OOPS!

Yesterday I committed one of the most stupid acts of humankind that has ever happened on this earth (or at least that's how it made me feel).  I had plans to meet my girlfriend Kelly for lunch yesterday.  Chris was outside doing some yardwork when I gave him a quick goodbye kiss and got into my car.  I turn on the ignition, reverse out of the driveway, and right as I began to turn my head (before getting to the street) to make sure no one was coming . . . CRASH!  I mean a BIG crash!  I slammed right into Chris' truck!  He had parked the truck in front of the driveway so he could mow and edge around the street (where he usually parks his truck).  Never once did I see a shiny red vehicle sitting at the edge of my driveway!  I was horrified!  The glass on the rear window shattered into a million little pieces, my bumper and tail light were broken, and the side of Chris' (work) truck was bashed in!  We took pictures but I'm too horrified to show them!  As usual, Chris was as cool as a cucumber . . . probably b/c he could see that I was freaking out enough for the both of us!  He called our insurace and immediately took care of the problem at hand.  What a great man!  He kept telling me that it was no big deal and that's exactly why we have insurance :)  So tomorrow they're sending someone over to fix my rear window and on Monday we're taking it to the dealership to be fixed and picking up our rental.  Since Chris' truck is registered under Granite Contracting, our insurance will deal directly with them to get his truck fixed.  Looks like they'll have to replace his passenger side door.  Chris told me (after reviewing the damage) that it could have been a lot worse!  Fortunately, the things that have to be fixed on both our cars are rather minor and there was very little actual body damage done.  We have a low deductible so it'll only cost us $250 to fix both cars.  Thank the good Lord for GEICO!  It's times like these when I'm SO thankful for what they do for me!

(PS - that's strike 2 against Melody: first I wash Chris' work phone (a Blackberry of all things) and then I crash into his work vehicle . . . at this point, Granite might be looking for a reason to fire my husband since I am such a casualty to them!)

Stikeleather/Herman Christmas (Harrell Side of the Family)

Harrell Christmas 2009

Because both our families do not live near us, we always have to travel for the holidays. Therefore, we have our Christmas on the morning of Chrismas Eve. We wake up bright and early to enjoy some Harrell family Christmas tradition. I bake the sausage pinwheels and put on a pot of coffee. Slowly I start to wake up the sleeping beast (lol).   Once we all get downstairs, we enjoy our breakfast while we unwrap our stockings. Then we proceed on to the gifts under the tree. Ever since our first Christmas together (6 years ago), we set a budget for each other and I'm proud to say that through the years (through good times and bad) we have continued to stick to it! Christmas is not about how much money we can spend (even though it's on someone else), but it is (in part) about sharing something nice with the people you love and blessing them with gifts that they wait all year for :) Because this last year was a little different for us (since i was unemployed), we decided to make something special for our family members this year. I can't post what we made for the Strong family (yet) b/c they read my blog daily :) But here's what we did for the Stikeleather side of the family. We went to the Pottery Place and painted a piece of pottery for them! When weighing our options, we liked this idea the most b/c this was a gift that would take some effort and thought and required our time and personal attention. It wasn't something we just went out and bought at a store (that could likely be in next years Goodwill pile).

Chris painted a large platter for his parents:

And I painted a square bowl for his sister and brother-in-law:

They're not perfect by any means, but it's the little imperfections that give them character :) We were very pleaseed with how they turned out . . . hopefully they will be as well :)

Here are some pics from our Christmas morning together:

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT! :)

Bank of America: Day One

WHOA!  I am completely in awe of this company!  I have never been so impressed with an institution in all my life!  Today was "Day 1 - Training" at the Bank.  I learned all about the history, core values, code of conduct, benefits, etc.  I even did a little role playing :)  I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity.  Not only is it a bad job market these days, but I also learned today that on average there are over 2 million applicants trying to land a position at the Bank EACH YEAR!  Praise the Lord I am now one of them who has successfully sealed my place in the Company.  Some of the cool perks I learned about today include:

• the Bank will provide up to $240 each month (per child) for childcare
• the Bank will reimburse 50% of my commuting costs (bus passes)
• the Bank will provide professional, confidential counseling at no cost to the employee
• as associates of the Bank, we are privy to cooperating vendor discounts (ex. ANY kind of shopping!)
• the Bank will reimburse up to $5,250 per year in education advancement
• MAJOR savings and opportunities through the Associate Banking program
• Employees are allowed to spend 2 (paid) hours a week volunteering within the community.  In addition, the Bank will match donations to various community programs up to $5,000.

