Confessions from a Southern Socialite

Counting down the days...

2012-01-24T20:47:00.000-06:00

After we got engaged on December 17th, we have been asked at least four or five times a day... "When are you getting married?" Terry and I decided the date of our wedding on New Year's Day.

So now, I guess y'all are waiting for me to tell you the date and location?!?!

We are counting down the days because, we are getting married in 48 days in Jamaica! You read that correctly... on March 12th at 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Terry and I will say "I do" at beautiful secluded resort in Jamaica. Our parents were the first to know after we made our reservations the first week of January.

Before we got engaged last month, we were already talking about what we wanted for our wedding day and this kept coming to mind... "no stress please." While visiting family over the Christmas holidays, we informed our families that we would be going off to get married. After being together for almost three years, we decided we didn't want a long engagement. We are ready to start our lives together as husband and wife and in less than two months, we will do that.

To say we are excited about our destination wedding would be an understatement. Every single detail for our wedding day has been planned and we can't wait to be there. With every day that passes by we get a little closer to our day and before we know it March 12th will be here.

My parents have been very supportive in our decision and can't wait to see our photos and DVD when we return from our wedding. And don't worry, I promise to show y'all a few pictures from our day, too!

Until then... let the countdown continue! =)

Fun times in the city

2012-01-22T09:42:00.001-06:00

We have been having fun in Birmingham this weekend. Along with the fun, we have been eating amazing food and getting a lot accomplished before our wedding.

Friday night after arriving we went to one of our favorite Friday night places to eat... Jim N Nicks. We always find something wonderful to eat and I've always wanted to try "everything but the kitchen sink nachos" and we finally did. One word... delicious!!!

Saturday morning it was coming a nice little storm, but we had to get out and get some things done. After looking at houses we headed to The Cheesecake Factory at the summit.

We enjoyed our favorite Louisiana Chicken Pasta and decided to share a slice of cheesecake heaven... their newest cheesecake, Hershey's Chocolate Bar Cheesecake.

After getting the energy that we needed from the cheesecake, it was time to pick our Terry's wedding band. About an hour later, we walked out with our purchase in hand. We had a little more shopping to do, but we ended the evening with dinner at Panera Bread and watched Bridesmaids. And honestly, we thought it was going to be funnier, but it was a cute movie.

We have a few more things to get accomplished today before the storm comes, but we are enjoying our last weekend in Bham before the wedding.

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T08:15:00.000-06:00

Loving my MacBook Air — my Christmas gift from Terry.

Monday Funday

2012-01-16T16:45:00.000-06:00

Jennifer Nanney from The Blonde Aquarius tagged me in a post and I, of course, decided to follow the rules and tag others.

{the rules}
1. post the rules
2. post 11 fun facts about yourself
3. answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create 11 new questions for the people you tag
4. tag 11 people and link them in your post
5. let them know you’ve “tagged” them

{facts about me}

1. I'm currently a fiancé, but in a few months I'll be a loving wife.

2. I've lived in Mississippi my entire life, but this year we are moving to Alabama.

3. I love to cook, and make messes in our kitchen.

4. I might be a little bit obsessed with The Real Housewives on Bravo... just a little bit. lol

5. I'm trying to quit diet drinks. (Boy is it hard!)

6. I go to sleep with lots of distractions... TV (not muted) and with a air purifier blowing on my face.

7. I would rather have all the lamps on in the house instead of the overhead lights. Terry is the opposite. lol

8. We eat at McAlister's Deli at least once a week. And we order the same thing every time. I'm pretty sure we should own stock in them.

9. My best friends are my sisters. And I'm pretty sure life would not be the same without them.

10. I've learned through planning our wedding/reception that what I thought I wanted growing up, is not what I want today. =)

11. One day, we hope to have one maybe two children. Again, ONE DAY! lol

{Questions from Jenn Jenn I had to answer:}

If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Hmmm... growing up thought I would love to change it, but I think Joy fits me well... so I'll keep it.

What is something you expected to accomplish by now but haven’t? Honestly I figured I would be a mom before now. God had a different plan. However, we plan to have kids in our future.

What is your purpose in life? To bring joy to others.

What are you passionate about? My relationship with Terry.

What’s your biggest fear? SNAKES I hate them and fear one day one will be in the toilet. Don't ask... I saw something on TV about it.

What are you looking forward to most within this next month? Our dinners and showers given by sweet friends and family.

What does MLK day mean to you? Remembering one who stood up for what he believed in... while not be ashamed to shout it for everyone to hear.

