The Adventures of Al and Brooke

No Problems in Jamaica!

2011-07-17T21:35:00.006-05:00

Waiting to leave Atlanta!
Jay and Alicia were ready to go!

So excited!

High above the clouds!

First night to dinner!

Two cool dudes!

Two fabulous ladies!

And our gorgeous desserts!

Our suite above the beach!

View of the beach from our suite!

Winning prizes!!

View from where we ate breakfast every morning!!

Pretty bird!

Beach Party!

Beautiful sunset!

It is my privilege to present Mr. and Mrs. Brett Battles!

2011-07-17T21:17:00.006-05:00

On June 4, 2011, my little brother married his best friend! Sarah and Brett have been dating since Sarah was 14 years old. They were married at Robert Trent Jones in Muscle Shoals. I am so excited to have Sarah as my new sister in law and look forward to many years of memories!

Beautiful Bride!

Her cake was gorgeous!

Me and my good looking hubby!

Mothers!!

Ready to go!

Making sure everything is perfect!

Brett and momma!

Kisses from the groom!

Me and my favorite!!

Mom and her boys!

Me and Al at the Rehearsal dinner!

Rehearsal dinner at Doublehead Resort!

Ready for rehearsal!

Wedding Festivities Begin!!!

2011-04-23T09:29:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday afternoon the Wedding Festivities began. My little brother (Brett) is getting married June 4, 2011 and we can't wait for him to marry this girl!! Sarah, is the best match for him. She is smart, sweet, beautiful....I could go on and on! They have been together since she was 14 years old and finally they are getting married. Everyone knows leading up to the Big day is all the fun teas, parties, and lots of gifts!! The pictures below are from Sarah's first shower with her friends. They received a ton of gifts. Can't wait for the next party!!

Me and my soon to be sister in law!!
Sarah's mom (Cecile), Sarah, and my mommy!!

Sarah and her best friend, Carmen*

The best part of Bridal Teas!

The next best part of Bridal Teas!

All the fun gifts she (and Brett) received!

We have three more showers, a bachelorette party, and bridesmaid luncheon to go! I will have more pictures!

Oh yeah, and of course the BIG day!!!

Girl's Weekend at the Beach

2011-02-21T21:37:00.002-06:00

There are only a few requirements for a great girl's weekend at the Beach!!

Pick a fantastic weekend and a great spot on the Beach!
Next, shop til you drop at the local outlets. *even going back the next day!!*

Eating a fabulous meal every night & sometimes even lunch!!

Picking two of the greatest people in the world to spend it with!!

And knowing when you get home the people who love you the most are waiting on you to get back and they have missed having you home!!

Super Bowl XLV

2011-02-13T22:10:00.002-06:00

Collage Football has been over for about a month, so Al and I have savored the last few NFL games of the season. It is a sad day for us when Football season is over until the following fall! You all know we love our Crimson Tide, but we also like just watching football in general. We have always watched the Super Bowl, so this year since we were in our new house we decided to have a Super Bowl Party!! So this was our 1st annual Super Bowl Party!

Our guests for this party were Valerie, Roger, Heather, and Britt! I am glad Green Bay won so Al could sport his awesome cheese head he got while in Green Bay many years ago!
Super Bowl food!!!

Super Bowl plates and napkins!!

Al and I had wanted to purchase a new tv for a while now, but we decided to wait until the Super Bowl sales! We picked our tv up on Thursday before the game and we LOVE it!! Can't wait til next September! :)

Super Bowl desserts!

Havoc "Hoppy" Game

2011-01-16T14:50:00.003-06:00

Last night several of us headed to the VBCC to watch the Huntsville Havoc play hockey. Hockey games are always entertaining and this one was the most exciting one I have seen! Both teams were very "mouthy" (if that is a word) and there were several fights. One in particular where the gloves and the helmets come off! We rode with Matt, Angela, andAB over to the game. When we got in the car, I ask AB where are we going and she replied, a Hoppy game! So, from now on they are known as Havoc Hoppy Games!
Surprisingly, AB loved the game and was in to it even after it went into overtime!

AB and her Bobo

Mom, Brett, and Me!

Me and AJ

Me and AB

I did not realize she was making funny faces!

Really good fight!

It was a really good game, it went into over time and then a shoot out! Unfortunately the Havoc lost:(

Snow Day!

2011-01-10T14:55:00.005-06:00

When I was younger I used to get so excited when it snowed! No school, day playing with friends, and good junk food....When you get older snow days are still exciting but very disappointing because you get up to the snow, but since we usually don't get enough to close down businesses it is off to work I go! Well, not this time!! I was so excited Sunday night I could hardly contain myself, and at this time I was suppose to be at work at 12. Luckily that changed to Tuesday at 12, and this Snow Day has not disapointed me yet!! It brought back so many memories and was just an overall fun day. Played in the snow, made snow cream, ate junk food, watched tv, read part of my book!!! Needless to say, this Snow Day 2011 has been great!
Me and my sweet girl!!

Uncle Bobo and AB (she was a little unsure about the mask at first)

Playing video games after the snow got a little too cold!

Having a snack while watching tv in our pj's!

Snow cream, Yum Yum!

AB dumped a bit too much sugar, but Hey!! It's a snow day, so a little too much sugar is alright!

Not sure about this smile!

AB loved to run from you when she thought you were about to hit her with a snow ball!

Pelting Bobo w/ a snow ball! She was really getting the hang of it!

Red Nose :)

Running from Bobo who is about to throw a snow ball!

Samuel was not really thrilled about the snow!

Our dogs were a little unsure about the snow, Muffin (small one) was having to jump up to get through it! Brownie (big one) was actually using the bathroom here; I guess it did not bother her!

HAPPY SNOW DAY YA'LL!!!

