Hello Auburn.

So, I'm back in Auburn... like for good.

On Wednesday I let the company, I was working with, know that Thursday would be my last day! It had come about that I may think about leaving sooner rather than later since I felt like I had different expectations of what this summer would be. When I heard internship and even after talking with the management of the company I had the idea that I would get to learn all aspects of the green industry! Four weeks into it and I was still on a Floriculture crew picking weeds, watering pots, and laying mulch. Stuff that in one weeks time I would have fully got the "gist" of what they do. I, as with the other interns, imagined getting to experience it all- like maybe a week with each crew, a week following the designer, a week in the office etc, etc. I talked to the VP, who was responsible for recruiting and basically being our boss, on Tuesday about what I was thinking and how I felt I wasn't learning anything. He talked to me with complete disrespect, and later I found out that he actually lied right to my face about some things. After that I just decided that was something I didn't want to be a part of any longer. So Wednesday night I packed up my car and I headed out Thursday after work. It was exciting to leave, after I had been a bit miserable, but I didn't like the idea of "quitting" or having to leave the other interns.

So now Im back in Auburn and now searching for a job! If anyone hears of any kind of opening with office, secretarial, or bank type jobs in Auburn or Opelika or even Montgomery PLEASE let me know as soon as you can.

The Big 2-0.

Nope, not me. I turned the big 2-1 in May. Now it's my Matthews turn!

I was so happy he got to come celebrate and spend the weekend with me in Atlanta! He decided to start the weekend off great by surprising me and showing up like 4 hours early :) When he got here I welcomed him to "Birthday weekend" (a Thaxton favorite) and "Yay, we're engaged weekend!" Friday night we just wanted to chill so we cooked up some Poppy Seed Chicken and rented Leap Year. It was a nice relaxing night!

Of course Saturday came around and we were up for something fun and adventurous! And an adventure it was!! We decided to ride MARTA into town and go to eat at The Varsity. The MARTA ride was easy... exciting for Matthew- his first time on a train! haha

Well, the real adventure begins when we got off at the North Avenue Station. We get off and decided to ask a police officer where the Varsity is. He points and tells us its behind the huge AT&T building- alright easy enough... we head that way. After walking around in that killer heat for about 30 minutes and still having no clue of where it was we called my dad to point us in the right direction. Wow, the police man had pointed us in the opposite direction... it was like two short blocks from where we got off MARTA. We decided we were thankful for a fun adventure anyways!! But by the time we got there we were starving. It was a first time for the both of us... that place was huge... "What'll ya have?!?"

We did later venture off to Ikea for another adventure. That place was nuts!! They heard you in and around like cattle basically! ha We hit up a new fast food Chinese restaurant for dinner- hoping it would out do Pandas... yeah right :( The rest of the night we spent planning... WEDDING planning!! Fun!

So Sunday was Matthew's birthday. Ever since we had seen Holeman and Finch on the Food Network on Chef vs. City we have been wanting to go eat there! Well the cool thing they do is at 10 oclock everynight they make 24 double cheeseburgers. That's it for the day... just 24. (Except thankfully their website let us know that you can get them at Sunday brunch- perfect!) I decided this was perfect for Matthew's birthday because he LOVES burgers. Well we both ordered "The Burger" with pickles, ketchup, and mustard on the side. The cool thing about these burgers are the bun, pickles, ketchup and mustard are all home made there! I don't even like pickles but I tried them and they were the best pickles I've ever tried! ha Matthew also got their special lemonade... the waiter told us that they put lemon zest in the sugar- it was really yum!

Ahh, we chilled for the rest of the afternoon. I tried on my new Under Armour shoes... which inspired the picture below haha. I'm just so proud of them :) Matthew opened his present... which really just consisted of just a grill brush... but that was to go along with the grill I bought him and was waiting for him in his apartment in Auburn! Surprise!!! Then Matthew was off back to Auburn :( That goodbye part is just SO hard! Happy Birthday Love!

Love Story.

So, here's our story.

