What a Grand Opening!

This weekend Craig and I went to Columbia! It had been way too long since we visited. Anyway, we went down for a VERY special occasion... Grady and Holly's store opening! The store looked amazing and we had such a wonderful time visiting with everyone. We'll have to make another trip soon!

Grady basking in the success of the evening

Update...

I know it's been a while since my last post... sorry about that. Craig and I have been keeping pretty busy trying to get as much wedding stuff knocked out as possible. We did manage to take a bit of a break this week though. On Thursday we went out to eat at Johnny Carino's with some good friends Kellee and Jason. For those of you who enjoy Carabba's you would probably like this place too! Friday we hung out with some of Craig's friends from work. We went to eat and then went to Virginia High School to watch the Oak Hill Academy basketball team play. Oak Hill is the #1 ranked high school team in the country! They travel the country playing various teams... they're like the Harlem Globetrotters of high school basketball! They have two kids who are 6' 9.5" tall! It was simply amazing to watch them play!

Daniel (in the hat) with his hilarious friend Matt

Remember these are high school kids... many of whom will probably go pro!
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Saturday Night Bluegrass!

This past Saturday Craig and I went to the Carter Family Fold to listen to some good ole', foot stompin' bluegrass! The Carter Family (as in the same family as June Carter Cash) started this amazing place many years ago to honor the bluegrass and country music of the area. It's a tiny place in the middle of no where, but some amazing people have played there... including Johnny Cash who played the last concert before he died at the Fold. The Fold even features a dancefloor in front of the stage where people can go and stomp their fee to the music!

One of Craig's co-workers, Steve Edwards, was headlining with his band the "Scott County Boys." We had such a great time and even got a shout out from Steve! He announced to the crowd that we were getting married and told Craig not to take the lyrics of his songs literally (he had just finished playing a song that said "if you're gonna cheat on me don't cheat in my hometown"). Great advice! Anyway, here's a little taste of the music!

Jeanette Carter's Son

Scott County Boys

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Say Hello to Mr. Ribbits!!!

As some of you may know, I have been wanting to get a white's tree frog as a pet for a couple of years now. Don't ask me what started this weird fascination... the point is that the time has FINALLY come! For Christmas Craig bought me a HUGE terrarium that would be perfect for any frog! I have spent the last couple of days getting it set up and ready for my new little guy. Today, we went to Petsmart and picked him out... it was love at first sight! I would like to formally introduce you all to Kermit J. Ribbits (Mr. Ribbits for short)! Isn't he cute!

Mr. Ribbits' home

Checkin' out his new home... I think he likes it!

Taking a dip in his water dish!

YV Holiday Party

Last weekend Craig and I attended a Christmas party with my coworkers. It was a lot of fun... there's nothing quite like watching your coworkers make fools of themselves.

A marshmallow race--Trying to pass marshmallows with plastic spoons

in our mouths... My team totally lost this one. Christmas cherrades... can anyone guess what Cari is?!?

THE TIME HAS COME...

THE MOMENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR...



THE MOMENT ALMOST SEVEN YEARS IN THE MAKING...



CRAIG AND I HAVE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO MAKE...



WE'RE GETTING MARRIED!!!

Yes, you heard me right... Craig finally decided to man-up and get down on one knee! He fixed me dinner at his house (nothing out of the ordinary). He prepared an amazing Szechuan stir fry. After dinner he pulled out a giant fortune cookie. Inside the cookie was the ring! Needless to say I was very surprised. We haven't really worked out many details yet. We'll keep you all posted!



P.S. We thought you all might get a kick out of the sound effects... you can thank Craig for that!

Tis the Season!

Craig and I decided to kick off our Christmas season by visiting the house and grounds of Allandale Mansion (Kingsport's "White House"). This estate was once a 500 acre farm that raised championship Black Angus cows and Tennessee Walking horses. The tour featured a dozen beautifully decorated Christmas trees, an antique toy collection, and cookies and wassail!

Following our tour of Allandale Mansion, Craig and I went to Fall Branch Christmas Tree Farm to try to find the perfect tree. We had a lot of fun and ended up taking home a leyland cypress!

Once we got the tree home it was time for the fun part! It's amazing how much a Christmas tree can make a place feel like home!