I am a blog neglector!

So, I guess this has been a busy summer!  I have definitely neglected my blog responsibilities, but I'm not thinking too many people (if any) read this, so I think it will be o.k., but for my own references I'm going to try to do better!

All is well with us, just as I said earlier, just really busy, but busy is good!!  We are continuing to go to the Lake any and every opportunity comes about!! Brett and I were looking at the calender the other day and reazlized we don't even have an 'open' weekend before football season starts the first weekend in September-- but this is fine with me!  Some good friends of ours are getting married next month in Tuscaloosa so we have all of their wedding festivities beginning now, along with some of our own starting to pop up!  It's so much fun to get to do all of these things with close friends.  Having busy weekends is fun too give something to look forward to, as well as keep the time passing till December ;)

Wedding plans are going smoothly, 5 months to go, and I still just can't wait!!

That's about all I have now.. Here are some pics of our life recently!

Favorite weekend activity!

So our new favorite thing to do these days is head out to Lake Tuscaloosa!! We are blessed with amazing friends that have boats, and don't mind us taggin along any time we can! It is so peaceful out there and it is always a day filled with great fellowship among great friends. These pictures were taking several weeks ago, and on a day I didn't make it on the boat but watched from the side instead.. which was great too!!!

Brett and Andrew... Brett's "Little Buddy"

I could just sit and watch this beautiful sight everyday! We have an amazing God!!This is Andrew about to wakeboard.. Brett has also gotten really into wakeboarding also.. I haven't made it out on the water yet this year, and I'm sure Brett has surpassed all of the few skills I had (or thought I had!)

"their" hand shake.. these two are tight!

many great days have spent out at lake Tuscaloosa already this summer, looking forward to many more!!

Waterford Crystal?????

Ha! I have to say, that I am very partial to Waterford Crystal.. this would come from my grandmother (and later mother) giving me a Waterford Crystal Christmas ornament every year from the time I was born until this past Christmas when I was given my whole collection. I'm guessing now I'm on my own to continue the tradition, which I plan on doing. I'm sure my facination with Waterford is of course due to all peices being very beautiful along with the connection between my name Crystal Waters, and Waterford Crystal- I know I'm a goof!



Anyway.. Brett and I have slowly been registering for things, and we have talked about our china and Crystal. My grandmother has given me her fine china, which is extremely nice and still has 10 place settings, so I think we are going to stick with that. As far as the Crystal goes.. I just can't see registering for the good Waterford peices that I know we wouldn't use, so I just told Brett we'd do glasses that were less extravagant that we'd more likely use.. He, in return gives me one of those are you crazy looks.. I ask him what's the look for and he says, "Why on Earth would we register for any glasses, we have all the glasses we will ever need, and ones we can replace anytime for really cheap".....

Oh, yes.. We have all the Newks and Stadium cups that we will EVER need!!!

He makes me laugh.. but in so many ways, he is so very right!

My favorite time of year..

Well.. kind of! My favorite season would have to be the late fall/winter.. I love jackets, fireplaces, heated seats, and of course football season, and Christmas is my favorite holiday.. Buttt SUMMER in TUSCALOOSA is my favorite time.. It's the quiet before the storm of crazy Bama fans coming in September and all the traffic of students back in routines. It's nice to be able to go across campus without having to worry about cars and people everywhere.. It's nice to go to Target without being crazy busy with people moving back into town.. it's just nice :) of course by mid August I'll be ready for all the hustle and bustle to return.. but for now, I'm going to enjoy quicker quieter trips around town and on campus and just enjoying this town that I have come to LOVE without all the extra people!

Lately

I have to say I have had a very uneventful life recently-- which is FINE with me!! Life is good, and I am blessed, so I don't really need anything else! Brett is finishing up with another semester of school.. one more down, hopefully this time next year he'll be done, if not very shortly after- I know the boy is ready to be done with school! We are both looking forward to a great summer, no plans have been made, but just a good one with friends and family. When I started this blog I stated it would more than likely be very boring! Hopefully I'll have something exciting to write about soon!!

Not sure if this is ok...

So I am not sure if this a ‘correct’ blog for me.. you’ll see why as you read along.