Clearly, this company is one of the "good ones" :)  Their basic motto is "Do the right thing!"  This is how they run their business.  I don't know about you, but that sounds like a place where I want to invest my time, efforts . . . and money :)

Christmas Cards

 . . . have FINALLY been ordered!  Coming to a mailbox near you :)

Christmas Decorations: Phase 2

The rest of the decorating is complete (minus the most important decoration - the tree!) :)

Christmas Decorating: Phase 1

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  We have to decorate our house in phases b/c we're never home long enough to get it all done in one sitting :)  The first thing to decorate is always the mantel.  There's just something about a perfectly decorated fireplace mantel that sets the tone for all other home decoration :)  We've made great improvements to our mantel since last year!  The 2009 version is one we're going to stick with for quite some time (b/c of how much it cost to look that way - even at 50% off)!  We may change it up a little bit from year to year, but there will be no more purchasing new decorations!  I know it seems like a silly waste of money, especially in these times, but it's one of my few delights and hobbies that I get to enjoy as the seasons and holidays roll in each year.

2008 Christmas Mantel (sorry the pic is so dark)

2009 Christmas Mantel:

Welcome to our home!  We wish everyone a bright and merry holiday season!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello!  We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and friends!  Chris and I had a great holiday.  We split the time between both families in Mebane and Asheville.  We had a blast hanging out with our nieces and nephews . . . oh what fun they can be!!!  We even started a new tradition between the Harrell's and the Vuycankiat's (my sister's family) - each year we will build and decorate a gingerbread house together!  We had such fun trying our hand at it for the first time this year!  Each year we rent a cabin in the mountains for the week/weekend of Thanksgiving.  The whole family comes together for this event - it's a most treasured tradition in our family!  This year we found a beautiful cabin right outside of Asheville (in Fairview).  The property was so beautiful and it came with a waterfall, Koi pond, chickens (and fresh eggs), horses, an outdoor stone firepit/gazebo area, hot tub, etc.  There were many things to keep us occupied while there :)  We also visited downtown Asheville and the Grove Park Inn (where the National Gingerbread House Competition was on display)!  We had a wonderful time spending time together and eating WAY too much food!  We're extremely thankful for the opportunity to do this every year :)  Enjoy our vacation pictures below!

One Door Closes as Another Opens

I finally have a job!!!  I have accepted an offer at Bank of America Corporate Center! I am really excited about this opportunity!  The job, the people, and the company as a whole seem so great . . . we feel strongly that this is exactly where I am meant to be!  What a wonderful blessing it was to take a year "off" and enjoy the aspects of domestic living :)  I've had fun learning what it means to be a good housewife and taking care of the matters of the home.  The Lord really used that time to teach me discipline in my spiritual life and what it means to be a servant (daily).  Hopefully, all of that learning won't fall by the wayside now that I'll be gone 10 hours a day :)  If anything, I have learned the value of cooking/freezing make-ahead meals and preparing in advance for things I know I won't have the time for later (like cooking a homemade meal every night of the week).  The daily chores will have to be pushed to the weekends now . . . but I'm hoping to recruit the help of my husband now that we're both working FT jobs . . . we shall see :) 

I begin my new position on December 7th.  I'll be working in the very heart of Uptown Charlotte ("The Square)" - smack in the middle of everything!  I'm really looking forward to getting back in the swing of things and using that part of my brain that's been sitting on the shelf for the last year - lol!  As I took a step back and reviewed the situation, I found the timing of things to be anything BUT coincidence.  Last year I was laid off the week after Thanksgiving.  This year I began a new job the week after Thanksgiving.  Not only that, but my unemployment extension benefits run out the very same day that my new job begins.  What's more, we have now doubled our income (literally) and automatically have an $8,000 credit  - both very helpful in terms of our adoption!!!  Praise the Lord for HIS impeccable timing and perfect provision!  We are so blessed and grateful!  Thank you all for your continued prayers and encouragement over this last year.  2009 is certainly a year worth remembering :)