I can't help myself!

You can find love in Auburn!

House Divided

So, it's that wonderful time of year again! Time for cooler weather and college football! We are a house divided, Patrick for AUbarn and Alison for the 2009 National Champions, the University of Alabama! Both teams have gotten off to a good start...4 wins, so hopefully, they can keep it up!
So, since I have not been a good blogger...a little catching up to do.

Patrick's sister had her baby on July 28th. Bryleigh was 8 lbs and 3 oz and 22 inches long. We went to Atlanta the weekend after she was born to visit.






Her hair has already started to lighten...we think she's going to be a red-head like her mom. But, that's the only part of Kelly she got!

We also went to the George Strait and Reba McEntire concert here in Birmingham. It was so much fun, and Patrick was able to get us great seats!

And a picture of a flag like the one in our front yard...(this isn't our actual flag because it is a little faded!)

Maybe we can make it another year through the Iron Bowl! ROLL TIDE!!!

Playing Catch

Up! So, like most people this time of year, we are having to come back and try to catch up on everything that's been going on lately. I'm getting settled in with my new job, and I LOVE it! Anyway, first up...

Kelly's Baby Shower!

Amanda's Baby Shower!


And Jon's little brother also got engaged that day! Congratulations Kacey and Mark!


That Monday, Patrick and I headed to the beach. I got to spend my birthday headed to the coast! I had to work a little that week, but we got to stay in a sweet suite!

Next up....Jonathan DeWitt Harbison, Jr.! He was born on July 6th. He weighed 9 lbs 12 oz! Mom did a great job!


Since I just started my new job and don't have vacation days built up yet, and since I had a seminar in Mobile the Tuesday after our anniversary, we headed down a little early on Sunday. We ate at Felix's and it was fabulous! Much better than the Original Oyster House, which is where we went on Monday night. When we got back to the hotel, we ate some of the top layer of our wedding cake. I still thought it was awesome! But, I do love bakery cake...and I had been eating on the other cake leftovers this whole year!


Wow, I looked sleepy! Oh, and we took a few hundred pictures learning how to use the tripod and remote that I got with the camera! It works really great! Now Dad or Clint doesn't have to kill themselves trying to get back in the picture at Christmas!

Since I felt bad that we couldn't go somewhere great and wonderful for such a milestone anniversary...I let Patrick plan the day on Monday. We intended to go to an alligator farm, but the feeding times didn't work out so well with our other activities. Yes, he wanted to go during feeding time! It didn't hurt my feelings that we had to miss that one! So, we headed to the U.S.S. Alabama! I had been a long time ago, so it was neat to go back now that I'm older and can appreciate it a little more. Patrick was like a kid in a candy store! He loved it! But surprisingly, after the 5 hours we spent there, he actually said that now that he's gone through it, he never has to do that again! Surprised...but thankful! Everyone needs to go once, but DO NOT go during JULY!


Wow...that was long! Ok, so we are going to do a better job of keeping this up to date. And congratulations to Patrick's sister, Kelly, and her husband. Bryleigh Grace Brock was born last night around 7:30 EST. She weighed 8 lbs 3 oz and was 22 inches long! We're going to see her this weekend, so I'll do a post on her a little later! Have a great weekend!!!

Changes are comin'....

So, I have been looking forward to this day for a while, but then again, didn't think it would ever happen. In the next few days I will be making my transition from public accounting to the private sector. I will be starting with a local credit union as their CFO. I will focus mainly on compliance and slowly transition into taking over all of the CFO duties, as well. I am so excited about working in a credit union, as this was one of my top two favorite industries to work with while I was doing audit work! Another fantastic thing about this job....banking holidays! And NO TAX SEASON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think Patrick is secretly pretty pumped about that little perk! The past month has definitely been a roller coaster ride, with the lowest of lows, and the highest of highs, but I'm looking forward to this new adventure!

And since no post should be without a picture....

My Dad and nephew at my cousin's wedding. He looks like a little grown up man! Happy Anniversary to his parents, who will have been married five years tomorrow! I cannot believe it has been that long already!

Really......?

So, at my software job, because we don't trust the banks that we work with to know what we are talking about when it comes to our programs, we have our own remote system where we can go in through the Internet and take control of their computer so they don't have to do anything but put in a web address. That being said, on Thursday, I had a bank call and ask me to remote into one of the teller machines to check a problem they were having. I actually had to call the teller who was having the problem and then proceeded to ask her if she had Internet access on that machine, to which she replied, "whats that?". Really...? Now granted, this is better than the the little old lady at one bank who, when I told her to point and click to get to our software, she picked up the mouse and literally pointed it at the monitor and was clicking furiously trying to make it work (by that time her pointer was off in the corner of the screen not really sure what to do).
Let that sink in a bit....
This is a bank, people, the ones that we trust with our money, and she doesn't know how to get on on-line on her computer....
makes me want to go bury my money in the back yard.

FREEDOM!!!

So, we made it past April 15th!!!! I hope everyone filed their taxes on time! My firm closes on the Friday after the 15th, so Patrick took off and we took it easy, ran some errands, and enjoyed being off together. Then I took a day to myself on Monday. Now it's back to the grind, just not nearly as many hours! Time to get to planning a baby shower for Patrick's sister, get my gift ready for my best friend's baby shower, my cousin's wedding this weekend, and some much needed catching up this summer on everything that I need to get done! Hopefully, I will actually get to enjoy some of my Friday's off this summer! Corley, Peyton and I will be doing a lot of this....

Easter 2010

We do a lot of Easter celebrating! We usually head to Cullman for the Easter vigil service at Sacred Heart...which is 3 hours long! It's really neat because we all have candles, and then 7 scriptures are read, pretty much in the dark. The service is very special and intimate. After mass, it's off to Denny's (where we saw prom-goers from one of the area schools! Wow! Prom dresses have changed a lot in 10 years!) Then it's on to Albertville the next morning for church with my family and then Easter egg hunting! This year it was at Pops & Nana's house (my Mom's parents). At one point Lilly started pouting because she was hiding eggs for Pam and Holly, and Zoe kept picking up all of the eggs. I wish I had a picture of her on the storm pit. But, if you look at the very end, I did find a picture of my pouting incident when all of the boys found the prize eggs, and I never got one...Here are just a few of the pictures we took.

And the picture you've all been waiting for...

Dad was giving me the "the prize egg is not what Easter is all about. Now dry up and get out there and have fun!" speech. Glad we don't have to have many of those anymore!

Have you ever heard the saying, "let sleeping dogs lie." If we did that, I don't think she would ever get up...?

The last 3 1/2 years...

So, It's been 3 1/2 years since Patrick and I met. Now I have a very best friend that I get to spend the rest of my life with. Here is a very BRIEF recap of July 11, 2009...the best day of our lives!


Mr. & Mrs. Patrick Cooke

The Cook Family

The Cooke Family

Love this picture of the guys!

The girls

The First Dance

My Mom, her sister (who did the big arrangement at the reception) and me

LOVED my candy buffet!

Highly, highly recommend B&A Warehouse for a reception! The food was awesome! And Stacey is great to work with!!!

The Bling!

So sad it's over...but off to MEXICO!

The Definition of Torture....

You're Catholic... it's a Friday during Lent..... and you're mission is to pick up 200+ pounds of fresh steaks, roasts, and ground beef and bring it home. Think I'll go to hell if I just lick one of the T-Bones?