me a baby shower in Taylor several weeks ago. I had so much fun and it was great to catch up with the Valley girls. It was held at my friend Tanya's beautiful home. I had so much fun and am so thankful for these lifelong friends.

more profiles...

2011-05-21T10:06:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to post this picture since May 1st and it wouldn't let me. I'm hoping I have fixed the problem now. Here is a pic of me at 35 weeks, 2 days. More to come...

pregnancy profiles

2011-04-15T11:22:00.001-07:00

THE GROWING BUMP!

15 weeks, 1 day

17 weeks 20 weeks 1 day 22 weeks 3 days

25 weeks 3 days

29 weeks

31 weeks

33 weeks

showered with blessings

2011-04-09T18:50:00.001-07:00

I have the most wonderful friends!! I was blessed last Saturday to have a baby shower at Mrs. Pam Milner's home. It was so much fun....such a happy ending to a really hard week. Thanks Mrs. Pam, Amanda, Mrs. Cornelia, Carol Anne, Valerie, Hood, Kristi, Lindsay, Mrs. Lisa, and Carlin. Y'all are the best!

blessed with such a wonderful family!

the hostesses

my sweet momma!

Olivia getting to know Hayes..who will be a month older than her:)

4d pictures

2011-04-03T15:58:00.001-07:00

I have done a horrible job of keeping up with this blog. I will try during this week to keep adding posts of what's been going on lately with us. Here are some of my favorite 4D pictures of our sweet Olivia. Look closely at the first one...her eyes are open.

Olivia Grace Hembree

2011-02-11T18:22:00.000-08:00

Baby Hembree has a name!! Here are a few of my favorite pictures of Olivia. These are when I was close to 19 weeks. I'm now 24 weeks!!! Wow how time flies. Enjoy!!

Hotty Toddy!

2011-02-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

bible drills

2011-01-31T16:04:00.000-08:00

Rob was trying to impress me last night by saying all the books in the bible in order. He clearly learned the song that for some reason no one taught me. So, I guess he felt sorry for my bible knowledge and was trying to help me learn them. I told him that I do know how to remember "Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians"..which would be General Electric Power Company. He looked at me strangely and said, "no, Girls Eat Pink Candy"

Christmas in the Valley!

2011-01-17T19:34:00.001-08:00

Annie loved her present from Lloyd

Mom loved her grinch!
actually mom loved all her presents
Christmas snow

the sisters I never had..

us with Rob's parents

all the cousins and spouses..minus several:(

we're a lot of fun!

The Caulfield family together again

The Hembree Family!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-10T12:06:00.001-08:00

This year, the Hembree's spend their Christmas with us in Mississippi. We had a really relaxing week, much to Rob's dismay. If he had his way all the time, we would be up and doing something every second of every day. We did a lot of last minute shopping, watched movies, played cards, and did manage to go to the zoo on a beautiful 70 degree day. The night of the 22nd, we had Christmas at our house. It was a fun memory since it was the first Christmas celebration in our new house. Enjoy our pics.

Rob and his heater (for the garage)

my wonderful mother-in-law
my casserole carrier from Rob

fun times

this is the only pic. I have of any Christmas decorations

Christmas with the girls

2011-01-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

My updates these days are slower than normal. Since we found out we are having a baby, I guess my mind has been on that. I didn't even take any pictures of my house decorated for Christmas!!! Of well...I'm sure my mom did. CA, Amanda, Val and I had our annual girls Christmas celebration at Sweet Peppers. This time next year, there will be 5 kids in the group and we will probably be having this celebration at someone's house. We had a good time catching up as always and Banks,Amelia, and Houston had fun opening all their fun presents. I have the greatest friends!!

Rains Down In Africa

2010-11-11T17:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Stephanie sent this to me. I LOVE IT!!! Made me cry thinking of my JOY! She will be back in the states in 3 weeks for Lindsay's wedding and I AM PUMPED!!

BIG NEWS!!

2010-11-11T15:38:00.001-08:00

Rob and I are so excited to announce that we are expecting our first child. The baby is due June 2, 2011. As of today I am 11 weeks pregnant and looking forward to days that I can enjoy my food and not spend so much time looking down the toilet. I started getting sick around week 5 and haven't felt good since. I know this will pass and am hoping sooner than later. Below is my first ultrasound that was around 7 weeks. We got to hear the heartbeat on this visit and it was amazing. I had no clue we would be able to hear it that early. We had our 2nd appointment yesterday and got to hear the heartbeat again. It has to be the sweetest sound I've ever heard. My doctor said everything is looking good. Rob got more than he bargained for at the appointment...turns out I am Rh negative, so he had to get stuck so they will know what his blood type is. Not only am I excited that we are having this baby, I am thrilled because my friend Amanda is pregnant and 3 weeks ahead of me. This is her second baby, so I'm glad to have her as that support as we go through this together. Our kids will be instant friends:)

Kellie's wedding festivities

2010-09-10T20:26:00.001-07:00

One of my best friends from high school, Dr. Kellie Burns got married in Water Valley last month. I was honored to be part of her special day. It was perfect. She was married at First Baptist and her reception was in downtown WV!! It was really cool. Here are some pics of her bachelorette party in Memphis, the rehearsal, bridesmaid brunch, and wedding.

Bachelorette party at Hard Rock on Beale

the valley girls Rob had to be the stand-in groom until the groom got there...

Rehearsal dinner at Emileigh's table in Taylor, MSmore valley girls:)bridesmaid luncheon in WV reminiscing about the good ole days!

taming the beast

thanks for the flipflops Kellie!
my other Kelley and Cohen!

this is what you do when you dressed are too long to dance

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

2010-09-09T19:23:00.000-07:00

In July, Rob and I went to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico to celebrate my 29th birthday and our 3 year anniversary. We had a wonderful trip full of excitement. I managed to talk Rob into 2 full days of doing nothing but hanging out at the resort. He was a good sport, but I could tell he was itching to go do something. He found a website called Vallarta Adventures that offered many things to do while there. Enjoy our pics!