2011

Sunday Afternoon Video Games

2011-01-02T15:50:00.003-06:00

As you all know, Al loves playing video games. He has wanted to have some kids over to play for a while now, so today was the day. He invited Tee, Ryan, and Jake over for pizza, cookies, and a little XBOX 360 game playing. They all fit right in together, even my 32 year old husband! :) It was a great Sunday afternoon!!

Merry Christmas to Me!!

2010-12-26T16:22:00.003-06:00

I was SUPER surprised about my gift from Al this year! I had wanted a new tv stand for our living room, but I was not expecting this! Al had Bobby Nixon make the cabinets to match our kitchen cabinets and another piece of furniture we have; then he went to B'ham on Christmas Eve to get the granite on top so it would match our countertops! Needless to say, I LOVE it!!! Now he says we just need a bigger tv to sit on it!! :)

Christmas Eve w/ the Grigsby's

2010-12-26T16:07:00.005-06:00

On Christmas Eve we always get together with my mom's side of the family. This year we went to my Uncle Jesse's house for dinner and Bingo. We had so much fun! Their house is like a museum, they have so many unique items! We even made cotton candy!!

**Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!**

Poor Al has been sick the whole time, but he was a good sport throughout the Holiday!

Chase giving Brett a Big Bear Hug!

Brett and Sarah!

Playing Bingo!

Mom Bingoed about 7 times, she was having a ball!

Making the Cotton Candy!

YUM! YUM!

All the unique items in their basement!

A Skee Ball game!

Bumper Car!

McDonald's display!

A plane!

Christmas at Mom's

2010-12-26T15:45:00.006-06:00

On Thursday night we celebrated Christmas with mom, Brett, Sarah, Mark, Jarrod, and AJ. Christmas at my mom's is always a blast. This year we played Minute to Win It! We also had a great dinner and opened presents!!

Sarah, Brett, and AJ
Mom opening one of her presents!

Sarah opening one of her presents!

Me and one of my presents!!

Al and I were on a team for Minute to Win It! Here we are trying to figure out which box had the most jingle bells in it

Listen carefully!

Shake it Mark!

Catch the ping pong ball in the bucket!

AJ had to blow the cards until they were just hanging off the end!

Mom had some difficulty with this one! :)

Brett throwing the cards into the bucket....another hard one!

Jarrod swinging the bow up to land on his nose!

Mom preparing Jarrod for his game

Al had to blow up the balloon and then use the balloon to knock the cups off the table!

Shake it Sarah!!

Everyone helping cook dinner!Al and AJ

Al and Jarrod

Merry Christmas!!!

Graduation

2010-12-20T21:25:00.008-06:00

To mark this momentous occasion, I have several photos! Forgive me for being so proud of my little brother and sharing his great accomplishment with you all. He graduated college Friday night at the University of North Alabama. We are all so proud of him!!
Brett, Mom, and Caleb

Mom loving on her favorite son in law!
Mom and her two favorite girls!!

Me and my favorite brother!!

Al, me, My papa, Sarah, and Brett. We are celebrating Brett's graduation with a small party!

Me and my favorite husband :)

Sarah baked Brett a cake! She did a great job!

Mom and Mark @ Graduation

What a good looking family**

Love that Smile!!

2010-12-14T20:27:00.003-06:00

Samuel visited tonight along with his mommy and daddy! He was in such a good mood; I love that Smile!!!

Loving his Uncle bobo!

Fun and Busy Saturday!!

2010-12-06T21:38:00.005-06:00

I had been looking forward to this past Saturday for awhile! I knew it was going to be busy, but I love to be busy when it is fun! Saturday morning we started with a brunch for my soon to be sister in law. Sarah and Brett are getting married in June, but I thought it would be fun to have a Christmas Brunch to get her started on Christmas decorations!

The beautiful Bride to be!

The next "to do" on the list was preparing baskets with several ladies from church. Several people were involved in making this happen from giving money, putting the baskets together, and delivering the baskets. This was such a great idea, thanks goes to Angela and Amber for getting it all together!

The Night Cap, was a trip to the VBCC to watch Disney Princess on Ice with our little princess, Anna Beth! We tagged along with Matt, Angela, and AB and I have to admit I might have enjoyed the show just as much as Anna Beth!!

O' Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T19:46:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite time of year! I love all the pretty lights, the music, red and green everywhere! The Santas, excited kids, family and friend get together. I really just love everything about it. This year is a little extra special for Al and I since it is our first Christmas in our new house. We don;t have a lot of decorations yet, but for now I wanted to post a few that we have done. I am especially happy with my tree. You can't see it very well in this picture, but I love it. My mom will be here tomorrow night to make everything else look good!!!

I love my Houndstooth Santa!!

State XC Meet!

2010-11-13T13:06:00.002-06:00

This post is to brag on my cousin Sam Lawson and he awesome year of Cross Country! He is a 7th grader at Brooks High School and began this year running with the Junior Varsity team. He did so awesome that after the JV season was over he was pulled up the Varsity team to run with them. Today they ran in the State Tournament in Moulton at the Jesse Owens park. He did so good, out of 7 7th graders running in 4A he came in 4th and he came in 83rd out of 138 runners in the entire classification. I am so proud of him and can't wait to watch him again soon!

This is Sam, his younger brothers (Chase and Taylor) and myself after the run!
Me and the runner!

The first mile marker!

Shot gun start!

Getting ready for the big run!

They run 3.1 miles, I was just tired watching them! :)

Congratulations Brooks XC!!

Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T10:23:00.005-05:00

Halloween and Trick or Treating has always been a favorite of mine! This year was so fun, we actually went trick or treating around a neighborhood with Matt, Angela, AB, Samuel, Jay, Alicia, Bryson, and Kynsley. They loved it!! It was so cute watching them saying "Trick or Treat" and "Thank you". My favorite part was watching AB keep reaching in one ladies bowl of candy that had told them to just get what they wanted, well AB obviously wanted a lot of different things! It was too cute!

