The Master is on the Chopping Block!

I've decided that the master bedroom is my next project! We spend the most time in that room and the baby blue is no longer acceptable in this Wolfpack household. I scored two free nightstands off of Craigslist the other day. I was originally thinking I'd paint them but I actually kind of love them the way they are so it's still up in the air.

This picture doesn't really do the nightstands justice. They are solid and substantial. I just love them.

I picked up three paint samples today. We've got three navy's on the opposite wall but I'm kind of leaning more towards taupey grey so I threw a couple of those up on the wall. They aren't fully dry in this picture and the letters are just so I can keep track of which color is which. We'll have to see what Derrick thinks when he gets home tonight. I'm kind of digging the one on the right, it's pretty bold though. I just need to get over this paint paralysis and go for something so hopefully we'll pick something and get rolling in the next couple of days!

Any opinions?

We Believe That We Will Win!

I don't know how I haven't posted about this yet! I wasn't allowed to for a while because the official announcement hadn't come out but now it's out and I am still so freaking excited!! Little baby Jack made Team USA!

It's completely crazy and exciting. He'll be playing on the men's 23 and under team in London in July. It was a huge honor just to get selected for tryouts which were right before Thanksgiving. Jack said the competition was stiff and he was playing against guys a lot older then him and who had been playing for many more years then he has. He's only been playing for about 2.5 years and the first year of that was spent paying his dues on the sidelines. He's just freakishly athletic and very sports smart. Reading the field comes naturally to him and I think the coaches liked how moldable he was. When they asked him to do something or adjust his play style at tryouts they were happy to see him do it right away.

The whole family is going and we're making a family vacation out of it! I'm so excited!! Derrick and I are still sorting out the logistics of our trip. We want to do Ireland and maybe Scotland while we're there but haven't figured out exactly when or how we're going to break it up. Either way it promises to be a memorable trip and I can't wait!

Jack knows who to thank for his talent, Raleighwood of course!

It's Glinda..... with a Gah!

Wicked last night was fantastic as always! The cast was terrific and it was probably the best Glinda I had seen. Our seats were in the second row which was both good and bad. It was so cool to be so close and really get to see the characters. The costumes were amazing and I felt like I was able to connect with the characters a lot better, being so close. On the other hand, being that close and at that angle we couldn't see the middle of the stage if there was anyone on the side of the stage so we missed some parts and it was harder to view all of the elements as a whole instead of as individual parts. Also, I could see the safety mechanisms, like Glinda's carabiner on the back of her dress to hook her into her bubble and the operators that were hiding behind some of the sets. I also kept getting distracted by watching the cast exit the left side of the stage and hustle and bustle backstage to change wardrobe and prepare for their next scene.

When we got there they let us walk the red carpet!

This picture makes me laugh out loud. Apparently the flash was bright.  

If you haven't seen Wicked and you ever get the chance I would highly suggest it. It's an amazing show on all accounts!

This is Happening TONIGHT!!!

This will be my 4th time seeing it and Derrick's 1st. And we'll be in the 3rd row!!!!!!!!!!

Stools, Art, and TV's!

We've been making some changes to the downstairs space. I was looking at bar stools online for at least a month. I couldn't decide what I wanted and didn't want to pull the trigger on them because we needed three and that can get expensive. I was looking on Craigslist for some I could rehab and also looking at stores for new ones. Well, Derrick picked some out and gave them to me for Christmas and I absolutely love them!

He got them at Target and the color matches our rug perfectly. We had to assemble them which was tricky at first but by the end we had a system. We also had to return one because of a stain on the cushion and the third one is wobbly so we're waiting on a new leg to be delivered any day now. It's not uncommon with target furniture but they are always super helpful over the phone and send you the replacement part with no issues.

We were trying to decide if we wanted two or three. I think three looks better but we were worried the third one would cut off the access to the kitchen and get in the way. It hasn't been a problem though so I think we're officially going to stick with three.