No, we did not take a cruise...

On our way to "Rhythm of the Night"

downtown Puerto Vallarta

While shopping in this store we came across a lady with an africa crocodile. She belonged to a animal rescue society. If you paid $3, you could get your picture made with the little fellow...so natually I turned to Rob without hesitation and told him to give the lady her money! we walked by a wedding

hanging out at the resort

2010-09-09T18:56:00.000-07:00

swimming with dolphins

2010-09-09T18:23:00.001-07:00

ok, so maybe this is what you take your kids to do, but Rob and I had never swam with dolphins before. It turned out to be so much fun. We even had our own photographer there to take all these cute and cheesy pictures.

the sea lion wanted some attention too! He had some major bad breath!!

Outdoor Adventure

2010-09-09T17:25:00.000-07:00

One of the most favorite things that we did in Mexico was "Outdoor Adventure". This was a full day of mule riding, zip-lining, rappeling, and hiking. The website said we needed to have "active" lifestyles to do this. We were a little worried about that, however we managed fine!

Brian's graduation

2010-07-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

At the end of May, Rob and I went to Houston to see Brian graduate from medical school. YAY Dr. Hembree! Brian has worked so hard these past four years and we are so proud of him! The weekend was too short, but it was nice getting to see Rob's family. Brian has started his residency at Baylor and is doing great!

Brian and friends This is Dr. Duke, who was one of the surgeons during President Kennedy's assassinationBrian with the Surgeon General of the United States

visit from the Hembree's

2010-07-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Things around our house this summer have been so busy that I have forgotten to post pics from when Rob's parents came for a visit in June. We were very excited to have them with us for a few days. My parents even came down for a day. It was so nice having room to fit everyone in our house...something we couldn't do in our old one. Enjoy!View of Jackson from a window at the old capital museum

Happy Anniversary Rob!

2010-07-07T16:17:00.001-07:00

Three years ago today, Rob and I were married in the most beautiful ceremony. We loved every minute of it! Our reception was so wonderful!! Seeing so many of our family and friends having such a good time was icing on the cake. We danced the night away to DMP! I still tell Rob that for our 10th anniversary, we need to have a big party and hire the same band. They were awesome! The past three years have flown by. I am so blessed to be married to Rob. He is so good to me! We have had such an amazing adventure together! Here are some pics of that adventure...Happy Anniversary Rob, I Love you!!

July 14, 2007

St. Lucia DisneyWorld

Gatlinburg, TN

San Francisco and here is a sneak peak of the resort we are staying at next week in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We leave Sunday...which happens to be my 29th birthday..yikes!!

4th of July!

2010-07-07T16:11:00.000-07:00

Have I ever mentioned what great friends I have? I am blessed! Here we are at the Kennedy 4th of July party. Our group keeps expanding...

making a house a home

2010-06-24T07:46:00.000-07:00

decorating our house has been quite fun...to say the least!

the orange couch LIVES!!

beautiful hydrangeas!

2010-06-08T15:15:00.001-07:00

Dragon Boat Regatta!

2010-06-07T14:55:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Rob came home and asked me if I wanted to do a dragon boat regatta with him. Not really knowing what he meant, but wanting a challenge, I said yes. We also enlisted our friends' Carol Anne and Daniel to join in on the fun. The Regatta was sponsored by the Madison County Chamber and was at the reservoir. Our team was Zip39, which Rob is a member. Zip39 is a young professionals group. Racing was actually quite hard due to a storm coming that caused the water to be rough. Many boats flipped or just would sink due to too much water getting in the boat. Ours never did. We didn't win, but came in 5th out of 14 boats.

Carol Anne had her game face on at practice!

CA is in next to last row, I am in front of her, and Rob is in front of me...DK is on the other side

RACE DAY

time to decorate

2010-06-07T12:17:00.001-07:00

I have had fun decorating the little bit that I have done. The first two pics are the drapes I got for our bedroom. You can't really tell what they look like in the first one, so I took a close up. The next pic is after the entertainment center has been antiqued. Then I have a pic of the build-in bookshelf. The rest are of artwork I bought in Canton recently.

move-in day

2010-06-07T11:55:00.000-07:00

I'm so sorry to my faithful followers for not blogging more...the past two months have been fun but very busy. We moved in our beautiful new home as soon as tax season was over...perfect timing:) As Rob's busy season was coming to an end, mine was getting started up. I was having to bring home my work everynight once we moved in so that I would get all my paperwork done before school was out for summer. Here are a few move-in pics...

blooming flowers

2010-05-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

sip and see

2010-04-27T20:21:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, Amanda, Carol Anne, and I helped host a "sip and see" for Valerie and her sweet new baby, Houston. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time together as always:) Houston looks like Amelia...which means that he looks like his daddy! He is precious!

D-Day Eve

2010-04-27T20:07:00.001-07:00

The night before Joy's departure day, Rob and I went out to eat with Joy, Lindsay, Aunt Dorothy, and Uncle Richard. It was a night FULL of emotions. Afterwards, I went back to Lindsay's apartment for a few hours. When I told Joy good-bye that night, the flood gates opened and didn't stop for several days...(they still open from time to time). It's only been 2 weeks and it's been tough. We have emailed a lot and I plan to get a web cam soon so we can skype. I ended up going back to tell Joy good-bye AGAIN right before she left for the airport the next day. I'm glad I did, but work that afternoon wasn't worth much. Joy had a good flight and even met a new friend on the plane. God is so good!