There is a group that Brett belongs to here in Tuscaloosa, called The Sons of Thunder, and wow the things it has done. I, of course, have never been to one of there gatherings for it is all for men, but I know the effects it has had. Brett started going about a year ago at St. Marks here in town and since then a chapter(??) has been formed at University Church, where we attend. I don’t know what goes on behind those closed doors, but I know in the past year Brett’s faith and out reach has grown tremendously. Yes, there have been many other factors in our life of recently that have changed us for the better, but it’s almost like it all began there. A year ago Brett and I weren’t even a couple, and we were both struggling spiritually, but praise God that we are back on the narrow path. I bring up the Sons of Thunder because of a retreat they are having this weekend here in Tuscaloosa. Nikita Koloff & Lex Lugar will be the speakers, which means nothing to me because growing up I wasn’t allowed to watch wrestling with the boys, but apparently they are a pretty big deal—or so my older brother says! If any of you read this blog and have a male in mind that would get something out of this and are in the Tuscaloosa area you should check it out www.thesonsofthunder.net

I say I am not sure if I should blog about this, because I am not in the group, but again I just know the impact it has had. Brett is someone that, I have already said, is very giving of his time and energy but is also very quiet in all that he does. He never does anything to merely receive a compliment—except for maybe the way he dresses, he get’s pretty excited and proud of that! Throughout him being involved in this ministry he has reached out to others inviting them to the group, lunch, setting up prayer meetings—all wonderful things that he has always been capable of, and has done with close friends and family, but he now reaches outside of his comfort zones and asks the hard questions to those he would normally just hit the gym or eat lunch with. This is so encouraging to me and I know he will be a wonderful spiritual leader of our family.

B/C it's my favorite story to tell...

So all the people that follow this blog know this story, but it's still my favorite, and I just felt like reflecting on it today :) My favorite story of course being.. My proposal!

Brett was eating dinner in the Zone for a golf tournament he was playing in, and I was with Glisa and Tesney (and Clayton) having dinner for Glisa's birthday. Their husbands were at the same dinner Brett was at, so it all worked out perfectly. Glisa and I had been talking about having them go up to the stadium to take a family picture possibly for their Christmas cards. We had been talking about it for a while, because I worked up at the stadium at the time and thought that I could plan it out on a Sunday afternoon for us to go. During dinner Glisa and Tesney told me that the guys had worked it out that they could take their picture that night since everyone was already dressed nice and all there. I wasn't so sure about that because I knew they had just painted the feild for that up coming Saturday's home game vs. MSU, but I said sure we can try. After we had eaten dinner we got some coffee and they guys called us to come over to the stadium, so off we went. We met with they guys up front and just walked in like we owned the place.. I, however, was slightly scared.. I knew how particular they were about that field was afraid I was going to get caught out there and get fired from my job! The boys said that only rule was to stay off the paint! So we started taking the pictues! The Davis' took theirs, and then the Boykin's.. then I looked to Brett and asked him to take on with me, he of course groaned a little bit and said, "Crystal we have like 100 pictures here at the stadium" I replied, "Not ON the field!!" So he laughed and then smiled...

He then said we should take on more from another angle.. I smiled, and he dropped to his knee and asked me to marry him :) I stood there with my mouth opened, and he simply said.. well?? haha, I was just so excited and surprised I couldn't even speak, it was amazing!

I was very very excited, and so proud!After he asked me I heard cheering from people that were at the banquet and then he pointed up and showed me his family in the stands and my grandmother.. that made the night! Having the Boykin's, Davis', and our family there was the icing on the cake!

Our 'children'. Little do these children know that they have been role models for us, and that there opinions and thoughts on us help us strive to be better!

My grandmother.. this reminds me that I'll have to blog on how wonderful I think this lady is very soon :)

Glisa and Tesney.. 2 very great friends that help me everyday!

Just thinkback on this night makes me smile as I sit and type it!! Once again I remember how truly blessed I am!

One lucky girl!

