because i need something to blog about.

"You will pay for this picture."

A. Age: 24.

B. Bed size: queen sleigh bed. love it.

C. Chore that you hate: folding/hanging/ironing laundry. i'd rather scrub toilets and floors. and i do so to avoid laundry.

D. Dogs: my parents' furbabies: lily, a mini dachshund; phineaus, a mini dachshund mix.

E. Essential start to your day: going to the bathroom. opening the curtains to let the sunshine in.

F. Favorite color:  purple. red. pink.

G. Gold or silver: gold. i'm sure it will change next season.

H. Height: 5'2"

I. Instruments: the marimba. and all things you hit with a mallet that looks like a piano.

J. Job title: assistant general manager of the #1 hotel in town.

K. Kids: nope.

L. Live: south Mississippi.

M. Mother's name: Terry. she rocks my socks off.

N. Nicknames: lyd. lydja. lydster. cappuccino.

O. Overnight hospital stays: none for me. i've stayed with other peeps though.

P. Pet peeve: incorrect punctuation.

Q. Quote from a movie: "Life's a banquet, and most people are starving to death!" Name that movie.

R. Right or left handed: right.

S. Siblings: 2 sisters.

T. Time you wake up: depends on the work schedule. lately it's been in the 7-o-clock hour.

U. Underwear: every day, y'all.

V. Vegetable you hate: brussel sprouts.

W. What makes you run late: talking myself into just 5 more minutes of sleep that i don't really need.

X. X-rays you've had: only ones of my teeth. 

Y. Yummy food that you make: everything. haha! i made a killer pecan pie last week.

Z. Zoo animal: i saw a white alligator at the New Orleans Aquarium this weekend. it was wicked.

FREE COFFE{Y}

My friend and fellow W alum, Elysa, is having a giveaway on her blog for FREE coffee!! Check out her blog to enter. You have 2 hours and 45 minutes to enter and WIN!!!

Lydia and Elysa

Four years ago.

Happy Anniversary, Love. ;)

Miscellany Monday.

1. Pray for Jared…he's spending a few days at TSUN. ;)

2. Don't know what TSUN stands for? The School Up North. 

3. We've lived in our apartment for 17 months and still have not put artwork on the walls.  I'll add that to my ever growing list of things to do. Or beg Jared to do it.

4. I think my tendonitis is acting up. And it's worse than ever. :( 

5. I started week three of the Couch to 5K training plan today. YAY!! I ran for 3 minutes straight, not once, but twice! The longest I've run in about 5 years. Ouch. 

Five Question Friday {on Saturday}.

1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?

Hahahahahaaa!!! No. Except for when we're both on days. Which is every other month, but even then I could be nights and Jared be on days. We do go to bed at the same time when we can. If we can't, we can't. No biggie.
2. A question for the ladies....Do you like facial hair on your man?

When I first met Jared, he had a goatee. And he looked good with a goatee, if I do say so myself. But when he went to the police academy, he shaved it off and it hasn't made an appearance since. When kissing him, I prefer no facial hair though. :)

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?

I don't think I've experienced a bad vacation. I've been on trips where bad things could have been better, but never a bad vacation altogether. Traveling to Washington DC/New York via charter bus with a million middle schoolers was rough. (Did I mention I was one of them? lol) Then there was the beach trip where it rained all day, every day so we cut the trip short.

4.What's the first ever blog you followed?

Probably Funk Junk Donna and Miss Mustard Seed. I love them both!!

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?

Does a one-legged duck swim in a circle?! In other words...YES! I love amusement parks!

 

VIP.

Our hotel had the pleasure of hosting Laura Bush and her entourage while she was in Hattiesburg speaking at a Spirit of Women event.

Now we are used to hosting VIPs…we just had Jim Kelly at our hotel the week before Laura. (Don't know who Jim Kelly is? Me either, until I asked!) We've also had Morgan Freeman, Adalius Thomas, Deuce McAlister, and the entire cast and crew of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

But this was the first time to host anyone of "American Royalty!" 

To prep for her arrival, I gave daily tours to the Secret Service. All of us were smitten with one agent in particular. Jen even had to have her photo with him!

Mondo, the bomb sniffing dog, had to check everything out as well. I called him a puppy (all dogs are puppies, right?) and was quickly corrected by his handler. Seeing a bomb dog all over the hotel did weird some of our guests out. Do you know how hard it is to answer, without really answering questions, like: "What's going on?" "Is everything OK?" "Should I be aware of something serious that's happening?"

Hard. Very hard.

Laura (yes, we're on a first-name basis now. lol!) arrived late Wednesday night. There was this awkward pause when she was escorted inside. So what do I do? Embrace the awkwardness and say "Welcome to Hattiesburg!" in my best Mississippi Southern Belle accent. No one else said a word!