We miss you JOY!!

Moving Day!!

2010-04-21T18:56:00.001-07:00

our new home

guest bathroom
mudroom
my new piece from Pear Orchard antiques:)
butler's pantry
what's cooking?
keeping room (the awesome green frame is a house warming gift from our dear friend Carl at Southern Style Construction:)

living room (entertainment center to be antiqued)

living room fireplace

foyer

dining room

bedroom

future nursery (and no I'm not making any special annoucements...i just don't want to have to paint anymore)

new "ole miss" washer and dryer...Rob says he will be adding some purple to the room:)

looking out from hallway

our beautiful antique heart of pine floors

office

master bedroom with our new bed and mattress

master bath

front of house

2010-04-12T19:27:00.001-07:00

We have SOD!

2010-04-03T16:04:00.001-07:00

it's getting closer...

2010-03-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

tomorrow our hardwood floors get stained... some of these pics show our cabinets that are getting antiqued...I love the way they are turning out. Enjoy our pics!

good-bye Belhaven

2010-03-30T19:01:00.000-07:00

Well, moving day finally came and went. As easy as it was to sell our house, we had to end up getting out before our new house was ready. We think we have 3 weeks till we can move, so our gracious friends Carol Anne and Daniel invited us to stay with them until that time. Leaving Belhaven was very sad for me. For 6 years, I have lived in Belhaven and 4 of those years were at 1512 Lyncrest Avenue. I have loved every minute of my time in that house....of course Rob always likes to throw out the "not so good times" such as....the fire that sent me and my cousin Lindsay to a hotel for a month, the central heat and air going out during the middle of the Mississippi summer heat, the lightning that stuck the house and killed our microwave and dishwasher, the tree limb that fell and split parts of our desk, a water pipe busting under the house, the unknown animal that died in our bedroom wall and left a smell you would only think could be in hell... Even through all of that, it was still very hard for me to pack up and leave what has been some of the best years of my life. This move has nearly killed us...especially Rob who couldn't think of a worse time (tax season) to be moving. We didn't realize how much stuff we had. We ended up giving a lot to the Salvation Army and by the end of the box packing, we were just throwing things into the pod without even putting it in boxes. We ended up having to get two pods! A few days after we left, I had to go back to give our buyers something. I didn't want to even go inside, but she wanted to show me what she had been doing. I figured that they would be painting over the lime green walls, b/c I completely understand that color is not for everyone, but when I walked in every wall was repainted. It made me sad at first to see "my" house so different, but to be completely honest...it looked great. That's when I realized that it's not "my" house anymore and it was time to let go. As a walked out the door, I didn't even look back. I waved good-bye at my sweet neighbor who was sitting on his roof and spun away in my loaded down "Jane Fonda Honda". That chapter in my life is over and now it's time for a new one. I'm looking forward to what this chapter holds:)

house developments..

2010-03-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

Here are some recent pics of our new house. A lot of happened since my last update. It's so fun to see it all coming together. We are getting excited (and ready) to move in.

Congrats Val and Glen

2010-03-18T06:39:00.000-07:00

I am a fairy god-mother for the 3rd time now.. Houston Marion Morris was born Tuesday, March 16th weighing 8 pounds and 19 inches long. This was a cool day because Amanda got to be his nurse. Banks even came out to see what all the fuss was for. Congrats Valerie and Glen!

more developments...

2010-03-11T15:46:00.000-08:00

We have countertops and wood floors!! Things are looking great! We close on our Belhaven house on Monday and our buyers are giving us 10 days to get out. As you can tell, our house still has a few weeks before it is ready, so our dear friends' Carol Anne and Daniel are letting us stay with them until the house is ready. A POD was delivered to our house today and I just stared at it wondering how in the world we will fit all our stuff in it. We'll see... Rob and I are both a little sick, so we are hoping that will pass soon. We are spending the weekend boxing our life up:)

Farewell Joy and Louis

2010-02-27T15:18:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I helped give Louis and Joy a going away party in Jackson. I have a few pictures posted below. Usually on our blog, I don't really "blog"...I just tell you what Rob and I have been doing lately. Well, that all changes for this one. I just have to write a little about "my" Joy. Today, Louis left to go back to his home, South Africa. Joy is here for another month and then she leaves too. They plan to make their new home in Pretoria, SA. For those of you faithful blog readers that don't know Joy, then you don't realize what a gem she is and what she has meant to me over the past 28 years. She is not only my cousin, but my friend and more like a sister. Born 4 months before me, our parents probably knew we would grow up to be close, but I'm not sure they ever knew what kind of bond we would share. Joy has been such an inspiration to me. Our childhood memories are so sweet, but our last two years at Ole Miss and then both moving to Jackson after college are some of the best years of my life....and a lot of that has to do with Joy. One of my favorite Ole Miss memories is us studying together for finals our senior year at Joy and Louis' apartment. ok..we really didn't study together...after all, she was a pharmacy major and I was a communicative disorders major. Joy would sit on the couch and I on a reclining chair. We would have our books in our lap and the tv was always "muted" on HGTV... probably after about 20 minutes had passed, we both realized that neither of us were reading our books, but watching a muted tv show. We just decided then and there that we weren't accomplishing anything...no studying was getting done and we couldn't even hear the tv....so, there was only one thing we could do....we unmuted the tv:) I guess we ended up doing ok on those finals. The end of our senior year at Ole Miss and our first year in Jackson was a tough time for me. I honestly don't know if I would have finished graduate school if it weren't for Joy being in Jackson with me. I think I probably went to Joy and Louis' house almost every day until I met Rob (I apologized to Louis about that last night)... Joy was such an inspiration to me. She helped me learn some very important life lessons and more importantly she helped me realize who I was and whose I was. I will forever be grateful for the past 6 years and I am so sad to see them leave. Well...darn it I'm crying now so I must end this blog abruptly. BTW...Rob and I have started saving for the first of many trips to South Africa.

paint and more concrete!!

