2011: Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-CHANGES!!!

This post is a wee bit late but it's better late than never right??  This is my year review for 2011 and since I was MIA for half the year maybe some of it will be sort of exciting?!?! Maybe???  We had a super exciting year with so many changes and full of blessings and I'm happy to finally share the high points with y'all. 

January

We got snow several days of unexpected snow in Birmingham.  That meant days off from work and lots of hang out and cuddly time.

We threw a baby shower for Anna and Lucy Kate!

February

Lucy Kate Rucker made her grand debut into the world on February 17.

All of my best friends from home (minus new mommy Anna) made a weekend trip to Birmingham and what a wild and fun weekend it was.

Megan, Emily, and I went to our favorite cupcake bakery in Birmingham and did Cakes and Cocktails.  We got to drink wine and learn different decorating tips for cakes.  The best part about the night was getting to take our yummy creations home!

March

Jessica, one of my lifelong friends got engaged!!

April

I finished up my year long externship and made it official by getting a JOB.

I traveled to Chicago for a massive Audiology convention and spent one last hoorah with the girls in my class.

May

Ben and I took a awesome vacation to Key West.

I graduated from Southern MIss and officially became Lindsey Piper, AuD.  

We moved to Memphis.  As happy and excited as we were for our what God had waiting for us in Memphis, we were so sad to leave Birmingham and our great friends, Patrick and Megan.

Ben did a complete 180 and changed careers.  He left the newspaper world and began a career at a Budweiser distributorship in north Mississippi.

June

I started my job!  The first week or so was a total blur and super overwhelming but after learning the reins of the practice, I feel right at home and love all the opportunities and challenges it brings my way. 

We traveled to Pickwick to witness the marriage of Jonathan and Amy.

July

We celebrated Ben's 27th birthday

Celebrated the 4th of July at the home of Ben's boss.  It is never a disappointment and this year myself and another wife were runners-up in the Washers tournament.  Pretty legit.

I joined a bunco group. We meet the third weekend of the month. We have dinner, talk, maybe play some bunco, and talk.  Oh, and there are always awesome prizes.  My host month is February, it's coming soon, no pressure to find ridiculously awesome prizes.

Took a trip to Birmingham. We bought a new kitchen table and had a tire blow out on the way home.  It's usually a 3 hour drive from Birmingham to Memphis but I believe this trip took us 7+ hours thanks to there only being on AAA employee in the whole state of Alabama.  Never a dull road trip with us. 

August

We had a bridal shower to honor Jessica.  

We got our season tickets for Ole Miss football!

September

The most wonderful time of the year, Ole Miss football started!! HOTTY TODDY!! While it was definitely a super disappointing season, it was still worth all the hard work and time spent planning our tent.  We absolutely love and cherish our Saturdays spent in the Grove with our Ole Miss family.  

We made an offer on our first house. 

our 2011 Grove tables cape

Grove name. 

signing our counter offer in the Grove. How appropriate.



October

Jessica got married!!  It was a beautiful and sweet weekend and I am so honored that I got to be a part of such a special day.

Ben and I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary.  I can't believe how fast three years have flown by and they have been the best three years of my life.

On Halloween, we closed on our house!!!!!  We did it!  We became homeowners!!  Goodness, it was and is such an exciting thing.  I am so proud of this little place we now call home. 

after we closed. In our hearth room.

November

We moved into our house in mid-November.  3 moves in 2 years.  I am so over moving and so happy to be home.

We celebrated Thanksgiving at my Nana's and also at Ben's sister who lives in Germantown. Ben's parents, grandmother, Mama Jean, and Ben's middle sister Allison and her four children came to town to celebrate the holiday.  We got to meet the newest addition to Ryan and Allison's family, Graham.

I celebrated my 27th birthday on the 27th! Pretty neat!!  We spent the day putting up our Christmas trees.  That night we went to dinner with my family and then Ben and I went to the Orpheum to see White Christmas.  It was a great show and when we walked out that night it was snowing.  

We experienced our first snow in our new home!

we used a Budweiser truck to move. We made friends with the neighbors pretty quickly. :)

our house after our first snow.

December

We had our first annual Griswold Family Christmas with the Pipers.  We asked our guests to dress up like their favorite Christmas Vacation character and boy oh boy our friends did not disappoint.  It was a real nice (in my best cousin Eddie voice) time, Clark.

We hosted Christmas Eve with my family at our house.  Everyone had a wonderful time and we didn't know that Santa had visited our house early and left a Christmas gift, a pool table in our bonus room!!

Kinsley turned 3!!  Can't believe that butterball is now a little chatterbox that loves to paint.

So grateful and humbled by such an amazing year.  Super excited for what 2012 has in store!!

Happy New Year!!