The first weekend in January 2009 we were both off to Jackson, Alabama to help with the d-now at Judd's church. I didn't know Matthew, and he didn't know me. The first thing I remember is sitting down in the fellowship hall to eat and Dumas sitting there telling Matthew all about how I have and take a ridiculous amount of pictures! (Oh, how Im so thankful that wasn't a deal breaker!! ha) So through the weekend I purposefully would come up with things to ask him or talk to him about. haha, What can I say, I thought he was cute :) On the way home from this d-now it got around that we were all going to watch 24 at Ben's Sunday and Monday night. I made sure to be there, and later to find out so did Matthew. After 24 we went our separate ways... but coincidentally both ended up at the Opelika Wal-Mart looking for school notebooks! Even stranger than that after leaving Wal-Mart we both ended up in the Arby's drive through line. After that, I felt like something was up! We chatted on facebook a few nights after that before he asked for my number. Friday night he asked me to go to the Auburn vs. Alabama basketball game- and sit next to him and all his jumpsuit friends. I said yes, and he picked me up the next day at 11:15 to get good seats at the game! We hung out ALL day, literally 11:15 am- 11:30 pm. A few weeks later he asked me out on our first date! A few short weeks after that as we studied on my futon for upcoming tests he slipped me a little note that said "Will you be my Valentine? Check Yes or No" Of course I immediately checked yes! Shortly later that night he asked me (yes, I made him say it!!) to be his girlfriend- boy was it a big night :) Ever since then we have loved getting to know each other better and spending so much time together.

Now is where our engagement story comes into play:

Two Thursdays ago while at work in Atlanta I found out that I didn't have to work Friday. So first thing I thought, perfect I can get to Auburn and surprise Matthew before going to the beach Friday with his family! So right after work I packed like crazy and was off! I knew he was going on a bike ride at 6, so I hoped to catch him before he left. I didn't :( I got to his apartment knocked and got no reply! So I called him and "angrily" told him to get home because I was there! He got back and I told him dinner was on me, you pick the place. Something like Momma G's right now, or something like Logan's or Santa Fe after a shower. He said Logan's or Santa Fe, so I was off to my apartment for a shower! Shortly after he picked me up and we went on to Santa Fe. We had a yummy meal there, and he mentioned that we needed to go by Grandmothers to get a birthday present but first he wanted to go on a walk. So we got done with dinner and headed for our walk- he said at the Arboretum... and of course I replied with the Arboretum is scary at night! He said, "That's why I'm here!" We laughed and then went in. He said lets go down by the water and sit and talk a little bit. When we got down there he told me he made me something. Me and my big mouth said, "hmm, thats weird... you don't usually make me things!" haha. So he pulled a little picture book out of his back pocket. On each page was a significant event in our life. So he showed it to me and got me to explain what each page had on it.

Page 1 was where we met:

Page 2 was the first day we hung out together:

Page 3 and 4 was our first date:

Page 5 was our first Valentines:

Page 6 and 7 was our One year date:

(the picture of Hamilton's wouldn't upload for some reason!)

I had to get his help with the next page. He told me it was us right now, in the Arboretum.

For the last page he made me stand up and I flipped the page and he got down on his knee. Of course I started crying and he told me all the reasons he loves me and asked me to marry him. Of course I said Yes.

And then he had to remind me to put the ring on. After that we sat there and listened to a playlist he had made of some of our songs. Of course we were in a hurry to get back to the car to look at the ring AND call everyone :)

It was simply amazing, and I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with Matthew Ryan Watford! I also can't wait to become Mrs. Watford :) I am so blessed.

So far the only decision we have made is MAY 7th, 2011 in Huntsville, AL... Save the date :)

HOTlanta.

As I write this I'm sitting in my Atlanta apartment, listening to the Marta train zoom by. WEIRD. Who would have ever thought I would be living it up with three girls I didn't know in Atlanta. Not me! One of my life goals: AVOID Atlanta at any cost. HAHA, that didn't happen. So here I am.

Mom, Dad, Matthew, Blake and Katherine drove over with me to help get me all settled in! We came and unloaded my stuff and then headed to Mellow Mushroom for lunch. We also went on an adventurous trip to find Wal-Mart. I feel like we may have gone in a billion circles!

Three of the four roommates are here, and the last one will be here tomorrow! I couldn't be more thrilled about how its going! I've met two of the guys and we may all eat dinner tomorrow night to get to know each other!

What a strange and exciting summer this will be. It is SO different than being dropped off in Auburn freshman year (Although I did have that same sinking feeling today as I did freshman year when I walked across Samford Avenue to Dunn Hall for the first night). There, in Auburn, I was at home. I knew where I was and how to get anywhere- I knew tons of people that were simply a phone call away! Here they left me, and I felt almost completely alone. I sat down on my bed, with all my luggage on the floor beside me (YES, on the floor!! They forgot to put any furniture in my room but a bed! haha) and thought, What next? Of course a few minutes later I was over it, no big deal. I'll see familiar faces on Thursday. This ISN'T a big deal!