AB opening her treat from Aunt Brooke and Uncle Bobo!
Trying Really hard for a smile!

This was a good smile with Mommy!

Samuel's First Halloween!

Samueal and Aunt Brooke

Minnie Mouse, Dorothy, Iron Man, and the Pumpkin

Skittles!!! YUM!

Best friends Always!!

The first house we stopped at, after this there was no need for adult assistance!~

Al and "Dr. Love" (Hamilton Pressnell)

Three Beautiful girls!

Samuel bundled up for the ride!

Halloween Scavenger Hunt!

2010-10-31T10:12:00.005-05:00

Last Sunday we decided to have a Halloween Scavenger Hunt. Alicia, Angela, and I had been planning this party for several weeks. We were able to come up with a few good clues to different places around town. We are so happy with how everything turned out and I think everyone had a great time!

The Winning Team!
Britt and Heather had the closest guess of how many candy corn were in the jar!!

First Team Back...by several minutes!

Good Food!

Kids making Monster Mix!

Best Friends!

It's the Happiest Place on Earth.....

2010-10-23T10:34:00.003-05:00

For Al. You all know how much we love Crimson Tide Football and last weekend Al had the privilege of taking Alex and Montez to the bama game. Alex is being recruited by the Tide and has access to things the normal person would not. Al was more than happy to tag along for the ride! He was able to see locker rooms, coaches, be on the field with the players, walk out of the tunnel the players walk out of, see the National Championship trophy, the Heisman. Needless to say it was the greatest weekend he has had in a long time!!

A visit from mom......

2010-10-11T19:25:00.004-05:00

On Sunday afternoon my mom come up to spend the afternoon with me before Al preached on Sunday evening. I have not seen my mom in a few weeks and I was really missing her. She always makes my day no matter what we are doing! On this particular Sunday she showed up as usual with a surprise! She brought me this awesome Bama wreath that she made for me and the cute pumpkin to hang on my porch wall. I told Al today, I hope my kids love me as much as I love my mom because I love her more than anything!

We also headed to Big Lots, Tuesday morning, and Burke's outlet and found a few items to decorate with and so I am posting a few more items at the house. Some are the same pictures as before, but with mom's touch they look a whole lot better :)

Destiny's Birthday Week has begun!

2010-10-11T19:19:00.002-05:00

It is time for Destiny's Birthday Week! She will be 3 on Wednesday, so we began her presents on Sunday evening!
Lisa Frank clip board and storage box with all the good stuff! Markers, Stickers, notepad, gotta love Lisa Frank!

Day 2 brings even more~

A pretty princess puzzle!!

We will see what the rest of the week brings!!!

Decorating our home!

2010-10-10T07:23:00.007-05:00

It is taking longer than I would like, but the decorating is starting to come together! Of course, I am wanting all new stuff for the house, so that is taking a little longer to get just bc I have to save my money! :) I absolutely love my house and enjoy every minute I am here. Although, Al is already talking about selling it in a couple of years...Ugh, we'll see!

A look at my new couch and chair. My living room is starting to come together!

My little Halloween decorations for the front porch!!

I love my bedroom, it is the closest to being completed!

You should all know I have to have part of my kitchen devoted to the Crimson Tide during football season! :)

I have not made up my mind exactly what to do here, but for now this is it. The bottom part Al brought home to me one day after working on a job. He called and told me he had a surprise for me. Of course, I was so excited! When I got home this was sitting in my hallway. He was working on one of the historical houses in Athens and this is the top of the chimney that they replaced. I love different items like this so I was super excited!!

This is the light that I looked for forever. I wanted a stained glass light for my breakfast room, but just could seem to find the right one. We had actually moved into the house before I found it, but I am glad I waited bc I love it!

For all of you that heard Al's story about the toilet paper sconce, here it is...it made it to the bathroom!

Master Shower, I have really enjoyed my shower!

Vacationing with the Looney's

2010-10-03T15:51:00.012-05:00

We left on Friday evening, the 17th and headed to Durham, North Carolina. On Saturday we met up with the Looney clan at the Bama/Duke game after that we headed to Myrtle Beach. It was a great week at the beach, we missed having Matt, Angela, AB, and Samuel with us but we had a good time! The hotel we stayed in had huge water slides, a lazy river, and an awesome indoor kids area. Here are a few pictures from the trip!!!

My Favorite Nephew!!!

2010-09-15T21:21:00.015-05:00

Samuel Matthew Burns arrived on September 2nd weighing in at 7lbs 12 oz. He was the most beautiful little boy I have ever seen. All of you know how much I adore my role as being an aunt and how much I love my nieces. Well, I have another reason to love being an aunt, I have a nephew to spoil!! This is already different than spoiling the girls, but it is just as fun!! Everyone knows how much the Burns' adore sporting events so this kid better get ready!

Anna Beth spent the night with us the night before Samuel was born. Anna Beth was really excited about her "Big Sister" tshirt!!
When we all got to Cracker Barrel to eat on the way to the hospital, she had a different tone. She kept asking where her mommy and daddy were. She just wasn't sure of the situation.

This is how she stayed most of the time in Cracker Barrel and of course I was just eating it up because she wanted to be with her Aunt Brooke!! But she was still very concerned about her mommy and daddy.

Then her little face lit up when she come to the waiting room to ask who wanted to come and see her baby brother. It was the cutest thing I have ever heard. She was a very proud big sister!

The Beautiful Family!!!

Samuel came out hungry!

The proudest Aunt and Uncle Bobo you will ever find!

Uncle Bobo is still a little nervous about holding Samuel, he likes it when they are old enough to play!