2010-02-19T19:42:00.000-08:00

We have paint, a driveway, and a sidewalk!! I LOVE how everything is coming together. Now don't judge me for my color choices! I just couldn't bare having a house without COLOR! The painter isn't finished yet. He still has to do a last coat and gel stain the kitchen cabinets, island, and entertainment center..so those will look completely different than what these pics show you! Enjoy:)

Snow in Mississippi!

2010-02-12T12:18:00.000-08:00

I think I win the award for most tacky snowman. I blame it on Rob. He had to work and I don't really have any experience building snowmen. When I was little in North MS we would get good snows, but not in Jackson. I heard this morning on the news that this is the biggest snow Jackson has had since...get this...1901!! Of course, I didn't have to go to work today, which means that b/c of us being out a few weeks ago for the water crisis in Jackson, we probably will be making up this day during Spring Break:( I did manage to get out a little today. Joy picked me up and we had lunch at Brent's Drugs. Enjoy my pics! My snowwomen is a hitchhiking beauty queen...

our first and last snow while living at 1512 Lyncrest Avenue

Who Dat!

2010-02-10T20:15:00.000-08:00

These are a few weeks old...haven't had time to post any. The saints pics are from when they won the game that got them into the Super Bowl. We were at our friends Todd and Emily's house. The last pic. is from the Ole Miss vs. LSU basketball game in Baton Rouge. Rob was a Saints fan for that game...did I mention the Rebels won:)

are we excited or what?

Go Saints!

I LOVE COLOR!!

2010-02-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

If anyone has been in our current house, you would know that I LOVE color. While I promised Rob that I would "tone down" the new house, I still managed to find ways to slide some color in. Here is a preview...

and some other developments...

20 reasons why New Orleans is the place to be for the Super Bowl

2010-02-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

check this out...

Here are 20 reasons why New Orleans (and not Miami) is the place to be for the Super Bowl - ESPN:

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!!

2010-02-01T19:23:00.000-08:00

God is so good. I am constantly reminded of His Love for us. Rob's dad's surgery was a success! It appears that they were able to remove all the cancer!! The power of prayer is amazing! Give praise to God for His many many blessings. God was in control of this situation from the very start. What an amazing testimony we all have! I have copied my sweet brother-in-law's post below.

The surgeon just came out and informed us of how the surgery went. He said the surgery was a great success. He said he had to work hard, but he had God with him and he was able to get it out. He said for a tumor that size that there was not as much blood as he thought there would be. They planned to use 4 units of blood and they ended up not using any. They said they had to increase the incision longer then they anticipated but they were able to work with it. God guided the surgeon's hand and the surgery is done. My dad is heading up to ICU as I type this and we will be with him in about 30 mins. He will be in a lot of pain these next couple days so please keep praying that the Lord will give him a calm spirit and will deliver him from this pain. THANK GOD!

cabinets doors and more!

2010-01-30T16:44:00.000-08:00

When I started thinking of how I wanted the kitchen to look, I thought I wanted something that you might not see in every kitchen. I have always loved cabinets that go all the way to the ceiling, so that's where it all started. After looking through many many magazines, I came up with the idea of having the X grid over glass cabinets at the tops. I was so thrilled when I went to the house Thursday and saw them. they look great!

the cypress beams are up!!

getting ready for the driveway had a problem with our previous mantel, so this is the new one...stain approved:)

update on Rob's dad

2010-01-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

Some of you may not know this, but we learned Wednesday that Rob's dad has a tumor on one of his kidney's. Rob left this morning for San Antonio. My brother in law, Mark, has being putting updates on his facebook page. I have pasted what his last update was below so that my blog readers can know how to pray for Mr. Jim.

We received the results of the CT scan from the surgeon around 7pm. We have good news, the cancer has not spread anywhere else it seems. We were worried about it spreading to the lungs, liver, and the other kidney but it does not appear to have. The cancer appears to have stayed on the kidney and has not spread to the inferior vena cava which was a big concern before. The surgery is scheduled for Monday at 1pm and the doctor said it would take roughly 3-4 hours. After the surgery is done he will be in the ICU for 2 days. During this time we will be focusing on him getting better. We are confident that the Lord will guide the hand of the surgeon and this will be a smooth operation. The constant stream of people and calls to uplift my father has been a great help. He really appreciates all the love and prayers that everyone is giving him. I am sure many people will come by this weekend to see him but please try to limit your visit to around 15 mins. So many people have come and at times we barely have enough room for everyone to fit comfortably. Thank you all again for your support and prayers and know we appreciate you all.

Ty's baptism

2010-01-26T18:12:00.001-08:00

On January 17th, we went to Belzoni to see my cousin Ty's baptism. It was a sweet day. He was baptized by his "Papa".

a short visit

2010-01-22T18:45:00.000-08:00

My parents are at our house tonight for a short visit. Dad has a meeting tomorrow in Hattiesburg. I told him they should stop by and see Tiger Woods:) After work today, we took them out to the new house to see the progress. They are staying with us tonight and Rob and I are going to Baton Rouge tomorrow for the Ole Miss vs. LSU basketball game. Here are some new house pics.

BIG NEWS!!

2010-01-16T15:11:00.000-08:00

We have a contract on our house...and didn't even have it on the market!! This is exciting, but very bittersweet for me. For 4 wonderful years, I have lived in what I would consider an amazing home full of old charm and character. You can't walk into this house and not just feel happy. We also live in a wonderful neighborhood. Belhaven is so unique and I have formed amazing friendships while being here. I have a strong connection to this house, b/c I bought it before Rob and I were a couple. Thanks dad for encouraging me 4 years ago to buy a house instead of continuing to rent. It was great advice! I still catch myself telling people that it is "my" house...i mean, my name is the only one on the mortgage. My sweet cousin, Lindsay, lived with me before I got married and we had such a wonderful time together.....and some not so good moments (the fire).

