Thanksgiving...Better Late Than Never, I Guess

Highlights: Visiting with Steven's family in Madison, shopping at 4:00 on Black Friday, spending plenty of time on the farm, watching an amazing Iron Bowl victory, eating at Chez Pierre while out shopping in Tallahassee, and last but not least hanging out with the Fraighleighs Saturday night.

Wednesday, Steven and I left as soon as he got off work and made the long journey to Madison, which is where we spent Thanksgiving this year. We got there super late, so we slept in a little the next morning. After waking up, I ran to the groceryto get the items I needed in order to make my mom's "special" mac and cheese; it just wouldn't have felt like Thanksgiving without it :). Later, we ate a delicious Thanksgiving lunch and celebrated my Thanksgiving baby's 26th birthday. The rest of the day was spent watching movies, snacking, and hunting (for the boys).

On Friday, I joined the millions of other over zealous shoppers who ventured out before sunrise to find a good deal. What a day! All I have to say is Michael Osborn and Steven Meadows better love their gifts because I waited in line for over an hour and a half at Best Buy for them. Actually, I got all of my Christmas shopping completely finished (with the exception of one), so I was proud. Meanwhile, Steven, Conner, Mr. Steve and the rest of the boys went out hunting (I believe you will recognize a pattern here). I met Mrs. Theo and Mrs. Sidney at Covington's in downtown Valdosta for an early lunch before making it home to watch the big game.

At 2:30 we were all sitting in front of the t.v. ready for the Iron Bowl to begin. Although Auburn got off to a very ugly start, our boys showed up in the second half to win the game 28-27. To say we were excited would be an understatement. I was so happy to see our boys fight their way back and win (especially since they were playing at Bryant-Denny).

Saturday I woke up with a smile on my face and got ready to go shopping in Tallahassee with Mrs. Theo and Mrs. Sidney. It was a lot of fun, but since I had already made all my Christmas purchases, I mostly just looked around. Later, Mrs. Sidney insisted that we go to this cute French restaurant called Chez Pierre, which we often eat at when visiting Tallahassee. It is always delicious, and the atmosphere makes you feel as though you are at a cafe in Paris.

Later Saturday evening, we made our way over to Jay and Donna Fraleigh's home. They had invited us all over for dinner, and I couldn't wait to see them. They are the sweetest people, and Donna is an excellent cook. We actually found out that they lived in a town only fifteen minutes from us in North Carolina for the first five years of their marriage. I love spending time with all of Steven's relatives, so we had a lot of fun!

Yesterday, we woke up early, packed our bags, and got on the road headed back. The trip is only supposed to take 10 hours, but we stretched it out to 13 1/2 after sitting in traffic and taking a lot of back roads...

All in all, we had a super time this Thanksgiving, but it feels weird not knowing how long it will be until we see everyone again. Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later...I hope you all had a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving as well!

Auburn Halloween Costume Contest

This one just makes me laugh :)

Auburn Tiger Walk Video

I don't blame you, Bama. If I was playing Auburn, I wouldn't let them have Tiger Walk either; but I don't think it's going to matter. In the words of Mr. Newton himself, "We comin'."

"Lean On Me"

In honor of Iron Bowl week, I'm going to share a few of my favorite Auburn moments of the 2010 season, both on and off the field.

A Blogger on Hiatus

So, we've been a little busy...

This week, Steven and I did a few DIY renovation projects, which have been both exciting and exhausting. We finally got the t.v. we ordered, but decided we were over zealous about the size and sent it back. I know some of you are thinking, "How can you think a t.v. is too big?" My answer, I enjoy a big t.v. as much as the next person, but for our modest size living room, it was just too much. We took it back and got one that is perfect for our needs. Maybe one day when we complete the basement renovation, we will get one of those massive completely-take-over-your-room-monstosities that will please the masses. Later in the week, Steven got an early birthday gift when we purchased a table saw (huge sale at Sears), which he needs to be able to do a lot of the upcoming projects and renovations. Needless to say, there has been very little time for blogging around the Meadows' household. Here's a little sample of our progress, if you're interested.

First, we took all the doors off the cabinets in the kitchen and removed the hardware. Then, we Kilzed and painted them once, twice, and today will be three times (a lady, or a kitchen cabinet in this case). We also started a project in the living room, which consisted of Steven removing--the only word I can think to describe it is--a Miami Vice-ish mirrored shelving unit and replacing it with wood shelves, which will serve as a our (modest) t.v. stand. Pictures and more details to come!

This is an exciting process, albeit time consuming. However, it feels good to be working on our OWN place. A place that we will be able to enjoy for years to come. Have a great Monday everybody!

