Another Nashville weekend . .another step forward

Alright ladies (and maybe men). . .but if you are anything like me, when you come home and see a package sitting in front of your door you:

1. Start to walk a little faster. . .

2. You do a little happy dance. . .

3.  Grab the package quickly and head inside. . .

4. Rip it open like it is Christmas morning. . because isn't that what it feels like??

I had these wonderful emotions to start off the weekend!  I came home to a package from Erin Condren!  I made a custom planner to start organizing our wonderful, crazy, busy life. . and it has arrived! Talk about one happy girl and one confused husband on how I could be so excited!

I had to put the planner down. . sad. . but I got over it quickly.  We were heading to Nashville Shores for the day!  It reminded me of Myrtle Waves back home in Myrtle Beach, except Nashville Shores is also part of a lake.  It was pretty cool!  They also have jet skiing, banana boats, kayaking, and paddleboarding!  We are leaving that for another weekend. :)

We had planned to have a date night, but we were too tired by the time dinner rolled around.  So we kept our date night low key and at home.  Sometimes those are the best!

We wanted to cook something a little different.  We decided on hawaiian BBQ chicken cupcakes and zucchini tots.  Sounds interesting, huh?  They were delicious!!

Our little helpers!

AND!!

An opportunity that I have been searching and waiting for. . . inspired by creating and doing our own wedding. . . 

 

 

Has finally arrived! I will be working for a wonderful individual in the Nashville area that has made an inspiring and successful name for herself in event styling and design within events and weddings. . .check her out: Jessica Sloane.

I do believe that planner is going to become useful! 

Until next time. . . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

New adventures in Nashville

One can't help but get excited when Thursday night rolls around and you realize the weekend is less than a day away. . at least for those that work Monday through Friday!  What a great feeling. . and a reason to celebrate since it is Friday eve and all.  ;) 

It has been an adventurous and fast week for sure! I am still getting use to the new job. . which you can find here at the end of this blog post: Tisk, tisk. . .or is it Tsk Tsk? ;).  This week I was given a great opportunity to join another paralegal and the attorney I work for in court Wednesday morning.  It was a great learning. . and culture. . experience. 

Where I spent my morning! :)

Amazing!

For 4 years now, Ryan has been gearing up for the Olympics. ;)  My favorite part (probably the same for many) are all the talented gymnasts!. . . And the divers. . .and the ping pong players. . and. . . okay just about all of it!

We get to kick the Olympics off tomorrow night joining new friends for a birthday/Olympic kick off party! Can't wait!  

And since Nashville doesn't have a beach. . Ryan and I are going to experience Nashville Shores Saturday!  The cool part is, we are joining a friend of mine that I went to high school with (and haven't seen her since high school). . .who happened to move to Nashville!  

And of course. . the crafting that is ahead this weekend.  Just not sure what project we are going to take on.

Until next time. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Whistle while you work

The boxes of paint have made their debut again!  I have gotten in my painting mode (it tends to come and go at times). . and I have taken our home and other projects by storm!  In the past I have painted signs for teachers and paintings for adorable little boys and girls.  Here are some of the things I have created:

18 x 24 Canvas made for a princess to go in her room!

Bulletin Board for Jack. . my little brother!  I ended up painting the cork board with chalkboard paint!

Classroom sign

Painting for our kitchen.

Classroom sign

A piece of plywood I painted and turned into a headboard.

Classroom sign

Classroom sign

Made for a sweet girl's bedroom.

Recently, we have created a few things for our home. . we have painted a rug, a table, and built/painted another table: Finally. . in so many ways! We also just spent the weekend sanding and painting a dresser to turn it into an entertainment center: Making it a home.  We are pretty proud of the dresser project!

I had a wonderful friend back home ask if I could paint her a sign for her classroom.  She was really the inspiration for getting my paints back out and loved her idea of a racing theme!  It is so unique! At least I had never heard of it before.  This is what I came up with for her 1st grade classroom:

 I can't wait to see a picture of it hanging next to her door or in her classroom!  I will be shipping it to her this week just in time for the new school year!

Now on to the home. . .

We have such a hard time picking out pictures for our home.  Ryan and I tend to agree to disagree on many decorations.  That is when I decided to buy a canvas and a few frames to create something for our home.  Ryan actually picked out the frames. . he really liked the wooden rustic look of them. . .and I did too!  :) 

Hello sunshine. . my only. . .