I am sure he is thinking....come on guys I just come from this wonderful warm dark place and now you are parading me around out here in this bright light and I am freezing! :)

This is one of my favorites!

A poor attempt at a Welcome Home sign. Of course, I could not find the nice premade ones like the one i had for AB. Oh well, effort was made!

Samuel made it home just in time to Cheer on the Tide to kick off the season!!

Sprinkling Angela and Samuel!!!

2010-08-09T20:52:00.015-05:00

Sunday afternoon we had a "sprinkle" for Angela and Samuel! I have never understood why people don't have a celebration for the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th child.....they are just as special as the first. Oh well, I was not going to let my sweet nephew go with out. As you all know I love spoiling my nieces and Mr. Samuel will definitely not be left out!

My mom and Sarah (future sis-in-law) made a precious diaper cake for the centerpiece!

Sign in table was decorated with 4d pics of Samuel and Al's special touch: Samuel's first National Championship cap!

Big Sister Anna Beth took a few minutes to warm up, but when she did she enjoyed the party for Samuel!

Angela and her mom!

Sis-in-laws!

Tiffany, Angela, and our bestie Alicia!!

Mr Samuel definitely has plenty of Blue to wear now. She received so many beautiful things, we had a great turn out!

And the last item..... when Anna Beth was born she had "if you think I'm cute, you should see my Aunt Brooke" so it goes with out saying Samuel needed one that talked about his Uncle Bobo!!

Hopefully it won't be too much longer until we get to meet this sweet baby boy!!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY ANNA BETH!!

2010-07-26T21:43:00.016-05:00

Of course, I forgot my camera for day 6, probably the most important present day! We had Anna Beth's family party on Friday and she got a ton of cute stuff including: a bean bag, princess flash light, a digital camera, clothes, an art easel, and a princess bicycle! (the bicycle was from bobo and myself) Again, devastated because i forgot my camera!

Day 7 we gave her the 3rd birthday doll! That is not real exciting since she had her kid party with Miss Kynsley at the Onyx gym! I have never seen these kids have so much fun! I thought it was a perfect place for a birthday party! Below are a few pictures of the party. Some of the kids, party room, and the grown ups acting like kids! All in all, I think the 3rd Annual Birthday week was a hit!!!

Happy Birthday! Day 3, 4, & 5

2010-07-22T21:13:00.006-05:00

Day 3 of Birthday week got put on hold because Anna Beth went to spend the night with her Nana and Paw, so what did that mean???? DOUBLE presents on Day 4!!! Since Day 4 was Wednesday, Anna B got to open her presents after church!!

Awesome gifts! Dora games, Scooby movie, and glow in the dark bracelets!!

Day 5 was spent building with Lincoln Logs!

Stay tuned for Day 6 & 7......the have lots of promise!!!

Happy Birthday! Day 2

2010-07-19T21:06:00.008-05:00

Day 2 of AB's birthday week is over and she is really getting the hang of it. I showed up after work, Al was already down there working with Matt. When I got there she showed me her lego airplane she had made, I looked at it for a minute then told her I needed to go in and talk to her mommy. She followed me and said I think I need to with you because I want my birthday present. ha! I am afraid she is not going to know when birthday week ends! Oh well, it is the hightlight of my day to see how excited she gets when we stop by!

Tonight she got a box of Care Bear dominoes and a Pooh puzzle! We stacked the dominoes and let the fall over.....we put the puzzle together!

And we cheesed for the camera!!

Happy Birthday sweet anna beth!

Happy 3rd Birthday! Day 1

2010-07-18T20:54:00.006-05:00

Well, I absolutely can not believe we are doing our 3rd Annual Birthday week for Anna Beth. It seems not too long ago that Angela and I were on our daily morning walk when she told me I was going to be an aunt. This sweet little thing has been the light of my life since then! I hope she has a great birthday week and many more years of birthday weeks!
Opening an awesome sticker book from Mommy and Daddy! It has over 600 princess stickers!

Play-Doh Playset from Uncle Bobo and Aunt Brooke!!

Daddy and Bobo don't mind birthday week either! They have an excuse to play with all of the toys and "figure out" how they work!!!

Well, day 1 is over, but we have 6 more adventurous days to go!

Way Behind...

2010-07-17T20:46:00.008-05:00

Well, if you have ever built a house or remodeled a house by yourself, you know how much time you do not have for anything else! Well, hopefully things are going to slow down in the next couple of weeks and we are looking forward to the fall. I am way behind on posting these but I am going to go ahead and post them now. June 8th was Angela's big 30! Angela and I have been best friends for several years now, and when we became sisters in law it was that much better! Here are a few pictures from her party! We had a great time with our friends from church and I hope Angela has many more birthdays to enjoy!
Bobo teaching Anna Beth to play ball!

The kids let their balloons go after the party!

Guys enjoying the food!

Lots of good food!

Happy 30th Angela! We love you!

Finally....they arrived!!

2010-05-10T22:21:00.009-05:00

Ok, so I have been griping about how long my counter tops were taking to be installed, but.......it was TOTALLY worth it!! I LOVE THEM!!!!

This is Al's favorite faucet!

Dear Mom!

2010-05-09T20:08:00.002-05:00

Dear Mom,

When I was small I loved you for being so special. You cared for me and loved me more than anyone ever should have. I always wanted to make you proud and loved it when you told me how proud you were of me. I wanted to be just like you. You taught me to love, be honest, and try my hardest no matter what. You are the greatest role model a daughter could ask for! You have always been my best friend and over the last few years I have grown to love and respect you in a whole new light! You taught me what perseverance, patience, and forgiveness are all about. I am so happy that we have become so close and I can't imagine having a better mother. I love you more than I ever thought possible, and I treasure the relationship we have and always will! I hope you have had a fantastic Mother's Day and every day of the year!