What’s your favorite book? The Help

What’s your favorite guilty pleasure? Realty TV... seriously I love it. Dance Moms, Real Housewives, Bethenny Ever After, Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Pawn Stars, Storage Wars, Swamp People... love them all...

Chocolate or Salt? Both, please.

Who is John Galt? Had no clue until I just looked him up... I plan to read more later!

{Questions to answer from me to the folks I will tag:}

What was the best part of 2011 for you?

If you were given the choice to have a maid or chef which would you choose?

What does love mean to you?

What's one piece of advice you can give this future wife?

Do you make your bed every morning?

Are you a couch or recliner type of person?

Super bowl... which do you like more... the game, the entertainment, the commercials, or the food?

What got you to start blogging?

You've been given a lazy day, what do you plan to do all day?

Cheesecake, chocolate cake or apple pie?

And only because it never fails that someone will ask you this in life... If you could be a color, what color would you be?! =)

The people I’m tagging are….

Darby over at Life with the Hawleys

Haven over at Enraptured with Love and Projects

Michelle over at a little bit of this and that

Angela over at Go Shepards, Go

Kate over at A Permanent Student

Nickolee over at On the Journey

Lindsey over at Running Down a Dream

Roz over at Hello Rosie

Crystal over at Homemaker in Heels

Sherri Lynn over at The Life of a Wife

Courtney over at Angel Court Jewels

MLT's Little Red Riding Hood

2012-01-15T15:27:00.001-06:00

This past week the nieces have been involved in the youth production of Little Red Riding Hood at our local theatre. This afternoon, we went to see the play. It was pretty cute and I think the girls had a great time showing off for their family members and all the other people in the audience.

Hannah was Little Bo Peep and Emma was a rabbit....

Ready to go

2012-01-14T13:46:00.000-06:00

We applied for our passports back over the Christmas holidays and guess what arrived in the mail today?!?!?!

I was screaming when I ran in the house to show Terry. Not much longer til we get to use them! SO EXCITED!!!

Another checked off the list...

2012-01-10T15:00:00.000-06:00

Last Saturday, Terry and I went to register for our wedding gifts. And I have to tell you, we were just a tad bit excited. Excited to pick out the fun stuff, the practical stuff and of course the stuff you are just suppose to register for.

We started right after lunch and went for almost five hours straight. Terry was the "scanner" and while it was fun, it was also exhausting. Making that many decisions in that length of time was overwhelming, but we laughed and giggled and had a blast.

We registered at belk and bed bath and beyond. The information we got from you, our readers, was VERY helpful. Thank you again!! As we walked out of Belk that night, we both looked to each other and laughed and said, after all of that we probably won't get anything. And to be honest, we are perfectly fine with that. It was a fun afternoon together and it's something we will remember forever.

But, we did get something off our registry already.... we bought our luggage last night! It was on clearance and we really wanted that color and style and since it was being discontinued, we decided to buy it for ourselves. At least we know that we will have everything we need to pack for our trip! =)

Another marked off the list... moving on to next now!

To scan or not to scan...

2012-01-03T11:37:00.000-06:00

This weekend we plan to register for our wedding showers that are coming up and we have a pretty good idea about what we "think" we will register for, but I would love to have some tips on things "to scan and not to scan."

We will be registering for fine china and every day china, however, have you seen the prices for five piece place settings for fine china these days?? We don't want anyone to go broke trying to buy something off our registry, so we plan take that into consideration. What we looked at last week, we love and it's priced reasonable. But other than our fine china and every day china... what should we register for??

We look forward to reading your advice...
And thanks in advance!!

HELLO 2012

2012-01-01T10:18:00.001-06:00

May this new year bring many opportunities your way,

to explore every joy of life and may your resolutions for the days ahead stay firm,

turning all your dreams into reality and all your efforts into great achievements.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Looking back at 2011

2011-12-31T09:00:00.000-06:00

As 2012 quickly approaches, I thought it would be a good idea to look back at 2011 in photos to see what the past year has been all about. Enjoy!!

MSO Gala at MSU Riley Center in January where we ran into LB!

Getting cozy on Valentine's Day after a day trip to Vicksburg and Jackson in February.

Enjoying the Blue Angels at Wings Over Meridian in March.

Celebrating Easter with my family and my home church in April.

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo at San Marco's with Abby in May.

Our first self portrait picture after celebrating our two year dating anniversary at The Rustler in May.

Mom and I went to see Abby's big debut in Hairspray at MLT in May.

Father's day at Kemper County lake with dad's side of the family in June.