So off I go on my next big adventure. Be prepared for many updates, and hopefully a lot of pictures :)

Alum.

Can you believe it? I'm an Auburn University Alumni!

I got a card from Matthew's grandparents that said "The tassel was worth the hassle" Wow, that statement couldn't be any more accurate with all that I had to deal with just in this last month. Whew, but it's done- it's over with! Time to CELEBRATE!

We had such a good weekend! Everyone headed to Auburn on Thursday for pictures with Aubie, and a graduation party for me and Katherine and then later desserts at Mammaws for Robyn and the two of us! Friday we went to the College of Ag breakfast and then to Samford lawn to take pictures! Next came graduation and then straight to Bham for the Lady Antebellum/Tim McGraw concert! Saturday was all of Elizabeth's graduation festivities! And Sunday off to Bham with Matthew for a graduation celebration lunch! It was a great weekend :)

(More pictures!)

What a blessing everyone has been. The encouragement I was given through all the recent struggles and then just all the support through the weekend! Everyone saying how proud they are! Mostly thanks to Mom and Dad- they've survived through everything with me! They gave me the best present ever: Ele, and so much more through the years! I SO appreciate all the help from everyone for our party (Thanks Gmother, Gdaddy, Mammaw, Diane, Blake, Mrs. Shore, and Mom!!) And also everyone who sat through all of those graduations (If you were lucky enough to sit through two, or even three over the whole weekend!) And also thank you to all the Watfords and Palmers for being so sweet and letting me join in on yall's celebration!! So, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! It all means the world to me and I'm not too sure I was able to express it to you all!

AMT.

Meet my mom :)

(She hates this picture, but I love it! Sorry mom!)

She is the most special, wonderful, and precious lady in the whole wide world. I can't even imagine trying to convey to you how much she means to me, how much she's been there for me (everytime!), and how close we are to each other.

We can have fun and laugh and be silly together:

And I know, without a doubt, that I can come to her with anything. She's the first one I call with exciting news and bad news too. She's full of advise.

I was lucky enough to get to learn from her for for an extended time because she homeschooled us. That was 24-7 momma time. I wouldn't trade those memories for anything. All in all I've had almost 21 years to soak up all that she is! I pray for many, many more. Come August all of her children will have "left the nest"... don't worry she won't be bored! She'll get to take on a new role as grandMOTHER- which I know she will perform amazingly well!

She knows me inside and outside. She's seen my good and my bads.

...And she still loves me.

I love you mom(: Happy Mother's Day!

"Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and forsake not your mother's teaching, for they are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck." Proverbs 1:8-9

Ele the Escape.

Meet Ele. (pronounced like Ellie)

I got to meet Ele on Friday night after Meaghan and Brandon's wedding. I think me and Ele will be best friends super quick. I've shown her around Birmingham, Huntsville, and Auburn.

She was such a surprise, it was pretty much love at first sight :)

Here's the story: After the wedding mom and dad got me to believe that dad really wanted to pick us up from the front of the reception place and drive me and Matthew to our car before heading back to Madison. Easy enough for them- I had no trouble with letting him do that. So we went and waited for dad to pull up. (Mom told me later she watched Matthew as he watched every car passing by checking to see if it was mine! He knew I was getting a car, but didn't know which kind!) So dad pulled in and I immediately say, "Whose car is this?!" Mom says in an excited voice, "Whose do you think it is?!" I replied, "No, whose car is this?!" as I started crying! It so isn't typical for me to cry like that, but it was just such a shock and surprise! Matthew told me he didn't know if those were happy tears or what since he had never experienced them before! haha!

I am just so excited and thankful for my new car! I still don't think its quite sunk in but I have been enjoying it! Mom and dad used the excuse that they couldn't let me drive around Atlanta this summer with a go-kart (you know... with the possibility of going under 18-wheelers and everything- thats what my mom ALWAYS says!)

Just a quick side note- Meaghan and Brandon's wedding weekend went off without a hitch! She looked absolutely beautiful and everyone had so much fun! I had a blast getting to spend time with all of the Watfords and the extended family! Everything from the rehearsal dinner and bridesmaid brunch to the wedding ceremony was flawless! I'm so excited for them and their married life together. Can't wait to see what God has in store :) ALSO, can't wait for a trip to Jacksonville to visit them!