FIRST MY MOTHER

FOREVER MY FRIEND!!!!

What have we been up to???

2010-04-29T21:46:00.012-05:00

A whole lot of work and a little fun on the side! On Tuesday they put in our garage door and Al is almost finished tiling our shower! I am really excited about how the shower is turning out! I think he is doing an awesome job!

All 3 sides have been tiled and he is working on the arch as we speak!!

A couple of weeks ago we took the Saturday off and headed to Aday in Tuscaloosa. This is a yearly tradition for Al and I; and of course we love any excuse to head down to our favorite town away from home! This year was soooo much better than years past, bc my mom's boss gave us his Ivory club tickets. So we got to rub elbows with the big dogs for the day! I have to say that I did not even realize you could watch a football game with such comfort! There was an all you can eat buffet, tv's, air conditioning, individual (padded) seats, and (my personal favorite) a private bathroom!!! We were able to enjoy this experience with my brother, his fiance, and Al's cousin! We had a blast!

A Driveway!!!

2010-04-01T21:54:00.004-05:00

We had our drive way poured today and it turned out great! Roy Watkins did the work and I think he did a great job. Now, I can keep my car a little more clean since I won't have to drive in the mud and dusty gravel! We are making a lot of progress and we have mapped out the month of April! We are planning on moving in May 1st! Any one up for moving!!! :)

Cabinets have arrived!

2010-03-06T20:32:00.007-06:00

Master bath cabinets!

Our cabinets were installed on Thursday and Friday! We are really pleased with them and we feel they match everything really well.

Cabinets in the extra bathroom! He made trim for our whirlpool to match the cabinets and I really like the way it looks!

A view from the living room, looking into the kitchen!

Kitchen cabinets!

I forgot to get a picture of the other side of the kitchen! I will post those later.

Date Night

2010-03-06T20:19:00.007-06:00

Al and I had a date night on Friday night. We headed to Cheddars in Madison and actually was able to get in. It was really good and not real expensive. Then we headed to Huntsville to watch the Huntsville Havoc play against the Mississippi Surge. I had never been to a hockey game, so I was super excited about going. As most of you know, Al and I are avid football fans and love competitive outings. Since football season has been over for a while we have been going a little crazy not having our sports "fix". Neither of us are much on basketball, soccer, or any other sporting event that is happening at this time. Springtime brings softball, but now I think we have found our fix. I LOVED the game! It was fast paced and exciting. I think we will definitely be heading back to watch the Havoc play pretty soon!

oh yeah, and this was one of Al's favorite parts! They had this balloon floating around the arena!

Chili Challenge!!!

2010-03-01T19:22:00.011-06:00

This last weekend was the Hospice Chili Challenge at Athens High School. I have helped Penny with this the last two years and this year she ask me to Chair the Jewelry and Accessories dept and she help me. I love things like this so I told her I would. We had a great time and raised a lot of money for a good cause! With the help of my trusty side kick we pulled it off very smoothly!
One of our prize items for auction was this Waterford National Championship football!

Getting ready for the festivities on Friday night!

Diamond earrings, another prize item!!

Swarovski earrings that were beautiful!

Me and my trust side kick!!!

Everyone had a great time! My mom and her crew had to make an early exit so I was not able to get a picture of everyone!!

Hangin' out with the Burns!!

2010-03-01T19:05:00.006-06:00

Well 5 Burns living in a house together has been nothing but laughs! I can honestly say we have had the best time living together. I am ready to move into our new home, but I will truly miss spending as much time with Matt, Angela, and Anna Beth as we have been. I am going to have to steal Miss Anna Beth every once in a while so I can laugh like I have never laughed before, she definitely keeps us rolling. Here are a few pictures of our fun times!
Anna Beth and Angela playing tetris against each other while sitting on Matt!

Anna Beth dancing in front of the mirror! She is doing her "we did it" dance. (Dora the Explorer) By the way, the songs from those shows are very addicting, I have found myself singing them during the day at work!

Anna Beth showing us her silly face!

Finished hardwood, tile, and Al's special project

2010-02-23T18:17:00.005-06:00

We are getting ever so close to getting finished..
Last week we had our hardwood sanded and finished. Thanks to several opinions all leading in the same direction we were able to get these beautiful floors! I just love them, they turned out even better the we had hoped!!

This is the tile (minus grout) in our bathroom!

Al painted what I wanted in the breakfast room and now he is on to his project. He is going to have a room with his video games and "guy stuff", so he is decorating it how ever he pleases! I have to say it has turned out very good!! This is his latest painting that is going to be above the couch in his room!

More fixtures, flooring, and a special touch!

2010-01-28T19:02:00.006-06:00

I know that every woman has a talented husband in one way or another and my husband definitely does not disapoint. In fact, he is one of the most talented people I know. He has several different interests, but one he has just started using is his ability to paint. I wanted a saying above my breakfast room and this is the one we chose! He started it for me a couple of nights ago and I think it is turning out better than I had hoped!
Thanks to my brothers in law and Al we are starting the floors! I am very interested to see how they turn out because we have 6 different types of wood. We are going to have a dark stain so I will let you know how that turns out!

Extra bedroom fans........

Light over our jacuzzi tub!!

Moving Right Along!

2010-01-18T16:52:00.009-06:00

Finally, we are getting move forward. They have almost got the paint finished and today they started putting up light fixtures! I am so excited it is really coming together!

Hall Lights

Master Bathroom vanity light

Master Bedroom fan. (this fan is also in the living room)

Just a look at the painted walls.

Lights at the corner of the garage.

Our thermostat!

Weekend in Tuscaloosa!