Another Christmas update was a little art in the foyer. Our first dance was to the song Brooklyn Bridge by Lee Dewyze so Brooklyn Bridge things always catch our eye. We both actually got each other Brooklyn Bridge gifts for Christmas without realizing it which was super sweet. Derrick got me this huge canvas and I got him a t-shirt.

This canvas got shipped to our house before Christmas and Derrick had me open it on Christmas night when we got home. The first time I opened it I thought Derrick had gotten me a 4x3 canvas of a robin in the winter. Weird but I was trying to appreciate his desire to decorate our house. Luckily he quickly said that they had obviously sent him the wrong canvas....he was as surprised as I was because he hadn't opened it when it came before Christmas. We did a quick exchange order on Amazon and then this beauty showed up a few days later. I love it! We have it hanging right in our foyer when you walk in the front door.

I'm on the lookout for a small foyer table or cabinet for under the painting.

Finally, Derrick and I finally mounted our TV in the living room. Derrick got us a really good black Friday deal on a tv and it had been sitting in the box in my office until last week. We finally ordered a mount for it and proceeded to spend the next two hours figuring out how to mount a TV. It's kind of complicated and we had a socket wrench issue.  One week later the TV is still on the wall so I'm confident we actually hit the studs and the TV isn't coming down :)

Excuse the mess. You can see I've taped out a shape on the wall because we also need a piece of furniture for under there. I'm on the hunt!

Christmas in Winston

After we left Hickory we headed straight for Derrick's family in Winston. We called Derrick's mom on the way there, around noon, and found out that the kids hadn't even finished opening presents. We were totally surprised but the kids agreed to wait for us to get there to finish opening. We were really excited about that because even though we are lucky to be able to split the day we always miss parts of the excitement with both families so it was a nice surprise to still see the kids open presents.

Trey got a pinata from one of his aunts(?) that he had to bust open for his real present. Uncle Rob hung the pinata from the basketball and he went to town with a baseball bat. Not before Derrick spun him around 10 times though.

Poor Riley woke up with a double ear infection on Christmas morning. Good thing Derrick and I got her a pillow for Christmas!

We enjoyed the rest of the day in Winston playing games and eating dinner. Around 7:00 we packed up the car and headed the rest of the way home.  The next couple days were spent being lazy, enjoying our gifts, and getting the house back in order. It was so good and much needed after such a busy week. By the time Monday rolled around we were both ready to get back to work.  We've been busy making small house tweaks since then that I'll post about later. I'm trying to decide what my next big project is going to be...maybe the master bedroom?

Christmas in Hickory

We got to spend almost 4 whole days in Hickory for Christmas which was so nice. We finished Christmas shopping, decorated cookies, enjoyed the new fire pit and Mom and I made a trip up to the outlets.

The extended family came over for Christmas Eve dinner so we got dressed up in our finest and enjoyed a delicious dinner!

Gah! My cousin's little girl Evie is so cute!

Derrick and I made a Christmas version of the game Heads Up and played girls vs. guys. Last year the guys beat us at family feud so this year the girls brought the heat and crushed the guys!

Christmas morning was wonderful as always! We opened gifts, drank hot chocolate, and at the end Mom and Dad surprised Derrick and I with our wedding video! We hadn't seen the footage that our friends and family had gotten from our wedding. We thought the camera was broken and we hadn't tracked everything down. My mom got it all together and edited it into a 45 minute movie for us. I LOVED it! I can't wait to have it to watch on our anniversary every year!

Note the matching USA Ultimate t-shirts in these pictures :)

 

Mom found me this crazy Realtor sweater. I don't think I'll be wearing it to any closings but it might come in handy for Halloween :)

 

I got Derrick a Buffalo Bills Mario Williams jersey. He's finally a Williams!

I love celebrating Christmas day with my family. What's even better is that our families live only an hour apart so we get to see both of our families for almost all holidays and don't have to miss out on special times like these! Around lunchtime on Christmas day we loaded up the car and headed to Winston. Post to come!