WE'RE ENGAGED!!

THE RING!!
DEREK ASKED ME TO MARRY HIM ON DECEMBER 16, 2010. Yesterday was the most exciting day of my life thus far. We had the first snowfall of the year yesterday in Virginia. I was so happy about all the snow and my christmas tree I did not except anything out of the sort. I came home after a 12 hour shift in the ER to Derek cooking chili and pigs in a blanket. We were sitting on the coach, eating dinner, having casual conversation and Derek said "I watered the tree today". Me, being very concered about my tree and how much water it has been getting, took a grown look at it. I starred and as my eyes wondered they reached the top of the tree. There, I saw a little white box with a red ribbon wrapped around it. I asked Derek "what is that", "what is it". He proceeded, "Open it". As I opened the box, all sorts of thoughts are running through my brain, "is it a ring", "is it a necklace", "is he tricking me", I thought. I finally opened it and to my surprise and it was a diamond ring. Not just any diamond ring to me, but the most amazing diamond ring I have ever seen. Beautiful!!!! Amazing! He said "will you marry me", I of course replied back quick with a big "YES". So that was it...we are engaged now and very happy to start this amazing journey of life together....

AND LET THE WEDDING PLANNING BEGIN!!!

The List Goes On......

MAKE A LIST EVERYDAY THAT YOU HAVE ALOT TO DO. IT CAN SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE BY 20. ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE LIKE ME AND HAVE 20 MILLION THINGS TO GET DONE IN ONE DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR. ITS A GREAT WAY TO PRACTICE TIME MANAGEMENT SKILLS AND NOT FEEL SO OVERWHELMED BY EVERYTHING YOU HAVE TO DO. MAKE SURE YOU DON'T FORGET TO JOT DOWN ALL THE IMPORANT TASKS YOU HAVE TO DO IN ONE PLACE TO KEEP ORGANIZED AND START WRITING AWAY.

SOME PLACES TO START:

GROCHERY LISTS

TO DO TODAY LISTS

APPOINTMENTS LISTS

EXPECTATION LISTS

BUDGET LISTS

FINANCIAL INCOME LISTS

CHRISTMAS PRESENT LISTS

IMPORTANT THINGS TO REMEMBER LISTS

ASSIGNMENTS THAT ARE DUE LIST

VERY BRADLEY PLANNER

Lists are my thing. I make a list for everything to keep organized. I also have an agenda to keep my work schedule in, write all of my appointments down, and try to keep up with my ongoing social life with friends and family. Not to mention, I will be going back to school so keeping up with assignments and projects that are due is a must. At any rate, this Vera Bradley planner above is the best thing since your high school agenda book. It has 2010-2011 calenders in it when an address book, and important dates to remember. It also is filled with monthly calenders and weekley calenders so you can document your special dates. Its great beacause its binder like and is small so it can fit in almost any purse size and very durable. I had a 2009-2010 one that I retired and it was still in great use. You can also use them for another year and buy the inserts for a new year.

OUR NATIONS CAPITOL

HERE ARE A FEW PICTURES FROM DEREK AND I'S TRIP TO DC FOR A DAY. WE DROVE A LADY FROM DEREKS WORK TO DC SO SHE COULD VISIT HER FAMILY FOR THANKSGIVING SO WE DECIDED TO MAKE A DAY TRIP OUT OF IT. WE HAD TO VISIT ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY BECAUSE MY GRANDFATHER (PAPA NORM) IS BURRIED THERE. I VISIT THERE EVERYTIME I GO TO DC. WE ALSO TOOK A SMALL TOUR AROUND THE CITY. I WILL TELL YOU, I DONT THINK DEREK COULD EVER LIVE IN A BIG CITY...TRAFFIC WAS HORRIBLE.


GRAVESTONES




THERE WERE 29 FUNERAL THERE THAT DAY






ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETARY









AMERICAN RED CROSS BUILDING IN DC




PENTAGON MEMORIAL IN DC




NATIONAL MONUMENT

It's the Holiday season

SECOND ANNUAL TACKEY CHRISTMAS SWEATER PARTY AT JOE AND NICOLES (OUR RECENTLY ENGAGED FRIENDS)







OUR CHRISTMAS CARD PICTURE






OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE TOGETHER =)
(Derek also took the time to put up christmas lights outside of our house which are very pretty and two small christmas trees at the front door)

Aishas Engagement Party=)

Table of food consisting of sausage balls, chips and salsa, cheeseball, apple dip, and a cupcake tower.