Sowell beach vacation in Florida the first part of June.

My surprise 30th birthday party at The Denney's the last part of June.

Fun times at Dalewood Lake with the Van Doren's during the 4th of July.

Celebrating Terry's birthday at Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham in July.

A little reunion with amazing friends at The Veranda in Starkville in August.

Ran into Kate at the MSU vs. LSU at Starkville in September .

Eating at Diamond Jim's in Livingston with the Van Doren's in September.

Right before the classes of 91 & 92 reunion at Weidmann's with the Van Doren's in September.

Piper's 4th birthday party in Birmingham this past October.

At Rachel's art show in Meridian in November.

The night we got engaged in Birmingham in December. Best night of my life... so far. =)

Can 2012 top 2011? I have no doubt it will. However, 2011 will be remembered forever as one of the best years of my life. 2012 comes with a wedding, a move and wonderful memories to be made. Bring on the New Year!

A visit with Lindsey in Memphis

2011-12-30T22:25:00.002-06:00

Today has been a long day, but a great day. We got on the road early to head to Southaven to have lunch with our favorite news anchor and friend, Lindsey Brown. You might remember Lindsey from some of my past posts and this late summer, she took a job with Action 5 News and moved to Memphis.

It's been five long months, but we finally got a chance to hug, chat and dine with our favorite news anchor today at Huey's!

While we were dining, she wanted to all the details of the night we got engaged and then surprised us with a gift for our wedding... champagne.

We loved the atmosphere at Huey's...

After lunch we said our short lived goodbyes to take in some shopping in the area and a few hours later went to Action 5 News to watch LB's news cast, live!!

On the set with Jarvis and Lindsey. They make a great team!

During a break... check out this set!!

Lindsey, we had a great time catching up and seeing your new office and teammates! Everyone was so very nice and welcoming and we can finally give you the thumbs up for making the right decision to join their team! We miss you, but we will see you again soon! PS — Terry said next time we want to ride in the chopper!!! =)

Top 10 Recipes of 2011

2011-12-29T14:29:00.000-06:00

These are new recipes that I tried in 2011 for the first time. They are yummy and easy to make!

•Loaded Potato Soup

Perfect for those cold dreary nights where you need something to warm you up.

•Louisiana Chicken Pasta

This spicy dish is always a hit in this house.

•Sweet Tea

Sweet tea is a southern staple, but this saweet tea will have your "drinkers" talking for days!

•Baked Ziti

Makes a lot and perfect warmed over the next day.

•White Chocolate Cheesecake

This is homemade and better than The Cheesecake Factory.

•Tie Dye Cupcakes

Perfect for a night of family fun in the kitchen and great for kid birthday parties.

•Toffee Topped Bars

A sweet and easy treat for office parties or small get-togethers.

•Oven-fried Chicken

You'll fall in love with these oven baked chicken fingers.

•Garlic Butter Bread

Why buy the expensive garlic bread in a box when you can make your own.

•Blueberry Pound Cake

Dress up your normal pound cake with blueberries!

Any of these recipes are sure to be a pleaser with your family or guests. Enjoy!!

CHRISTMAS 2011

2011-12-28T19:04:00.002-06:00

Is it just me, or does Christmas seem to come around quicker these days. I'm pretty sure we just celebrated 12 months ago, right?

This year we celebrated like we have in years past. We had Christmas Eve dinner at my parent's house with my mom's side of the family and opened gifts.

Then Christmas day we went to my papaw's house to celebrate with dad's side of the family for lunch.

Christmas night, we went to Terry's parents for dinner and Christmas fun.

That about sums up our Christmas festivities... Hope you and your family had the Merriest of all Christmases. Enjoy the rest of 2011!!

The future Mrs. Sowell

2011-12-20T09:02:00.000-06:00

December 17th started out like any other day — we slept in, had breakfast and decided to get ready to head out shopping. We ate at Johnny Rocket's at the summit and then walked around stopping in and out of stores to see what was on sale, etc. Terry called and made reservations earlier that day for us to have dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. We had been wanting to try it, and Saturday was the day.

The day was pretty much perfect. It was just he and I all day. He even let me listen to Christmas music (I should have known something was up) and was even willing to fight the masses of people and no parking spaces to take me to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. Of course, after seeing the wait line and the non existent parking spaces and the fact that I was starving, we went around the corner and shared a burger and cheesy fries at Johnny Rocket's.