2010-01-17T21:26:00.005-06:00

After work on Friday Al and I headed to Tuscaloosa for the weekend. On Saturday, they were having a National Champioship celebration for the team so of course we had to be there! We had the best weekend and laughed a lot. Here is a run down of the weekend. We went to eat at our FAVORITE restaurant Friday evening.
Here is my plate after I finished with it! I have not cleaned my plate like this in a very long time so you know how good my sampler platter was. It included smoked chicken with white sauce, catfish, fried crawfish, and fried crab claws. YUMMY!

Our waiter ask us if we had a place to stay yet, and we said "no". He told us good luck because he had heard there were no hotels left. So, we take off to find a hotel and we found one.............all I have to say is we slept in our jeans, socks, sweatshirts, on top of the covers. It was a rough one and next time I will just sleep in the car!!! Lots of laughs that night!!!

The next morning we got up to a continental breakfast which consisted of donut sticks and pecan twirls. We were starving for lunch so we headed to Baumhower's Wings and stuffed ourselves with cheese fries and buffalo chicken salads. Again, YUMMY! After that we headed to the stadium to Celebrate with the National Champions the Alabama Crimson Tide!

Raising her right!

2010-01-17T21:20:00.002-06:00

Well, most of you know that Al and I are living with Matt and Angela while we finish building our house. During this time we have become very attached to a certain little girl. We have thoroughly enjoyed getting to spend so much time with her. She is especially attached to her uncle Bobo.Some of you might know that other than watching football, Al's favorite past time is playing his Xbox 360. He has several different games and Anna Beth loves "playing" too. She gets her remote and thinks she is big stuff playing the same game as her Bobo. Here is a picture of them playing on Sunday afternoon while waiting for lunch to get done. I just thought it was so cute and wanted to share the picture with everyone!

National Champions!

2010-01-17T21:07:00.008-06:00

Ok, so by now everyone know's the Alabama Crimson Tide are #1 in the Nation and National Champs! You all know the Burns family loves the Crimson Tide and watch intensely every time they are playing, so it goes with out saying that on January 7th we had a big party and enjoyed the win until early the next morning!!! Here are a few pictures of our night. We were able to project the game on the wall so we had a great view for the entire night!!! Can't wait for next season to arrive!! Roll Tide!

Cold/wet weather=Slow building process

2010-01-05T19:05:00.007-06:00

I have not posted in a while, because to be quiet honest we have not been able to make a whole lot of progress. Here are a few pictures.......the brick is almost complete, we have interior doors, our hardwood has been delivered so it can "season", and the ceilings have been painted...

Christmas in Birmingham!!

2010-01-05T19:00:00.005-06:00

On New Year's day we headed to Birmingham to have Christmas with Al's family. We had lunch and watched football all day! It was a good trip and we enjoyed our time down there.
Anna Beth helping Nannie open presents!

Yours Truly......

Anna Beth and Destiny posing with Nannie and their Mickey and Minnie Mouse dolls they got from her!

Christmas Lunch with the Burns

2010-01-02T11:22:00.004-06:00

For lunch on Christmas day, the Burns family came over to Matt and Angela's. We had a great lunch and then we had a great time watching the girls open their presents. Destiny and Anna Beth got Barbie jeeps this year from their other grandparents. They love just sitting in them and getting in and out. (Anna Beth does not even know it drives yet, we are going to enjoy it sitting in the living room right now!!) Here are the girls just sitting in AB jeep and having a good time!
They were both really pros at opening presents, it was so much fun watching them be so excited about opening!!

Someone was a good little girl!!!

2009-12-25T18:25:00.008-06:00

This year was a special year for Al and I. We were able to spend Christmas morning with Matt, Angela, and Anna Beth. They were nice enough to let us sit in on their Christmas morning. It was a lot of fun for us to be able to be involved in the excitement of Christmas morning with a 2 year old! Here are just a few pics of the morning.

Cookies for Santa!

2009-12-25T18:22:00.003-06:00

Before any headed to bed Christmas Eve we had to leave cookies for Santa! They we sugar cookies with icing and a few sprinkles!!! YUM!!
Sneaking a bite of cookie!!!

Christmas Eve with my mom's family!

2009-12-25T18:12:00.006-06:00

Every year on Christmas Eve we gather with my mom's family. This is a long standing tradition. We used to go to my grandparents house, but now that they have passed we go to one of my mom's siblings or her house. This year was at my mom's. We had great food and played a couple of games. The first game was my mom's idea. We drew names at Thanksgiving and you had to bring something from your house that you wanted that person to have. It was a really neat idea, then we played a game with the story "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It is kind of like Dirty Santa except we read the story and draw a word from the story. Every time the word is read you are able to take someone's gift or get a gift from the unwrapped gifts. Anyways, it was a lot of fun and I look forward to it every year!
My mom's two sisters and her brother.

Me and my cousin Heather.

Me and my mom!!

Well, you know who we are!

Santa's Village minus Santa!!

2009-12-22T21:17:00.010-06:00

Ok, so we have been trying to get to Santa's village since the day after Thanksgiving, but it has rained so much we have not been able to go. So, tonight we loaded up with BIG plans....to see Santa Claus and let Anna Beth ride on the "hump" in the front seat while looking at the Botanical Gardens Christmas lights! WELL, everyone else in North Alabama had the exact same idea we had, imagine that! We did make it to Santa's Village, but the line to see Santa only had about 200 people in line (not exaggerating) so we were able to most of the other activities. When we headed to the Botanical Gardens the line to get in was literally back to the interstate and about a mile down the other way. So needless to say, we have a lot of making up to do for Anna Beth because she was completely mislead the entire evening. Here are a few pictures from the evening!

Anna Beth writing her Christmas wish list to Santa!

Anna Beth was a snowman!!! By far, the cutest snowman I have ever seen!

We liked the blow up penguins!

Not so much the teddy bear!