Drinks anyone? My fav was the punch with sherbert ice cream









All the girls at the party! It was at Ashely's house.

Landscaping Fun in the Fall

The finished product.







Front of the porch with the pumpkin







Getting the mulch out from the back of the truck





Last Monday we laid landscaping fabric out in front on the trailer and lined it with rocks then filled it in with mulch. Dereks mom and dad came to help us. She has a small landscaping business so she is always helping us do yard work! There is still more to come.

Mummy Cakes

Cheatue Morsiette Winery/Vineyard in Virginia




We took a trip to Cheatue Morsiette Winery a few Mondays ago! SO AMAZING! We had lunch at resturaunt, toured the winery, and then did a tasting.




It if was not for my friend Ashely!!!! I would not have a blog... nor would I have made these mummy cupcakes to take to work tommarrow! With that being said.... Sunday is Halloween=) Not very excited because I will be working ALL weekend long, as will Derek. We wont be trick or treating or dressing up in the latest holloween fasions this year! Haven't blogged in awhile since I've been so busy lately! Derek just had a birthday, and his parents got to meet my mother last Monday. We had a great time, and I cooked some BBQ dinner for us all. Derek and I have been looking at houses and doing more yard work around the trailer. The trees are turning all shades of oranges, yellows, browns, and the lake is so placid this time of year, its absolutly gorgeous! Until next time...~Leigh

It's Thursday and time to BAKE!!!!

the next best thing----OIL and VINEGAR! So instead of salad dressing (which I usually use for my salads) I have started to put oil and vinegar on EVERYTHING. well almost...everything. But indeed, it is alot healthier than your everyday salad dressing and it adds alot of flavor to your salad. So...instead of putting fattening salad dressing on everything...try OIL and VINEGAR! I bought these bottles at Wal-mart yesterday for $2.95 each and they look wonderful in the kitchen!



Last night was the first night I used my NEW pampered chef baker dish! (sooo great). I baked cubed steak and rice for Derek and I which was quit delicious! Today, I am going to the grochery store and tonight for dinner we will do a whole chix with pineapples and cherries:):) YUM! Now, if you do not have one of these great pots then you for sure need to get one! Find your nearest pampered chef consultant fast!







I got to an early start this morning and baked my neighbor, Willis, a blueberry pie (his fav) and am giving him a Thank You note for all that he has done for me and derek. He lives near us and I cannot tell you how many things he has helped us do. He's helped me mow the yard, put a new battery in the jet ski, hang huge shelves underneath the porch to mount TVs on, borrow his lawn mower, and most recently he mounted my mailbox back on the post. He is always in a good mood and I just love talking to him about his cole mining stories. He just bought himself a new Camero too that keeps him quit busy:) Heres to Willis!

End of July-- newest post:)

ALOT!!! as gone on since I have last posted anything since April. I have had the best summer living with Derek at Smith Mountain Lake! We have enjoyed so much together and with our friends. We've had lots of company this summer as well, including my mother, my brother, dereks parents, and not to mention many of our friends have come to enjoy the lake and the surrounding beautiful mountains. I have also enjoyed going to North Carolina to spend some QT time with my grandma and my father. (who does have a new girlfriend named Colleen, and she is planning on moving in with him in August). Sooo much as gone on and I am going to try and start posting blogs atleast once or twice a week! So last Friday, Derek helped run the Addy Grace Charity Golf Tournament for a 2 year old name Addison Grace who suffers from SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) Below are me and some of my good friends who helped volunteer for this tournament! All together the tournament raised over 20 grand:) Way to go:) After the tournament we enjoyed people over at our house for the annual Catalina Wine Mixer 2o1o:)




here are some wine glasses I made myself with paint! They say Catalina Wine Mixer 2010 and our friends names are at the bottom:)



Here are all the girls that came over after the Golf Tournament for some Wine mixer fun! Derek made a 3 gallon pot of Sangria that was delicious to fill up the wine glasses. We also had BBQ, pasta salad, cake, and brownies:)

my first mood board:)

