Countdown to Noah's arrival and Other Madness

December is in full swing! I have probably already mentioned that I am committed to SOMETHING every weekend this month. The good news is that all of the plans are fun ones! Last weekend I helped host a baby shower for one of my most beloved friends, Meagan. Baby Noah will be here in just 9 days!!! Here are some pictures of Meagan's special day. The awesome diaper cake that Jessica made:

Noah's talking bear!

A must have for any newborn: cute clothes!!

That green shirt says it all:

Noah's first black tie event:

I found this little doggie outfit at Little Lambs and Ivy and couldn't resist. It has dog ears and everything!

Meet Shirley Coleman, one of the most generous and Godliest ladies I know. She is the most selfless person, and she has a positive impact on the lives of everyone who meets her.

Noah has not even been born yet but has quite the toy selection already:

Oh, the clothes pin game! The object: get as many clothespins off of your opponent as you can in a minute. Guess who won?

I love that little Jordan!

Meagan and her beautiful sisters:

Two of my lifelong friends that I simply could not live without!

I love these people!!!

All in the family.

The hosts. We love you, Meagan : )

This week has been a busy one, too. On Monday night Jamie and Chris came over. We grilled steaks and had loaded baked potatoes, along with other fixin's. It was a delicious meal! Afterwards we played Bean Bohnanza, a card game that I had never heard of but actually really liked!

Think Monopoly meets Uno and they go shopping together in a vegetable store. I also had lunch today with Jamie at Wild Hare. I love me some Jamie! Our work lunches are always fun : ) Shocker: I cooked dinner last night, and it was delicious. Breakfast for dinner- one of my "specialties." When I lived with Joy and Dorothy here in Columbia, we would cook that probably 7 times out of 10. Actually, we probably only cooked 10 times total, but you get the point. What did Ryan and I eat tonight? Let me tell you, I slaved away tonight making this:

Yep, placing my order into the speaker and driving around to the window was such hard work. In other news, I have GOT to make some headway on Christmas shopping. I know, I know, there are only about 2 1/2 weeks until Christmas, and I have barely started. That's what happens when work is so crazy and overwhelming that all you want to do is crash when the day is over. Our office has been unbelievably eventful lately. Just yesterday I was having lunch with one of my coworkers, one of our sales trainers, and a deer, sweet lady from our Greenville office who is leaving the company this month. We decided to go out to eat with her and wish her farewell, and she actually started having a mini stroke AT THE TABLE!!! She was as calm as could be, but it was very scary for the rest of us. Fortunately, she is okay. She is a wonderful Christian person, and I wish her the best. Although things have been going great for me lately, I did just lose a major deal that I was working on. It was a terrible bummer. Seriously, I was really upset. But you know what? My mindset is that someone somewhere has lost an even bigger deal that came with even more disappointment. I should be thankful for the experience, because it may lead to something bigger in the future. Plus, I don't know who the other company was that won the business, but perhaps that rep really needed the deal moreso than I did. Sales is a roller coaster. You are going to win and lose, and I don't think anyone can be successful in this industry without a positive attitude. Honestly. Just like the nail in my tire that I got recently after doing a favor for a customer. I was really frustrated that it happened, but thought: if I had taken my regular route that day and not done them a favor I could have been hit by a Mack truck! Maybe I'm crazy. Or maybe I'm grateful. We all have strengths and weaknesses, (and I will readily admit that I have plenty of weaknesses), but my challenge to you this week is to be grateful. In hard times, and in good times. Be constantly grateful. It will give you a new outlook on life and is guaranteed to brighten the days of everyone around you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18..."Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Have a wonderful weekend! Until next time- P.S...the times on this blog are all out of whack. I am not actually posting this during work hours as it says! Plus, this spacing issue is driving me CRAZY!!! The lines are all messed up and can't be fixed. Oh, well!