Now, we ask for your prayers. Sometime soon there will be a home inspection on the house, and being that it was built in 1931, you never know what might be wrong. We don't expect to be in our new house until March, and if all goes well with the home inspection, our buyers are letting us stay until our new house is finished. SO, I am getting a jump start on the moving process which actually made me tear up yesterday....let the packing begin:)

looks like a kitchen!

2010-01-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

I am LOVING my kitchen!

finally to kitchen!

2010-01-09T15:27:00.001-08:00

Our trim carpenter is working on the kitchen now..which is so exciting. Rob and I went to the house today and could hardly stay long due to the cold weather. Things are looking great. On Monday, I go pick out granite, finalize paint colors, and get appliances ordered.

San Antonio Christmas

2010-01-07T13:53:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we flew to San Antonio to spend a week with Rob's family. We were fortunate to not have bad delays this year like we have had in the past. As always, Rob had us up early and doing as much as possible during our stay. This year we decided to spend 2 days of our trip in Houston. We got to see Brian's apartment and he gave us a tour of M.D. Anderson Cancer hospital, Hermann Hospital, and the University of Texas-Houston Medical School where he has been for almost 4 years now. While in Houston we also went to the Holocaust Museum and NASA. In San Antonio, we went to the Natural Bridge Caverns (which was really neat) and we did some shopping. On New Years Eve, we went to church and got to see Mark get baptized. We did manage to rest on New Year's day. Luckily there was plenty of football on tv to keep us grounded for the day. Mrs. Cindy, Brian, Rob and I spent a lot of the time playing Uno. We had tons of fun on our trip. When we got back to Jackson, we had one day of vacation from our vacation:)
my new rain boots

Rob has some help opening his presents
Mark, Rob, BrianGrandpa Hembree reading the Christmas StoryHouston, we have a problem (the real mission control)on our audio tour:)
Natural Bridge Caverns

Christmas at Me-Mama's

2010-01-05T15:23:00.001-08:00

We had another great year at Me-Mama's for Christmas Day. This year we had 2 new members in the family. Ty, Ruth and Jeff's new baby boy.....and Anthony, Lindsay's boyfriend. We did miss several family members and hope we can all be together next year:) After lunch, we had our annual singing of carols and opening presents. It was all fun! Rob and I drove back to Jackson that night so that we could fly to San Antonio the next day...pictures of that trip will be up shortly.

our growing family (minus 6 members)

cousinsMe-Mama playing the piano with a smile:)

Grammer loves Barney Mac

singing hymns

Me-Mama and Ty

Ruth, Jeff, and Anthony

Lindsay and Anthony

more singing

Grammer and Ty

Barney Mac posing

Joy, Bethany, and Ty

cousins again

Rob, Bethany, Me-Mama

house update

2010-01-03T12:31:00.000-08:00

We have been away for over a week and went to the house this afternoon for the first time in a while. Let me just say how excited I was when we pulled onto our street. When I envisioned how I wanted our house to look, I can honestly say that it (so far) has exceeded my expectations. It is going to be a beautiful house. The bricks, the rub under the porch, the design on the porch, and the brick inside are absolutely beautiful....and our trim carpenter is doing a great job with all my many requests:) These past few weeks have been stressful for me hoping that everything would look right. I am so pleased and thankful for everyone who has helped us on this journey. I know we still have more decisions to make, but I can at least put the stress of what has been done behind me knowing that it is just like we wanted.
standing in kitchenstill working on fireplace in keeping

cubbies in hallway from garageliving room fireplacefoyerlaundry room

jack-n-jill bathroomgarageofficemaster closet

Christmas Eve in Water Valley

2010-01-02T21:00:00.001-08:00

We spent Christmas Eve at my parent's house in Water Valley. After going to the candlelight service at church, we went back to mom and dad's for hot chocolate and some gift giving. It was strange me being the only "Caulfield child" this year. Barry is still in Iraq and Lloyd couldn't get off work since ski season is at its busiest during Christmas. Me-Mama and my cousin Jeannie came over too:) We also spent some of the night watching It's a Wonderful Life and Rob's favorite, A Christmas Story. so apparently I had the sizes off when I bought these coveralls for my dad:(

Cute Cohen

2010-01-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Rob and I went to see my dear friend Kelley and her son Cohen on Christmas Eve in Water Valley. They were getting ready for their candlelight service so we had to cut our visit short. Cohen is so darn cute and has grown so much since I saw him last!! He showed us his toys and demonstrated his jumping skills on his new trampoline. It was so great to see Ron and Kelley and little Cohen! We love y'all!

more house pics!

2009-12-23T12:36:00.000-08:00

almost there

back of house looking into dining room, butler pantry, and kitchen

the amazing SHOE wall!!!

feet on vanity in guest bathroom (aren't they cute?)

jack-n-jill bathroom

bricks!!

2009-12-22T16:35:00.001-08:00

The house is finally starting to look like a home! About 10 workers starting bricking yesterday and this is where they were about 1 pm today. I think it is looking great! I was kinda worried about it...picking the brick was tough. The brick on the outside of the house is a new brick called "Old Town". We are having some interior brick inside the house on the fireplaces and arches and it is OLD! I am nervous about how it will look. It is old brick from buildings in St. Louis. Isn't that the coolest. I actually didn't even realize it was St. Louis brick until I paid for them and the man told me. I thought that was neat since Rob is such a fan of St. Louis! I also have some pics of the crown moulding that I selected. I am going back out tomorrow and will update the pictures then.