Saturday School

Growing up, I always heard threats about having to go to school on Saturday if we were out for too many weather days. Well, here I am...age 26...in school...at 7:30 in the morning...on a Saturday. Boo.

Steven is sleeping soundly at home.

I am pretty jealous if you couldn't tell.

It's not about winning

Michael sent me this link, and I just had to share it. God bless!

MAT Test

If you have a minute, please say a prayer for me this afternoon. I am taking the MAT test in order to get into graduate school. I have applied at East Carolina University, but first, I have to do well enough on this test to get in to the program. Hopefully, it won't be too hard since I studied a good bit. If all works out, I will start my master's in school administration this summer!!!

We're In!

The past few days have been a complete blurr. A good blurr. A blessed blurr.

On Friday, Steven left work a little early and flew down to Auburn to help load up all our stuff on a HUGE U-Haul. Seriously, I don't know if I've ever seen one that big. Early Saturday morning, Steven met his mom, brother, two uncles, cousin, T-Burdg, Michael, Betsy, Dad, and Taylor at the storage unit. Steven said it was freezing, but everyone was upbeat and completely helpful. Afterward, Aunt Janet hosted a family brunch at her house before he got on the road. Meanwhile, Mr. Steve (who was supposed to be on a "business trip") drove up from Myrtle Beach and helped with the move. Poor Steven didn't get home until after midnight Saturday.

After church on Sunday, the move began! For the past few weeks people had been volunteering to help, so Sherry compiled a list and gave each person a specific job. We had over 30 people at our house helping Sunday afternoon. What a blessing! I have never been around a church that was so committed to serving others. The people at Asbury came over not only without complaining, but actually happy to help. What a testimony of how all Christians should act. I have already learned so much from the members of Asbury, and I know that I will continue to grow and learn more as the years go by.















































































For lunch, some of the ladies bought a ton of chicken and BBQ from Smithfield's, which is a crowd favorite around here. I will never be able to thank everyone who helped on Sunday enough. I was truly touched! Thank you, Mr. Steve, for the pictures!
































Status on house as of right now...We love it. It's a COMPLETE mess. It's starting to feel more and more like home. We're happy and blessed.

xoxo,
Ashley

The Real Cam Newton

Cam started mentoring four boys back in August and consistently makes himself a part of their lives.
"All I do is READ, READ, READ no matter what..."

Today is the big day!

Well, after much searching, thinking, discussing/arguing, and praying we are finally closing on our very first home. We are meeting at the bank this afternoon to sign all the paperwork, which I have heard feels like you are signing away your life, but I couldn't be more excited to do it! However, today is sort of anti-climatic in a way because although we get the keys to our house, all of our stuff is still in storage in Auburn. Steven is flying down Friday afternoon to pack up the U-Haul with Dad, Taylor, Conner, Michael, Betsy, and Mrs. Theo. Hopefully everything will go smoothly and all our stuff will make the 11 hour trek back up north. More details later. Happy Thursday, everybody!

Weekend with the Meadows

This weekend was a lot of fun, and it was great to see Mr. Steve and Mrs. Theo! They arrived at around 3:30 Friday afternoon, so when I pulled up, I found them sitting just where Steven thought they would be---in the swing. We talked and caught up a little before getting ready to go out to dinner. We took them to Persimmon's, which is a restaurant located right on the water in downtown New Bern. It is practically a brand new building, so everything about it is super modern. I love going to Persimmon's because the atmosphere is unlike anywhere else in New Bern.

On Saturday, we woke up, ate breakfast, and made our way to the fall festival, which was hosted by both Asbury and Bethany (our church and another church in the community). It was awesome and completely free to the public. There were bounce houses, games, and tons of food. It was so great to be able to introduce Mr. Steve and Mrs. Theo to all the poeple that have meant so much to us since moving to North Carolina. Later, we toured the farmer's market and walked around all the shops downtown before eating lunch at Cow Cafe (our favorite little sandwich & ice cream shop). After lunch, we came back home to rest before the Auburn game. Steven took his parents on a tour of the farm, while I got the food ready for dinner. Later, we watched the game and ate dinner with Bryan, Bridget, Emily, Brandon, and Mr. Ray. It was a great game and even better company.

On Sunday, we all got ready and went to church, which was really a blessing. Afterwards, we ate taco soup and club sandwiches for lunch. Then, while Steven took his dad on another tour of the farm, Mrs. Theo and I went to TJ Max to do a little shopping (it's been a long time!). I got a new down comforter for one of the beds and a little something for my sisters' upcoming birthday. Later that night, we all went out to Famous for what I think is the best food in New Bern. I have never had anything there that wasn't DELICIOUS!

Although the weekend went by fast, it was great to get to spend some time with them, and hey---Thanksgiving's not to far away :)

xoxo,
Ashley