I have also started creating wreaths for our door!  I don't know about you, but it creates such a welcoming/happy feeling when you come home and you are "greeted" by something fun and creative hanging on your door!  It is your personal stamp on your home!

The wooden R is from our wedding! Our "everyday" wreath.

Our Halloween wreath!  A favorite for sure!

We are know trying to decide on a painting for our living room to hang near our new entertainment center!  We got the wooden/rustic frames to use in the living room also!  Can't wait to share with you our end result!

Until next time. . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Making it a home

After being together for 4 1/2 years, I do believe I have finally rubbed off on Ryan just a little bit. ;)  Since we both have weekends off, we are constantly searching for the next project to spruce up our new home!  I love that Ryan wants to join in and help with the DIY projects!  You can see a few of our other projects in the post: Finally. . .in so many ways!  

This weekend we decided to become yard sale gurus and find a new piece of furniture.  We wanted to create an entertainment center using a dresser.  We found "the" piece on our first stop right down the road!  I was one happy camper!  

We really weren't sure what kind of challenge was ahead of us. . but it ended up being easier and quicker than what we thought!  And to top it off, we only had to take one trip to Home Depot (unlike other projects where we make multiple trips)!

The dresser to entertainment center conversion:

Cleaning and sanding!

Ryan putting the back of the dresser on. . oh wait. . entertainment center.  A little wood glue and nails.

After working all day and becoming covered in dust and paint. . we had our finished product!! We LOVE it!

The new and improved piece!

It is all coming together!

We are so proud of the result! We have already enjoyed a movie on the new display.  Next: creating a new painting for above the red chair!

Until next time. . .

~Elizabeth and Ryan~

Tisk, Tisk. . . or is it Tsk, Tsk? ;)

I think we are WELL overdue for a blog update!  A month!?  Really!? I thought it had only been two weeks!  Time has flown by since a lot of amazing things have happened! 

But let me update with you with the fabulous past year Ryan and I have had so far:

1. July 14, 2011:   Engaged!!  

2. July 15: Ryan took me on an amazing vacation to celebrate our engagement.  We went to Tampa/St. Petersburg, Florida to visit our old stomping grounds and go to a Tampa Bay Rays game.  We then scurried off to Disney World for a few days!

Tampa Bay Rays game

Tropicana Field

Islands of Adventure. . . Universal

Disney World! :)

  3. Then I had the (what some said was easy) AWFUL gall bladder surgery.  Gallstones, gangrenous gall bladder. . it was time for it to come out!

Lovely, isn't it??  Right after coming out of surgery.  I was feeling pretty good at this point! ;)

4. Ryan got an amazing job!  But, that meant he moved from Myrtle Beach to Nashville!  So proud of him!

One of my many visits to Nashville.

And one of Ryan's many visits to Myrtle Beach. . on the Sky Wheel!

5. My Dad BEAT cancer!!!!  Went through 6 months of chemo. . but he did it!!

6.  Ryan and I got married. . you may now call me Mrs. Elizabeth Rishel. What an AMAZING day!!!

My handsome husband!!!

So excited!

I have never felt more beautiful.  This was the day I became forever his!

Someone else was excited too! ;)

I surprised Ryan before the ceremony!  What an AMAZING memory, experience, and the emotional aspect will be forever cherished!

7.  I finished another school year teaching! 

The 100th day of school!

The amazing K team I taught with!

Amazing co-workers at our wedding!

The AMAZING best friend, Emily, I gained from my teaching career in SC!!

8.  Moved to Nashville!! 

Our new home!  Made the wreath and added the "R" that was used in our wedding!

First weekend here. . .Mexican with Kayla and Dan!

9. My dad beat ANOTHER cancer scare!! :) :) :) The Thompson family is tough. . and blessed. . .and thankful!!

My brothers, Lake and Phillip, and my dad! :)

10.  And finally. . I took a new career path!!  I struggled for a few weeks on this decision as to what others would tell me to do and what I wanted for myself.  Finally made that courageous step into a new direction and unknown territory!  I am now a paralegal for a law firm in Nashville. . and crossing fingers on an opportunity to work with a wedding/event planning business part time here soon! Amazing what happens when you make a decision for yourself. . and how happy you become!

First day of a new career. . time to rock and roll! :)

Until next time. . . 

~Elizabeth and Ryan~