Kat, Jennifer, Neecee, Laura, Rhonda, Merrily, Lydia

The next morning she allowed us to take a group photo with her before she headed to the event. She shook everyone's hand and was very gracious. She has the bluest eyes, (although I think she may have a little help with contacts in that department….) and was just so classy.

I really enjoyed working with her assistant, Betsy. The best thing about her is she's from TUPELO. Yes, the same Tupelo where my sister lives! Small world, eh?

Lydia and Betsy.

Don't tell me Mississippi girls aren't the BEST! :)

miscellany monday.

[1] Working all weekend really throws off my days of the week. I'm off today so it's like my Friday on Monday, but I go to work tomorrow, so I guess today is really my Sunday...?

-2- Jared is back on day shift starting today. YAY!! We'll almost be like a "normal" family. Almost.

{3} I've neglected posting on our blog. Don't really have a reason why. I read my blog reader daily, but choose not to write. Call it blogger's block maybe?

*4* 2011 is the year for babies. I have 41 friends that are preggo! Not close, BFFs...but friends of friends and people Jared and I know. Still....isn't that crazy?! Forty-one women! I'm not drinking the water... :)

~5~ Jared's cop friend has a dachshund that is preggo...which means we could have a lil puppy soon! YAY!!

Living Room - Brown and Teal Green

I'm finding that I like a basic neutral color with an oddball shade to contrast (or is it complement? Art Scholar, please explain this to me! Thanks.)

Once again, I like books! I like the lines found in the framed art, willow branches, and furniture. I love the patterns found in the easy chair. The vintage trunk catches my eye and how it's bring used for storage and a table. 

I haven't figured out how to add depth to my rooms like some I've seen. That's next on the list. 

Check out www.polyvore.com, but be aware…it's addicting!! :)

Living Room - Brown and greenie blue by coffeypierce on Polyvore.com

Fun with Polyvore!

I've discovered Polyvore! The site where anyone can create anything with images found online. They are mostly used for fashionistas, but I've seen several DIY bloggers used Polyvore to design rooms.

I've been exploring my decorating style; apparently, I have an eclectic style. Eclectic meaning I have a knack for mix and matching textures, patterns, colors that don't normally go together and making them flow.

I played around with our dining room. We own nothing like what you see below, but maybe one day… :)

I'm loving chandeliers these days! And lots of typography and books. I've been mixing black and brown in our home as well. (Something I never thought I'd do! Black with brown…fashion no-no! lol.) 

BW with blue Dining room by coffeypierce on Polyvore.com

Ramblings & New Year's Goals.

WARNING: Below are ramblings and goals that might not make any sense to anyone except for the blogger. Proceed with caution. :)

Is it really 2011?? 

Am I really a big girl with a big girl job with big girl bills and a big girl home to clean?

Some days (most days really) I can't believe how quickly time has flown. 

I can't believe we're in our 4th year of marriage and working on my career. (I have a career?! Only women have careers and I'm still a girl.) 

I can't believe I'm looking for houses to buy and calculating how we can save half my salary in one year in order to place money down for said house. 

And where did 2010 go? What did I do during 2010? 

You know what's really sad? I don't feel like I can answer that last question sufficiently.

Yes, we celebrated 3 years of marriage and our first year in Hattiesburg. Yes, I got promoted to my first big girl job. Yes, I crossed off one thing on my bucket list (driving cross country!). 

Yet, I don't feel like I've made a huge accomplishment in any part of my life. 

I need focus. I need something to work towards. Something tangible or intangible or whatever. 

So.

Instead of making a New Year's Resolution, I decided to make goals. Resolutions seem so final; goals are something to achieve, accomplish. Goals stretch you to your limits and then push you a little further. I definitely need a push.

There are several scriptures that I've come across the past few months that spoke loudly to me. So I thought it would be cool to incorporate scriptures as part of my New Year's goals. 

Goals for 2011 as well as life there after:

"Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, buy try to understand what the Lord wants you to do." Ephesians 5:16-17

 

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love." Ephesians 4:2 

"Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people." Ephesians 6:7

I think I have a crush on Ephesians! :) Those verses are pretty self-explanatory when it comes to goal settings. It sets the goal plain and simple.

The last verse is one of my favorites, especially the last verses:

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. "They are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest , you will find me when you seek me. I will be found by you," says the Lord.'" Jeremiah 29:11-14

This goal is to remember that God knows my future. Not to fret over life, yet turn to Him in prayer. Seek Him and He will always be there. 

(Now, I know this. I've known this for a long time, yet isn't it funny how we can be head or heart smart in things and we can always use a reminder to not worry and just trust God?) 

So if you've made it this far, those are my goals for 2011 and to carry these verses for the rest of my days. Hide it in my heart and all that good stuff. :D