Christmas party

2009-12-20T15:23:00.000-08:00

Rob and I have been very busy this holiday season. Between work and house stuff, I don't know how we have managed to attend several Christmas parties..but we have. Thursday night we went to Carol Anne and Daniel's house and had a great time. I am so blessed to have my best friends in Jackson...we always have the best time together.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

We were very busy during the week of Thanksgiving. We had already made plans to attend Rob's great-grandmother's 100th birthday party in Missouri, so we decided to make a vacation out of it. I had the whole week of Thanksgiving off of work, and Rob just had to take off a few days. On Tuesday, we left Jackson on our way to Branson, MO. We left after Rob got off work, so we stopped in Little Rock that night so we could break up the drive. Rob's parents met us in Little Rock on Wednesday morning and we followed each other the rest of the way. We had a good time in Branson. As soon as we arrived, we went to a dinner show called the Cowboy Christmas. Afterwards we took a drive through the Trail of Lights. It was amazing all the work that is put into it. I have never seen so many Christmas decorations. We spend Thanksgiving Day just exploring Branson. We went to the Titantic museum...which was really good! That night we went to the Dixie Stampede. This is a dinner show that was started by Dolly Parton. Rob and I actually went to the one that 's in Pigeon Forge, TN last year when we celebrated our first anniversary. It was really neat, so we wanted Rob's parents to get to see it. When we saw that Branson had one too, we decided to get tickets. On Friday, we packed up the cars and drove to Lake of the Ozark, MO. This is where the birthday celebration was held. I had a great time meeting many Hembrees. The party was a surprise to Rob's great-grandmother, which can never be good if you are turning 100...but it turned out great and was very sweet. The Hembrees have a wonderful family with such a rich Christian heritage and I'm so proud to be a part of it!

The City of New Orleans

2009-12-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

The week before Thanksgiving, I took my first trip on the Amtrak! I went with some co-workers to New Orleans for the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association's annual conference. We probably spent more time walking around Jackson Square, shopping, and finding great places to eat than actually attending our meetings:) It was fun!

Amelia turns 2

2009-12-01T15:44:00.001-08:00

I am a little behind on my posts. These pictures are from sweet Amelia's 2nd birthday party that was a few weeks ago. We had lots of fun! As you may can tell, Valerie is pregnant again and we are getting really excited about having another member in our "family".

sheetrock

2009-11-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

master shower and wrap around closet

master bath
master bed
keeping room/kitchen
living room
dining room
foyer

Dexter McCluster

2009-11-15T17:43:00.000-08:00

I just have to share these two videos. The first one is of one of the most exciting plays I've ever watched at Ole Miss. I thought for sure Dexter would get stuck in the pile of TN players, but all of a sudden he pops out and no one could catch him. It was really fun to watch. What an amazing young man!! The second video is Dexter's testimony and how he was lead to Christ. Dexter has been sharing his testimony with children at schools in Oxford. What a great way to use his "celebrity" status and be a role model for people of all ages.

windows and doors

2009-11-15T08:23:00.001-08:00

things have slowed a bit..but here is the latest!

shingles and air

2009-10-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

all framed up

2009-10-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

the framing is finished and they are now working on electrical. Here are pics from today.

dining room
kitchen

keeping room

more keeping room

butlers pantry

living room

guest room

garage

windows looking into keeping room/kitchen

screen porch and patio

master bedroom

master bathroom

part of master closet (my favorite room)

small office

future kid room and bath

other future kid room

more roof!

2009-10-19T16:26:00.000-07:00

Roof

2009-10-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Look what I found this afternoon....a roof! Now when I tell people I am going to the lot, I can say I am going to the house!!! We were so lucky to get our concrete poured on a day that it hasn't rained. If not, we would still be looking at an empty lot. It's amazing at how quickly things have been happening. It has rained for 2 weeks straight here, which means I have had a bad hair day for that long. I had my first encounter with lighting this afternoon after work. After looking up at chandeliers for 10 minutes, my eyes started crossing, my neck was hurting, and I was getting a headache..so I had to get out of there fast. The sales lady gave me 5 catalogs that were heavier than me and I somehow managed to get back to the car without dropping them. I found some really cool, funky lights to go over our island and dining room table, but I'm sure they will get vetoed by Rob....maybe not! Enjoy our new pics!

Walls!

2009-10-11T12:02:00.001-07:00

Rob and I stopped by the lot on our way home from Water Valley and this is what we found!

Rebel football

2009-10-11T11:48:00.001-07:00

Saturday we drove to Oxford for tailgating and Ole Miss vs. Alabama football. It was so great to see some of my girls, especially Risley who came all the way from Virginia. Congrats to the Ole Miss defense for making the score seem not as bad as it could have been! Hope our offense can get it together soon! Either way, Hotty Toddy!

concrete

2009-10-07T17:25:00.001-07:00

With all the rain we've been having, we were afraid our concrete would be delayed. Luckily for us, they managed to get it done yesterday. YAY!

wedding in Georgia!

2009-10-04T17:23:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, mom, dad, Rob, and I went to our cousin Lauren's wedding in Dahlonega, Georgia. It was a quick trip, but we managed to do as much as possible. The wedding was Saturday night, so that day we drove to Helen, Georgia. Helen is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains on the Chattachoochee River and is a re-creation of an alpine village. The day we were there was the first day of their Oktoberfest, so there was lots going on. After we left Helen, in honor of Lloyd, we drove to a part of the Appalachian Trail. It was quite eventful. We drove up the mountain for 30 minutes, took a picture, mom stepped in dog poo, and we left! Lauren's wedding was at the beautiful Wolf Mountain Vineyards in Dahlonega. It was absolutely breathtaking. Rob and I enjoyed walking through the vineyards and seeing the purple grapes. When we were in Napa Valley in June, the grapes were very small and green, so it was nice to see how beautiful they look right before harvesting. I definitely win the award on this blog for most pictures...hope you enjoy them.