The afternoon of shopping went by quickly and it was time to head to dinner. Ruth's Chris was actually in a hotel and we were a few minutes early for our reservation. They seated us right away in the middle of the hotel under trees and next to a waterfall. (Yes, I now realize I should have taken a photo.) The food was yummy, but the company and conversation was the best part.

During dinner, we talked about going to see a movie, but I was a little exhausted and suggested we stop at a redbox and get a movie to watch in our pjs curled up on the couch. And being in Birmingham, we had no clue where a redbox was. So after dinner as we were walking back to the truck, I was downloading the free redbox app to find a location near us. He opened the door for me and as I was trying to find the closest redbox near the house, he was suppose to be getting me a "tooth picker." Sexy, right? LOL

The next thing I know, I'm starring at a stunning, sparkling, huge diamond ring. My eyes met up with his and he said, "I want to know if you will spend forever with me?" My eyes got watery as I told him YES!! I'm pretty sure I've left out some things because I still feel like it's a dream, but as I sit here and stare at this amazing ring on my left ring figure — I know it's not a dream.

The view from head on...

The side view...

I've been blessed to have the most amazing boyfriend for almost three years and now I can say without a doubt he is the most amazing fiancée, ever. I can't wait to be Mrs. Terry Sowell for the rest of my life!

Happy Birthday DARBY!!!

2011-12-20T08:22:00.000-06:00

The year 2011 will be known for a lot of amazing memories for me, but one of those is meeting this chick here in blogland.

This is Darby and her husband, Phil with "Santa."

Darby has one of those personalities that beams through her words, photos and recipes. She has become one of those people who I love to share EVERYTHING with and I'm so thankful for her amazing friendship and advice as a married couple. We share a lot of interests (in no particular order): loving our doggy babies, loving and caring for our men, a love for cooking, a love for our families, a love for photography and a love of the big man upstairs! And we know one day we WILL meet! =)

I hope today is full of everything wonderful and special for you on this day Darby! May you be gifted with life's biggest joys and never-ending bliss. After all, you yourself are a gift to earth, so you deserve the best! Happy Birthday!!

Italian Night

2011-12-12T10:34:00.001-06:00

Last night, we made it an Italian night. The younger kids got to help with the homemade pizza. We had homemade spaghetti sauce and noodles, homemade pepperoni pizza and breadsticks.

The Gingerbread House

2011-12-09T13:28:00.001-06:00

Piper and I have been busy making Christmas goodies and working on her 1st gingerbread house of the season. We bought the kit at Target and I guess you would say for the price, it held up to it's value.

As you can see, she took this decorating thing seriously. And although it is partially falling apart, it's still pretty cute and a work of art by the little four year old herself! Fun times!

Let the bowl games begin

2011-12-06T15:55:00.001-06:00

I'm guest blogging today over at Passionately Rivalicious. Want to read more... click here.

Dec 2011/Jan 2012 Cover

2011-11-30T10:26:00.001-06:00

Here it is, the Dec 2011/Jan 2012 cover...

And, if you want to be one of the firsts to see it online, click here!

Our 2011 Christmas Card

2011-11-29T09:30:00.000-06:00

We sent out our Christmas cards last Friday, and since most have already received their cards by mail... it's time to send it out to our blog readers!! We wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! Have a blessed Christmas season, y'all!!

Mr. & Mrs. Singley

2011-11-28T10:56:00.001-06:00

Two weekends ago, I photographed a wedding in Kemper County. The cousin (Tommie) of the bride asked me around this time last year to take their wedding photos. Now, this isn't something I do all the time, but I do take them from time to time. I had a blast capturing their day and I hope you enjoy the photos. Here is a little sneak at their wedding day. Congratulations Mindi and Kyle — I wish you both all the happiness this world has to offer!

2011 Thanksgiving Thankful Thursday

2011-11-24T08:48:00.001-06:00

For the past three weeks I have blogged about being thankful on "thankful thursday" and if you happened to miss the first post, click here to view it, to view the second post, click here and to view the third post, click here. Here is my top five for this, my last 2011 "thankful thursday" series.

I'm thankful for my love, Terry. This is our third Thanksgiving together and each year gets sweeter and sweeter. Life before him was just life, but I now know it was just my preparation for my future with him. God did bless the road that led me straight to him. I love our past, I love our present and I'm already praying for our future and I know I will love it as well. I use to ask friends, "how did you know he's the one?" Their answers were always vague and I didn't understand, but now I do. You really can't explain it — however, when you know, you really do know. And I'm blessed to know he is the one. I'm very thankful for our life together and the love we share.