There were ladies clogging, they were really good~

Anna Beth loved the Reindeer. She kept waiving and saying "Hey reindeer"

I am not sure which reindeer this was? I am thinking Comet!

All in all, we had a fantastic time, but next year we will not be waiting until 2 days before Christmas to go if at all possible!!!

Another gathering!

2009-12-22T21:14:00.002-06:00

On Monday night we went to my mom's to gather with the Battles' family and part of the Grigsby family. We had good food as always and was able to visit with family we don't get to see very often. This is a picture of me, my brother, and my Papa Battles!!! Still enjoying the Christmas Holidays!

Merry Christmas!!

2009-12-20T21:11:00.009-06:00

Saturday night we celebrated Christmas with my mom, Brett, and Sarah! Christmas at my mom's is the greatest. We always have the same menu and we play the greatest games and have the best time. I had a great time opening all my items for decorating my new house! I got a new comforter, curtains, throw, a necklace of chocolate pearls, a Biltmore mirror, flameless candles, an under the cabinet radio/cd player, a pitcher to match my new dishes and several other things! Mark, Jared, and AJ come over afterwards for dessert and more games!

Al, Sarah, and Jared won the snowman competition!

Me, AJ, and Brett did also played the snowman game, but we came in 2nd!

We make ginger bread houses and I was just proud the mine actually stood up this year.

The girls! Me, my mom, and Sarah

The newly engaged couple!

Me and my mom!!

Me and my hubby!!!!

I hope all of you have a very Merry Christmas and I will have more pictures of all our get togethers ~

Christmas with the Looney's

2009-12-20T21:06:00.003-06:00

It has become a holiday tradition over the last few years to have a special Christmas with the Looney's. This year was a lot of fun because the kids are getting older and have a lot of fun opening and playing with their presents! Happy Holidays!!

Cake Mix and Kisses!!!

2009-12-08T19:33:00.006-06:00

Tonight Angela decided to make all of us some chocolate cupcakes. While they were cooking Anna Beth and I decided we would "lick" the bowl!! I have always loved eating the leftover cake batter and so I thought I would share this love with Anna Beth. We enjoyed every last drop!! It was a great way to spend a very rainy evening!!!

Anna Beth loved giving "chocolate" kisses! We, of course, enjoyed receiving them!

Getting the very last drop!

Chocolate smiles for everybody!!! W

SEC Champions!!!

2009-12-06T08:18:00.008-06:00

What a game! We have waited so long to be back in this great spot......We enjoyed the experience at the Looney's and we will be there on January 7th at 7pm to keep up our end of helping the Crimson Tide make it all the way! Here are a few pictures from the great night!

Matt and Al chest bumping after the game!

I can honestly say I have never seen my husband so happy! (they were gator chomping Tebow... while he was crying!!)

The greatest coach ever!

We all have specific spots we have to watch the game from!!

Let It Snow!!

2009-12-05T08:33:00.006-06:00

This is the view from our room at Matt and Angela's.... about 6 a.m.!!! :)
The first snow at our new home!!

I LOVE the snow!!! I hope this early snow means we might get a big one this year!! Enjoying the holiday season!

Completed Walls, only a few more to go

2009-11-29T21:20:00.002-06:00

So, we are making a little more progress. Al has finished more of the brick and from this side you can get a good look at what it is going to look completed. They put our indoor doors in last week and also the central unit. I am super excited about the way things are turning out!!

Going to the Chapel......

2009-11-28T21:15:00.004-06:00

Well, my little brother is engaged! I am so excited about this and am looking forward to all that goes along with planning a wedding. Brett and Sarah have been dating for 6 years; since Sarah was 14. Yeah, I know she was a young one! They are so cute together and am so excited about Sarah joining our family!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T19:42:00.002-06:00

We had a very enjoyable Thanksgiving. We were able to sleep in a bit and be lazy all morning. We watched the Macy's Parade and waited all morning for Anna Beth to see Abby and Elmo. She was so excited to see the big Abby balloon coming down 34th street! We then went to Al's cousins house for lunch. We had a great meal as usual. I have to admit I am a little embarrassed, since Al and I fell asleep and slept for about an hour and a half. Not what we intended, but I have to admit the nap was nice. For dinner we headed to my aunt's for more good food. Although we were still stuffed from lunch; we ate a full meal including dessert that evening. We had a wonderful evening and we hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving! Looking forward to the Christmas Holidays!

Insulation, sheetrock, and brick......it's coming along!

2009-11-11T10:50:00.008-06:00

Things are moving right along with this beautiful weather. In the last few weeks, they have come in and sprayed our foam insulation and put up the sheetrock. With the sheet rock being in, I can really get a good idea of my rooms. I have pretty much decided where our furniture is going to go and what furniture I am going to need when we are finished!!! Al and Matt have also been working hard on the brick. I am really enjoying watching everything coming together!!

Al bricking on the front of our garage!

This is the doorway going into the kitchen. I love my archways!!!

This another look at the kitchen.

This is the extra bathroom. Al is going to tile the shower!

The foam insulation is awesome! I really hope the utility bill is as low as they say it will be!

The last few weeks........

2009-11-04T21:32:00.011-06:00

The last few weeks have been hectic to say the least. We are still making progress on the house and we are now living with Matt, Angela, and Anna Beth. I will post more on that later, for now I am just going to post a few pictures!!! These are pictures of the house, fiddler's convention, Destiny's bday week, and halloween!

Windows and Doors!!

2009-10-01T06:45:00.006-05:00

This is the right side of th house where the master bath and master bedroom are.

This is a view of the back of the house.

My front door that has to be painted......

The front of the house......

Looking more and more like a house!!

2009-09-27T21:33:00.003-05:00

Well in between the rain showers the last couple of weeks they have managed to get more done on the house. It is finally looking like a house. Next will be the windows and doors then the roof, plumbing and electrical work. This picture looks like there are not any windows, but they are just not cut out yet!! Let's keep our fingers crossed that there is no more rain for a while!!