DIY floors and walkway:)

So as most of you know (as I have blogged before) I moved in with derek about 2 months ago....NOW we are trying to get the trailer set up for an enjoyable for summer fun with family and friends and THE LAKE! we have partaken in many DIY projects since I moved it. Yesterday, Carolyn, Dereks mom, came to the lake to help us "clean up" the yard and spruce up everything including the walkway (that was in horrible shape). We have redone the floors in the bathroom with DIY flooring from Home Depot. I have done most of the inside decorating including our bedroom, the bathrooms, living room and kitchen. Derek also mounted 3 TVs outside on the back porch so he can enjoy watching baseball/basketball/football games. Heres some pics of what we have done. Enjoy:)

then we layed the mulch for a finished product

after laying the stone slabs

Derek shoveling "crushed run" . First we dug a hole and cleared the path we wanted, then we layed down landscaping fabric, followed by crush run, the stone slabs, then mulch to make a much better walkway to take us to the back porch:)

dereks mom, carolyn laying the crushed run.

12 hour dayzz......

Today was PRETTY eventful to say the least. I spent 12 LONG hours in the ED today. Triaging patients is one of the most tideous things an ER nurse can do. An a busy emergency department its actually the most important part ofthe ER and can be the most vital area. You have to put one of the best nurses out there to evaluate patient fast, at a quick glance and know if they are in trouble. I have been triaging for the past 2 years in the emergency room. You actually have to have 6 months experience and then take a triage class to be put in this position. It can be very time consuming and really draining if a person is out there for 12 hours. The reason are as follows:
1- busy ER= sick patients
2- busy ER= non stop patients checking in
3-asking the same questions over and over again
4- knowing whos sick and whos not
5-knowing that absolutly anything can walk through the door
6- knowing you have to deal with people from all angles of life- sick, homeless, rich, diabled, peds, geriactrics, adults, neonates, traumas, ect.
7- knowing that you probably wont even have time to eat or take bathroom break
8-knowing that you may not have any help
9-knowing your STUFF!!!!
10- knowing that you are helping someone and can make a difference

Now--- I think most of those are negatives about being in triage for 12 hours except the last one.


As for the rest of my day, I will be going to bed early tonight to get a good nights rest so I can volunteer tomm with some girls from work for the Susan Komen Breast Cancer Foundation walk/race. We will actually be in the volunteer tent for those who are dehydrated, fall and get hurt, and anyone else who needs medical assistance:) Rewarding to say the least.

So....Derek is staying up at the clubhouse tonight (Water's Edge Country Club where he is a Golf Pro Assistant) where he is responsible for things that I have no clue about...sooo I will be staying home by myself tonight. I am very excited to actually have this weekend off so I can spend some time with my friends!!!! THANK GOODNESS. There is nothing like having time with your girls:)

GOD is the only TRUTH

Ohh today was so much fun. Living up at the lake is of course AWESOME in every way possible other than the fact I am away from friends and mom but Ashely and Cohen came to visit today. He is sooo adorable and my friend Ashely is one of the best moms I know and is expecting another baby in December. We had alot of fun, ate breakfast and lunch, and I am slowly learning that the reality of having a baby is HARD HARD work for ANYONE (even if you are ready). Cohen is 1 year old and into EVERYTHING we have around the house....candles, spices, doors, remote controls are his favorite. I am now realizing how hard it is to take care of a little one and having tons of respect for all parents out there. :)

So ever since I have been a little girl I have loved church...and the word of GOD. Sunday was easter Sunday of course and I wanted soo badley to go to church with my mother. This did not happen due to circumstances of driving (which should not matter in the first place). I did though have a wonderful morning watching a church service on TV and reading "A purpose Drivin Life"by Rick Warren. (great book and I encourage everyone to read it). I am currently trying to read one chapter a day until I finish it. There are 40 chapters total. I do want a closer relationship with GOD and I know this for a fact. I grew up in the Baptist church where I went every Sunday with my family. Getting away from it was actually an easy thing to do when I became involved in the busy life of being a high school and college student consumed around my friends. I am looking right now for a church that I can enjoy along with my boyfriend Derek. (even though he works most Sundays, he wants to try and go). I think this would be a great way to form a closer relationship with God and actually help our growth together as a couple. :) Looking forward to see how this works out!

