My First Blog Award!

I want to send a special Thank You out to Amber at The Daily Dose!!!!!  She gave me my very first blog award!!!!!  Amber and I have been friends for several years and after talking one night about how much we enjoyed other peoples' blogs, we confessed to each other that we had each created our own.  =)  I have been reading her blog ever since, and it's full of all the fun that she and her husband are having getting ready for their first child.  You should head on over and check her out!

Now on to the award...the rules are to link back to and thank the person who gave you the award, list 7 things about yourself, and nominate 15 other bloggers (since I haven't been blogging very long, I think I'll just stick with 5, because like Amber, I think 15 is a lot!). Now on to the good stuff! 

• I received my bachelor's and master's degrees in accounting from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (GO VOLS!!!!!), and have been working as a tax accountant ever since.  In 2007, I FINALLY passed the CPA exam.  It was the biggest load lifted, and I have actually been able to enjoy life A LOT more ever since!
• I am the slowest reader ever!!!!  I mean, seriously, I started a book the first week in July and I am still trying to finish it.  I love it and it's a great book, but I just never seem to find time to read.  I usually end up reading a few pages every night and then eventually I read the whole thing...although, I must confess that many times I never finish a lot of the books I start.
• I met my beau playing on a kickball team...actually, now that I think about it, I have Amber to thank for that set up, too.  She and one of her guy friends (Mickey) decided 2 1/2 years ago that they wanted to play kickball with Nashville Sports Leagues.  Amber said she could bring the girls, and Mickey said he could bring the guys.  Well, wouldn't you know it...a few short months later, and Patrick and I were dating!  The way we met is probably very fitting for our relationship since it seems that no matter what we are doing, it's all about having fun!
• Most of you remember from this post that I was in my friend Andi's wedding a couple of weekends ago.  Well, this past weekend, I attended my friend Andrea's wedding (yes, some people also call her Andi...very confusing, I know).  Because I knew that Andrea's wedding would be kind of dressy and also because I LOVED the dress I wore in Andi's wedding, I contacted my seamstress (C. Johnson Alterations...she is FABULOUS) and asked if there was any way she had time to cut the bridemaid's dress to be "above the knee."  She definitely came through and altered the dress in less than 48 hours.  Take a look at the before and after pics...the finished product was an awesome black cocktail dress, and I only paid $35 for it!  AH-MAZING!!! 

Before Pic (Andi's Wedding)

After Pic (Andrea's Wedding)...BTW, doesn't Kat look pretty?  She was a Bridesmaid in Andrea's wedding!

A pic of the girls with the beautiful bride!

• I love to cook...although, I have never really considered myself very GOOD at it (I'm much better at baking), I still love to do it...I find it so relaxing. Tonight (even though I only had myself to cook for because my beau is still out of town) I decided that I wanted to try a recipe from my favorite cooking magazine.  I made Cheeseburger Chowder (yes, I realize it's 90 degrees outside and way too early for soup, but it sounded soooooo delicious!), and it did not disappoint!  Here are a few pics:

My Yummy Dinner!

• I am addicted to caffeine...no, really, a lot of people say that, but I really mean it...I get these really bad headaches that sneak up on me, and once I have one, it's all over...the only thing that can make it go away is to go to bed.  Yes, this is terrible and I really need to ween myself off soft drinks...however, it's just so hard...No, I'm not proud, but at least we get free soft drinks at work, right?  =)
• Last but not least, I secretly wish that I could make money being a back up dancer for Justin Timberlake...Most people think I'm joking when I say this, but I have to admit that I'm a little bit serious.  I saw him in concert 2-3 years ago, and it was absolutely the coolest thing I have ever watched...to be able to dance on stage while he performs would be the best job EVER!!!!!

Shew, that was a lot of work!  =)  Well now time for me to pass the award on to others, so here goes:

Going Places -- This blog is all about Brittney!  She is a 20 something who just made a big cross country move!  She is also the lady who did such a fabulous job designing my blog!  You should definitely go check her out.

The Survival Guide for the Young, Fabulous, and Newlywed -- Go see what her blog is all about!  She is a fellow accountant.  Like I hope I do, she proves that not all accountants are boring!  Her blog is totally fun!  =)

Justin & Marcie -- I really enjoy her blog!  She talks about several things that I enjoy and in fact, she's the one who I "borrowed" my 101 Things idea from!  Definitely go check her out!  Oh, and she's also a cool accountant...I'm seeing a theme here.  =)

In This Wonderful Life -- Megan is truly an inspiration to me!  She has been through so much in the last few months, but yet, she is finding a way to move forward everyday, a little bit at a time!  If you haven't been reading this blog, you need to.  It is very touching!

Meade Family Blog -- Summer is a friend of a friend, and she has recently become my friend, too.  She's a great girl and in May she became a mother to 3 (yes, I said THREE) boys!  Her blog is full of super cute pictures of her baby boys and is also about the fun she and her husband have raising them!