The Appalachian Trail

Helen, Georgia

the oktoberfest parade started with the official keg of beer

aren't they cute?

In Helen, we went to a model train exhibit that was amazing! we had lunch at a restaurant on the river

the setting of the wedding, Wolf Mountain Vineyards

Banks turns 1

2009-10-04T16:22:00.000-07:00

I know I post a lot of pictures of my best friends' babies, but I love them dearly!! Amanda and Eric's son, Banks, turned one recently and we went to his train themed birthday party! We all had fun and Banks really enjoyed his presents. He wasn't so sure about putting his fingers into his little cake, which made his daddy very happy. Happy Birthday Banks! We love you!

a new baby!

2009-10-04T15:40:00.000-07:00

My sweet cousin Ruth and her husband Jeff welcomed their second son, Tyler Haney Hughes, into this world on September 24, 2009 at 1:16 pm. Ty weighed 7 pounds 5 ounces and was 19 1/2 inches long. I couldn't get off work in time to be at the hospital while he was born, but made it shortly after. Ruth did great and big brother Brett was so excited! Congrats Ruth, Jeff, and Brett! We love y'all so much as are looking forward to another little one around the Christmas table!

post tension cables...

2009-10-03T13:52:00.001-07:00

foundation framing

2009-09-30T18:37:00.001-07:00

Things are getting really exciting these days...

our front porch

some of kitchen, butler's pantry, dining, and keeping rooms

future children rooms and bath

screened porch and patio

some of master bed and bath master bath

garage

Labor Day

2009-09-18T15:10:00.000-07:00

This is a little late but I wanted to post some pictures of what Rob and I did over Labor Day weekend. Saturday night we stayed up late and watched the LSU game on tv. Sunday after church, our friends Daniel and Carol Anne came over and we watched the Ole Miss game. On Labor day, we met friends Valerie, Glen and their daughter Amelia and went to the zoo. Amelia loved looking at all the animals and really enjoyed the petting zoo. That night we went to friends Amanda and Eric's house for supper. We had a great weekend spending time with our friends.

Home For Sale

2009-09-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION ALL POTENTIAL HOME BUYERS:

Are you looking for a gorgeous new home in the sought out Fondren neighborhood? If so, then you've come to the right place. My dear cousin Joy and her husband Louis are returning to the motherland soon, and they would LOVE for you to consider their Fondren house for your next "home". It is super cute and ready for new owners! As much as I don't want to see them go, I know that this is the Lord's will. Rob and I look forward to many adventures to South Africa.

more pictures and information at:

http://homesearch.jacksonrealtor.com/(wumryo45gzpd53yi2jbdkw55)/propertyDetails.aspx?mls=211106

P.S. If you are not quite ready to buy yet, but want another amazing home with charm and character, then look no further than our Belhaven home...will be up for sale around March 2010. Stay tuned!

Are you Ready??

2009-08-28T14:34:00.001-07:00

Fun night!

2009-08-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Saturday night, some friends from church met at Blake Morris' new house for some great food (prepared by Blake) and fellowship! I had tons of fun playing games on the Wii. Stephanie, Betsy, and I somehow managed to all wear purple that night and the guys all had on some kind of blue..weird!! Rob is in San Antonio at a conference and most importantly visiting his family. I really am jealous that I couldn't go. It's just too hard for me to take off during the week at work. There are only so many "sick" days I can take before they ask for a doctors excuse!!

Lloyd in the news!!

2009-08-23T18:09:00.000-07:00

Check this out!!

http://www.eptrail.com/ci_13038105?IADID=Search-www.eptrail.com-www.eptrail.com

party like it's 1999!!

2009-08-19T15:00:00.001-07:00

My 10 year class reunion was held July 31-August 1st in Water Valley. It was so much fun!! I have to brag on myself a little since I planned it. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time. It was so good seeing all my classmates...some that I haven't seen since graduation. We had a great turnout and no one wanted to leave. Rob was such a great supportive husband. He helped me make and set up a slideshow, PLUS he took lots of pictures for me..so many that we actually forget to get one of us:( So much has happened in each of our lives the past 10 years. It's funny how once we get all together it's like we have never been apart. I never thought I would say this, but I actually am looking forward planning our 15 year reunion.

Water Valley High School Class of 1999

even Matt McQueen came...all the way from Africa!

crash

2009-08-16T16:16:00.000-07:00

About 2 months ago, Rob and I talked about backing up our computer because we have so many important things on it...photos, addresses, all of Rob's money budget things... Then we got busy traveling throughout the summer and working on house plans. So you can imagine how upset we were when our computer CRASHED yesterday morning! Rob heard it making some awful sounds and then it wouldn't boot up. After talking to his brother Mark on the phone, we are afraid there may be no hope of recovering all our files. Rob is going to San Antonio (for a conference) this weekend with our hard drive to see if Mark can recover anything. Oh..I forgot to mention that my laptop crashed before Christmas last year. FYI...both computers were bought in 2003 and were DELLs. I am typing this now b/c Rob brought home his work laptop. I am very sad that I have potentially lost all my great pictures and my whole address book. I guess the only good thing that has come out of this is that I don't have to give my receipts to Rob this week:)