Well I should really say BLESSED! Because that’s what I am.. This post will be a tribute to my best friend and love of my life, Brett, sorry if that makes some of you nauseous, but it won’t be too oooey gooey ;)

Yesterday I realized, yet again, how blessed I am to have him in my life and to soon have him as my husband (8 months from Sunday to be exact, but who’s counting—HA!!). Yesterday he helped my old boss Charles up at the stadium with some things to prepare for Saturday’s A-Day game. It wasn’t anything too hard just putting an awning together, which is something he enjoys doing. He loves building things and putting stuff together. But this was something he did as a favor and something he did for me when he could have been at the golf course or anywhere really. After that he came up to the CDRC, where I currently work, to meet me. We were having a family picnic at work and all the families came with a potluck dish, and it was a great success I thought. There was a lot of work put into it, and it all went so smoothly. I ask Brett to come up here so he could eat as well as seeing where I now work and meeting some of the people I am with everyday. He came right over after he finished helping at the stadium. He ate, and then right back to work putting tables and chairs up from the picnic! Again another job he didn’t sign up to do, he just did because he is that kind of guy. It was a very easy job, the hard parts had already been done, but I was still so happy to see how he helped, no questions asked! There have been many days when he has come to my rescue and helped me with things at work or at home, and I am very appreciative!
He is always ready to help someone, no matter what it is. Putting up tables and chairs, yard work, moving furniture, transporting things, playing with children.. just all sorts of things! He always does it with a smile too, never grumbling about what he has to do, just doing it because he can and wants to help someone that needs it. He has such a huge heart and is very considerate of what others may need. He’s a pretty great guy, and this is just one of his many great characteristics. His greatest would have to be his always growing faith, and his ability to push me to be a better person and child of God… sometimes I forget how blessed I am with him, and through ups and downs I am so glad he and I are where we are today.. Thank you Brett, I love you!

Happy Easter

What a great Easter weekend we had! We got to spend a long weekend in Fort Deposit with friends and family.. something we haven't done in quite a while! Brett was so excited to get to go home and play golf at his home course-- as he likes to call it! And I'm glad for him. He said when we were deciding to go home that rain or shine, hot or cold, allergy problems or not, he was most definitley playing golf as much as he could over the weekend.. And he did, and had fun. That makes me happy. Golf is one of his loves, and he hasn't had much time to play the past 9 months with school, so I'm very glad he got to, along with spending time on the course with his dad and other golfing buddies.

Now, for the girls.. sadly I wasn't very productive! Mrs. Sharon, Ashley, and I ventured to Montgomery Friday to go to Sams, with a few stops here and there. A great day though, I always love days like that with the girls, reminds me of when I was little and I would go off running erronds with my mother. It's so nice to have the feeling of belonging to a family. Saturday there was a lot of lounging going on! I only wish I had made it out to the pool so I could at least say that I achieved a tan instead of staying inside and acheiving, well.. rest!?!

Sunday was filled with great fellowship. It was very nice to be home for church as well. We absolutely LOVE church here at University Church of Christ and get so much out of it, it truly is amazing. We are blessed with a wonderful preacher and amazing church family!!! But there is something about being 'home' and sitting on a pew filled with family and hearing a good back home lesson on such a special day such as Easter that is worth so much. It was great seeing old friends and family all at the same place.

                   

And then, there was Easter dinner.. WOW!! As always, it was so good! Everything home made from scratch, nothing else will ever be expected out of Mrs. Sharon's kitchen! It's a very good thing that Brett knows that the shoes of Mrs. Sharon's full blown amazingly delicious spreads of family dinner will never be filled by me! I can imitate pretty good, but she definitley has a way in the kitchen! From dinner to dessert it was all delicious.. roast, 'crumby' chicken, cream corn, 'real' green beans, lima beans, potato casserole, pineapple casserole, broccoli salad, fruit salad.. homemade (duh) apple pie, bannana pudding, and red velvet cake.. mmm, my mouth is watering again! Thank you Mrs. Sharon, once again, for such an amazing dinner! The rest of the afternoon consisted of the Masters and spending time with family, such a great day.

It was great to reflect on how blessed I am for a God to send his son only to die for me. And He has truly blessed me with such amazing friends and family.. Thank you God!

New Around

Well I am very new to this, but enjoy so much reading others posts.  I love keeping up with what's going on with friends, as well as laughing at the antics of so many.  My life isn't nearly as exciting as many others on here, but I thought this would be a good resource of staying in touch, venting frustrations, giving praise to others, asking for help, and every now and again the exciting/humorous things of my life!  This will mostly be a good recollection for myself of the happenings of my life and to help in reminding me of the important things in life :)

Enjoy!