Jessica's Tea Party

2009-09-27T21:27:00.007-05:00

Anna Beth showing off her hat at the Tea Party!! I love having her reflection showing in the background!

Me and my fabulous mom at the Tea Party.

Katherine and Leanne's Table was absolutely gorgeous!

Our Candyland Princess Table!! Angela, Amber, and I decorated this table for the Tea Party. There were a lot of ladies there and it was a wonderful turn out. This was a wonderful idea to raise awareness for meningitis and for Jessica's scholarship fund!

Anniversary Present!!

2009-09-27T21:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, so most of you are thinking why is she posting about a purse. Well I for one have never been privileged enough to own an expensive purse. I have always just had knockoffs and wanted everyone to think I had an expensive purse. Well for our 5 year Anniversary my sweet hubby let me pick out a "Real" Coach purse while we were in Vegas. I know a lot of people have these, but I was Super excited about being able to purchase and carry this one!!

What happens in Vegas....

2009-09-20T20:55:00.007-05:00

The Hoover Dam (only part of it of course, it was huge!)

The Bellagio (it had beautiful fountains in front that played with music)

Our hotel The Luxor

Well, we did not do anything in Vegas we can't talk about so here are a few pictures! We went to several of the hotels/casinos. We went to Criss Angel's Illusion/Cirque de Solie (spelling??) show, had dinner in the Eiffel Tower, went to the Hoover dam, shopped at the Forum Shoppes in Caesars Palace. (actually we just looked in the shops since it was Gucci, Fendi, Chanel, etc.!!) We had a fantastic time and enjoyed celebrating our 5 Year Anniversary! Time flies when you are having fun! Oh and on the flight home we slid in on arrival. It was raining in B'ham when we landed and the plane slid back and forth a couple of times before catching it's grip on the pavement. (Al says no more flying for a while) Also, while we were gone they did not get to work on the house much since it rained all week. Hopefully they will get a little more completed this week and I can post more pictures!

Walls are going up....

2009-09-10T18:39:00.005-05:00

Foundation Completed!

2009-09-06T22:46:00.003-05:00

Well, phase 1 is completed. Al and Matt finished Friday evening around 8 PM laying all the blocks. They were able to complete it in only 2 days and now the framing will start this Tuesday!! By the time we get back from vacation the following week the framing should be complete! YEA!!

Materials have arrived!!

2009-09-02T21:37:00.004-05:00

Sand, blocks, what more could a girl ask for? Maybe for them to magically form a foundation???

This is our temporary power pole!

Today we had the materials delivered for our foundation. They are supposed to be finished with it by Monday and then the framing can begin! I am really ready for the framing part, because I will really get to see what it is going to look like. I have looked at our plans a million times, but until I actually see it built will I really know what it is going to look like! I am really getting excited and hopefully Angela and I are going to look at furniture this Saturday while the guys are gone. I know that is really a long way off, but it is still the best part about getting a new house! Decorating......

Bama Football is right around the corner!!!

2009-08-21T07:41:00.003-05:00

This is a picture of the speaker, sorry the lighting was not very good.

Last night, Al and I went to the Madison Alumni Association's Kick Party for 2009 season. Of course, neither one of us are alumni from the University, but if you are willing to pay for your plate then they really don't care!! For the past several years we have been attending this event and it always gets you in the mood for the season! Al gets super excited and is ready for the Virginia Tech game to get here. They always have speakers such as old players, coaches, talk show hosts, etc. This year the speaker was Siran Stacey. He played at Alabama several years back and some of you may remember he lost his wife and 3 of his kids in a car accident a few years ago. They were hit by a drunk driver, now it is just him and one of his daughters. He was a really good speaker! Oh yeah, and to make it even more awesome the event is at the Davidson Center at the Space and Rocket Center. If you have never visited this place it would be a great Saturday trip to visit locally!

Having Fun with Anna Beth

2009-08-13T21:05:00.007-05:00

Telling Bobo "Roll Tide"

She kept saying, "I wanna big bite"~~

Tonight Anna Beth stayed with me and Al, while Matt and Angela worked at their house! I absolutely LOVE keeping her. I can spoil her so much and she is so fun to be with. We had chips, candy, some "dew", and a milk shake. (of course not all at the same time) Anna Beth loves her Bobo more than anything and they watched "Strawberry Cake" while I cooked dinner. I just thought I would post some pictures of us enjoying our Milk Shake and in one of them she is telling Bobo "Roll Tide".

The Beginning of our New Home!!!

2009-08-12T21:49:00.006-05:00

Today we took the first step to actually building our house! Matt Lovell dug the footing and poured the concrete for our new home! Today really got me excited since I can actually see something being completed!!

Slow Progress, but none the less progress!!

2009-08-04T18:11:00.005-05:00

Today we had a small amount of work done on the lot. First of all, the grass was mowed in preparation on the footing being dug later this week and we have a small amount of gravel covering our drainage pipe where the driveway will be! Ok, so I know this is not very exciting, but it is a start! I am also posting some pictures of dinner at my mom's last night. We are still celebrating Anna Beth's Birthday! As she sings, "Happy Birthday to Anna Beth"

A BIG Adventure for Al and Brooke

2009-07-30T18:33:00.000-05:00

Ok, so Al and I don't have kids obviously so I have never really had a reason to join the blogging world. Well today that has changed! NO, we are not having a child right now, but we are about to begin building a house!! I thought this would be fun to share with everyone. I am sure there will be other posts along the way, but it will mainly be for the building of our new home. We are really excited, but nervous all at the same time. We closed on our lot and construction loan this afternoon. I will post a picture of our lot and then hopefully in the next couple of months I will have pictures of the process!!