ONE MORE THING FOR THE DAY--- my mom calls me and says "Leigh I think you should go work for a strike". She said nurses are on strike in Philly and they need nurses to come and work for however long and are making up to 10,000 a week. I am thinking (WOW, ALOT OF MONEY and could pay off alot of debt ---credit cards, school loans, and car).....ONE PROBLEM---> I have a contract with the hospital I work with to pay off the rest of my school loans which adds up to 40,000 total cost. I could break the contract and end up paying all the debt off myself. Or continue to work for Carilion until my contract is done in December 2011. Debatable but I need help in making this decision? If anybody has in insight as to what to do??? Also planning on going back to school to get my Masters in Nursing as a Clinical Nurse Specialist. I could hold that off for a few years or go ahead and get that while I am holding out the contract at Carilion. Probably my safest option there. I NEED INSIGHT THOUGH....ANY THOUGHTS WILL HELP? :)

Mondays are my Sundays

Today I have saved up three weeks of newspaper coupons for a game Dereks friend Lindsey told me about. It's called the grochery game. You sign up online after you've saved up coupons out of the sunday newspaper for four weeks. She told me today she bought $316 worth of grocheries for $69...what do I think about that....AMAZING! Any way to save money now that I am trying to save to pay off credit card bills and a car/car insurance payment is a good idea to me. Today, Derek and I will have a day off together and try to get some more things done around the house....yard work, hang pictures, mess with the jet ski and try to get it ready for the summer, run errands, and grill out steaks tonight (after we get some propane for the grill) for the National Champoinship game...>>>GO DUKE!!!!! SO i have been distant a week or so because I have been working like crazy at the hospital pulling 12 hours shifts aprox 4 or 5 days a week. I have to say I love taking care of these people that are so sick they cant even use the bathroom by themselves but it does get tiring. Next time I have tell you all about being a nurse in the ER. :) until them....Carpe diem:)

*new blogger*

happy st. pattys day all ~:) so this is my first blog and i have no clue how or where to begin so i am going to just start typing. right now i am currently sitting at home by myself. (boyfriend is working today at the golf course, he is a golf pro assistant at a near by country club) he pretty much stays busy allll day during the summer where today they have a mens tournament. so i was sitting here thinking about starting to blog. my best friend ashely gave me the idea of blogging as where she blogs frequently due to her being a stay at home mom she has time on her hands (not that much because she is raising a 1 year old). (she is not in the picture above). In the picture above is actually one good good friend of mine that i work with in the emergencey department as a registered nurse named Laura. I threw her a bachlorette party last saturday at a local bar in downtown roanoke. we had tons of cutsey gifts, dinner, and a cake. about 15 girls showed up and we all had a great time celebrating lauras wedding in a few weeks (they are going on a cruise to get married.we danced all night long until about 2am:):) (late late night lemme tell ya).



so anyways i usually work about 36-48 hours a week depending on the week and the days vary to 3-4 days a week and every other weekend. i work at a level one trauma center in roanoke and we see about a million patients a day ranging from all sorts of diseases and problems. to say the least we are very very busy and the staffing is short these days. i enjoy what i did and just recently finished recieving my bachelors degree in nursing from a local school in the community. i am hoping to further my career in nursing one day but i want to learn as much as i can right now and take a few years off from school.



i currently live with my boyfriend (just moved in about 3 weeks ago) aprox 45 minutes from the town i grew up in where all of our friends live and where i work. so far so good. i loveliving up at the lake. it has been a little bit of an adjustment getting used to commuting back and forth to roanoke. we are in the process of cleaning up around the house. yesterday he took off from work so we could clean the yard,the back and from porch and "de-clutter" some things from the trailer. :) anyways...we worked all day cleaning and picking up. thank goodness he helped me, because one person doing all the work is very difficult. derek put up solar lights around the house which look really good. lots of work to be done but by the time summer rolls around hopefully we'll be all ready to celebrate the summer and spend time with family and friends up here at the lake. today i am off so it will be a time for lots of laundry and dishes...maybe a little work out.



stay tuned for more. i definately think this is kind of fun and cant wait to write more. i have soooo much to tell:) LOL