**UPDATE** Mark was able to recover all our stuff from the hard drive. Praise the LORD!!

The Blind Side

2009-08-05T09:52:00.000-07:00

Christmas of 2007 when Rob and I were in San Antonio, I picked up the book, "The Blind Side" at one of our trips to Barnes and Noble. On the cover of the book was a football player standing facing away from the camera. I thought that the jersery he had on looked like an Ole Miss jersery so I picked it up to investigate. I clearly know my Ole Miss football because I was right. It was an Ole Miss jersey, and on top of that it was an Ole Miss football player. I immeditately started reading the book in the store and 2 days later (after I bought the book), I was finished. I LOVE reading books that I can relate to somehow, but I not only related to this story because Michael Oher played football at Ole Miss. I also related to this story because I see students in Jackson Public Schools that are just like him...students that grow up in the worse way possibly, get involved in bad things, make horrible grades, and are every teacher's nightmare. I will even go further to say that it isn't always completely their parents fault. So many children get labeled as "stupid" and are put into the, "He will never succeed" category. The worst part of it is that teachers don't even take the time to do their own job and teach them. The poor students fall further and further behind causing them to have behavior problems and get involved with drugs, gangs, etc. This story will melt your heart!! It's definitely a rags to riches story. If you haven't heard of Michael Oher, then come football season, watch the tv on SUNDAY'S. I suggest you buy the book before the movie comes out...b/c the book is full of information that I'm sure couldn't be fit into the movie. Here is the trailer for the movie that is to be released in November. Enjoy.

Colorado

2009-08-03T12:28:00.001-07:00

On July 18th (my birthday) - July 23rd, Joy and I went to Colorado with my parents and their longtime friends the Caldwells. I wish Rob could have come to see how beautiful it was. We flew into Denver and rented a Suburban to fit 8 for when Lloyd and his girlfriend Alyssa joined us. From the airport we drove to Estes Park (where Lloyd lives) where we stayed 2 nights. The first night we went for my birthday dinner to eat at Baldpate Inn. They have the world's largest key collection and I posted a picture of one of their most famous keys. The next day we went to the Rocky Mountain National Park to see where Lloyd works and go on his Tundra hike. It was truly amazing to see God's beauty around us as we explored the park. Actually, the whole trip was full of beautiful scenery. On Monday we loaded up the Suburban and headed south to Durango. It was an all day drive with parts of the highway being the scariest I've ever traveled on. Tuesday morning, we went rafting and then drove to Silverton where we took the train back to Durango that afternoon. On Wednesday, we went to Mesa Verde and explored the Cliff Dwellings...which was my favorite part of the trip!! Enjoy my photos.

Happy Birthday to me

2009-08-03T12:01:00.000-07:00

I turned 28 on July 18th. The day before, I got together with the girls to celebrate. We also celebrated Carol Anne's birthday which was on the 16th. We had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants in Jackson...Bon Ami. We also got some great news from Valerie. She is expecting her 2nd child!!! We are so excited for Valerie, Glen, and Amelia. Banks entertained us throughout lunch and kept us laughing with his cute facial expressions. He is precious! Thanks girls for a great birthday lunch and the wonderful presents! We now have 2 years to plan our big 30th birthday cruise!

updates

2009-07-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! I have been slow getting my posts out lately, and still don't have much for you now. I've been very busy working on house plans, planning my class reunion, and traveling. After this weekend, I promise I'll get some pics out of what's been going on with us lately!! Have a great weekend.

Our 2nd Anniversary

2009-07-14T08:32:00.001-07:00

Today is our 2 year anniversary. Rob of course had to work, but he still has made the day extra special for me. When I woke up, I had a sweet card on the table and later I found beautiful flowers on the porch. We are going to eat tonight at my favorite restaurant, Amerigos. I can't believe how fast 2 years has flown by. Nothing makes me happier than being Rob's wife and sharing our life together. He brings me more happiness and joy than I could have ever hoped for. I love you Rob!! Here are a "few" of my favorite pics from our wedding day...plus a pic of my flowers.

my anniversary flowers!

Gulf Shores

2009-07-13T13:25:00.001-07:00

Joy, Stephanie, and I went to Gulf Shores last Thursday-Sunday. We had a much needed stress- free relaxing weekend. We stayed at The Beach Club and it was great. We were worried, b/c we waited so long to find a place to stay. Thanks to Steph for finding such a great place for us. Our condo was so cute! We stayed at the beach all day Friday and Saturday and just went to our room for lunch.

the wave hit us right as the picture was taken

eating at LuLu's

day 2 at the beach

The view from our balcony!back in Jackson...

4th of July

2009-07-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

We went to Carol Anne and Daniel's house in Lake Caroline for the 4th. It was so great being there with my best friends. Ashley Hood came and stayed with us for the weekend. We had a great time catching up. Amelia and Banks have gotten so big and it was fun to watch them "play" together.

dancing, dancing, dancing!!

San Francisco

2009-07-06T15:55:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from our trip to San Francisco and Napa Valley. I have become definitely my mother's child, b/c after I uploaded all the pics I realized that we took over 700 pictures. Don't worry..I didn't post that many, but there are quite a few...Enjoy!

Amanda's birthday

2009-06-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Today is my friend Amanda's birthday! We celebrated Tuesday night at Valerie and Glen's and had a great time. Glen grilled pork chops that was delicious! Amelia and Banks had fun playing together.

Farewell Barry!

2009-06-12T09:23:00.001-07:00

Tuesday I went with my parents to Camp Shelby for a farewell ceremony of the 155th Bridgade Combat Team. They have over 3000 soldiers deploying to Iraq next week. We picked Barry up for a 4 day leave. We were excited to see him! Mom and Dad are driving him back to Camp Shelby tomorrow. When I get an address for him, I will let everyone know. We love you Barry and are praying for all of you.

St. Louis

2009-06-08T08:29:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures from Rob's trip to St. Louis to see the Cardinals play the Cubs. This was back in April and I'm just now getting around to uploading them all! He took many many more pics, so this is just a recap...