I'm thankful for my parents. I'm thankful for the life they provided for me growing up and the example they set as husband and wife. They have been married for 40 years and that's rare to hear of these days. I'm thankful that they are proud of the woman I am today and I love the fact that they consider Terry part of our family.

I'm thankful for my papaw and my granny. My papaw (my dad's dad) and my granny (my mom's mom) are the only two grandparents I have living. I know most of my friend's grandparents aren't living anymore and I'm blessed to have them still here with us. I don't get a chance to see them often, but I'm thankful to see them during the holidays and special occasions.

I'm thankful for extended family. Family time during the holidays are important to us. There is always laughter and cameras flashing. Stories from earlier days are always told and hugs coming and going are guaranteed. And as most will probably say, their family is the best, but we know our families are the best!

I'm thankful for my friends. My friends are more than just friends, they are the sisters I never had. They are always there and never take advantage of our friendship. They are supportive and tell it like it is. Some I see on a regular basis and others have the iPhone always on the charger. =) Our conversations are never short and both parties listen and talk. They are excited about my future and can't wait to share in our future memories.

Thanksgiving isn't the only time we should stop to think about what all we are thankful for, but it's wonderful to be reminded that we all should be thankful. Today and always, give thanks to the Lord above for without him, none of this is possible.

Enjoy your day with family and friends and never forget to be thankful because we are all blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!!

It's beginning to look alot like CHRISTMAS!

2011-11-22T20:30:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning, we decided if we were going to put up the tree — that was the day. Of course, having the air running while putting the 9.5 foot tree in place was miserable, but I'm happy to say it's done. Not to say there wasn't any issues that came our way.

Like I said, the tree is 9.5 foot very full, prelit tree. When I bought the house in 2007, the previous owners had bought this tree and decided to leave it when the house sold because the house they were moving to didn't have high enough ceilings. So, it became my baby — well, BIG baby. It's been a great tree, even though Terry hates to put it up every year. And this year, after we put the first of four parts of the tree together — some of the lights weren't working. Now, you know you can't decorate the tree until the lights are working and it's been fluffed.

Off to Lowes we go in search of this...

Guess what? IT WORKS!! Saved the Christmas tree and helped get the ball rolling again. Then it was time to finish the assembly, fluff and decorate.

Here is our 2012 Christmas tree...

Busler/Misenar Father/Daughter Art Show

2011-11-18T20:20:00.001-06:00

Tonight, we had the pleasure of attending Charlie Busler and Rachel Misenar's father/daughter art reception at Lucas Road Art Gallery. Their work is amazing... both individually different, but alike in some ways. Enjoy the photos from tonight...

Rachel Misenar and her sweet daddy Charlie Busler

Sharon, Charlie, Rachel and Seth and little Jude and Hazel — Hazel's facial expression is too cute!

Me and my favorite Mississippi artist!

I finally got to see JENNIFER!!! Wish I lived closer to these sweet friends!!

But, always good to see them when they are in town!

Thankful Thursday 2011 #3

2011-11-17T19:15:00.001-06:00

The past two weeks I have blogged about being thankful on "thankful thursday" and if you happened to miss the first week's post, click here to view it and to view last week's post, click here. Here is my five for this "thankful thursday" series.

I'm thankful for little babies. I have friends that have little ones and they are so precious to be around. The giggles, smiles and little noises bring me pure joy. They have no idea what the future holds for them, but we already know exactly what they might grow up to be. Our hopes and dreams for them are huge and we know they will never want for anything in this world. Maybe one day we will have the pleasure of raising a little one.

I'm thankful for Mississippi State Football. No, they aren't having the season we thought they would have this year, but I still LOVE my bulldawgs. We bleed maroon and love the sound of a cowbell. And no matter what, you'll always hear me saying, "GO DAWGS!"

I'm thankful for toe socks. Mississippi doesn't have the coldest of winters, but I'm pretty sure I have the coldest feet on the planet. You can't really see the toe socks while I'm wearing my shoes, but they come in the cutest colors and they are very comfortable and very warm for my little toesies.

I'm thankful for Christmas lights. Especially this time of year, it's wonderful to pass by houses with their twinkling lights glowing through the windows. It brings a smile to my face to see them lit up for the season.

I'm thankful for my iPhone. I'm not really sure how I got by without it all those years. Everything I know is on that phone, from phone numbers to my calendar of things to do... Thank you Steve Jobs for designing something that we can't seem to live without, but also thank you for designing it to do everything we need it to!

You might not think these things are something to be thankful for, but I do. Each means something to me and I'm thankful for them. Come back next Thursday to see my last Thankful Thursday list...