End of 2011

Well, Christmas has came and gone with all of it's glory. It truly is a magical time of the year! We had a blast with TSBC's Tacky Sweater Party. I hosted my Second Annual Ornament Swap, where we heard some wonderful news! (cough, cough, Megan Graham). For Christmas, we started the day at church, had our parent's over for lunch, and then celebrated with my family at Mema's. There was at least twenty of us! Our family just keeps growing and growing! When wrapping gifts, I realized we had three babies first Christmas's this year. And, if you know me at all, you know how I feel about babies. I'm pretty sure I kept my hands full the whole evening! Another blessing, we were able to share this Christmas with our precious Mema! I love her so very much, and will always treasure this year.

Now for 2012, the resolutions are just piling up around here. The usual are all there: Exercise, Cook more, Save more, Learn to Sew, Monthly Girls' Nights....I could go on for a while...

More seriously though, I want to serve my Jesus more. I want others to see Him in me daily. I want to point the way to Him. So, I'll let Casting Crowns finish this post. 

 
"I wanna be Your hands and feet, I WANNA LIVE A LIFE THAT LEADS, to see you set the captive free, Until the whole world hears, And I pray the day will see, MORE OF YOU and less of me, Lord I want my life to be the song you sing"

Update Time!

Well, it has been eight months since I was last here. I have been so busy lately that I had pretty much forgot to even get on this site. So, here's a little peek inside what's going on with the Pannell's.

This summer, we traveled. A LOT. Four beach trips and a trip to South Carolina. This was one of my favorite summers so far. Vacations are so wonderful, and we had a great time with all our amazing friends. The best part, two of our trips were FREE.

In July, I started in the ADHP, or Alabama Dental Hygiene Program, or, as our instructor so fondly refers to it, the worst year of my life. The first couple of tests were extremely difficult, but, as of today, I have an "A" average. I can not wait to finish in May. Prayers are welcome!

On October 17, we celebrated our ONE YEAR Anniversary, and let me just say, my husband is simply the best. From the ridiculously huge display of flowers I received at work, to our night on the town, followed by old cake and Pepsi in our champagne glasses, it was simply a wonderful day. I'm so blessed to be married to my best friend, and I am so thankful God put us together.

In November, my parents gave us a cat. It took a lot of begging, but James loves her almost as much as I do. Ella is so much fun, and fit in almost instantly. Even the pup, Eddie, loves her. We celebrated three Thanksgivings, which having so many places to go shows just a glimpse of how blessed we truly are.

Now, it's December. The trees are up. The stockings are hung. The Christmas cards have been ordered, and per hubby's request, have not been dated in case I forget to mail them! The presents, well, the presents need to be bought! Somebody should really get that started.

The Essentials!

Well, we have been married for five months now! It truly has been a fairytale. We were blessed with many wonderful gifts for our home, and we have thoroughly enjoyed all of them! However, here are a few suggestions I don't think you'll find on any registry, although I'm sure they would make a million!

1. A device that will check all pockets before they go in the washing machine! I have found millions of things in our washer, screws, money, lip balm. I used to only gripe at James, but my lip balm has done the most damage to a whole load of clothes!

2. Light bulbs that do NOT go out! All the light bulbs must have been replaced at the same time, because pretty much every day, another one is going out. Not really a big deal, but it would still be nice.

3.  A cow. Ok, not literally. But a milk man would be nice. Half the time we need milk, it's already expired. I'm getting better at keeping up with this, but it is annoying.

4. A toilet paper stocker. Now, after James convinced me to buy the bulk pack from Sam's, we won't have to buy any for, oh, probably 25 years. However, getting this from the closet to the restroom is a skill we are still developing.

5. Something to get spills from under the counter. Clumsy (ME) can't help but spilling everything, but it would be nice if there was an effective way to remove it! 

Seriously though, being married is the BEST! I wouldn't change anything about our crazy life! I love you, James Andrew Pannell.

Newlywed Valentine's

I just realized I hadn't written anything in a while, so here goes...

James and I celebrated our 6th Valentine's Day together this year. As always, it was a day we will cherish. We decided to stay in and cook together instead of fighting the crowds, and it was simply delightful! We re-used the sign from our rehearsal dinner, "Pannelli's Cafe", lit all the candles, and dressed for a fancy night out. James surprised me by knocking on the door, and when I answered, he was holding a bouquet of flowers.  It truly was a wonderful evening.

Loving You is Easy...

Well, time is flying in the Pannell home. We are almost to the three month mark! We received our wedding pictures about a week ago, and I have probably looked through them a million times! We experienced our first blizzard together, and had a blast! The first day, James decided we should just pretend we were on our cruise again: instead of their being an ocean outside our window, there was a sea of ice! The unexpected vacation was nice, and we had a great time just being together! However, spring would be welcome at any time!

Below is the link to our Love Story Video for those of you who haven't seen it yet. This was definitely one of the wedding highlights, and I am so thankful we have this to look back on!

James and Elizabeth's Love Story Video