It's a.....

Wednesday we had everyone over so that Sarah and Drew could reveal the gender of the baby. It was perfect timing with Thanksgiving and all. A lot of family were able to come that don't live around here. Moma and I spent the day decorating and cooking. We just couldn't wait!

I've already started her baby book!

When people came in, they wrote their name on either a pink carriage or a blue carriage to cast their vote. 

The table

IT'S A GIRL!!!

I am so ready to be an aunt!

This will be the first great-granddaughter for Grandmother.
She has 6 great-grandsons.

We were able to get a picture of the whole family at the party, too. It'll be our Christmas card! If you're going to do cards, too, you need to use Shutterfly. They have the cutest cards! (And great prices!)

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Weekend Shinanigans

Friday night, Will and I traveled to Memphis. We walked down Beale Street, saw some street performers, ate at Blues City Cafe, and went to the Orpheum to see the Blue Man Group. We've been looking forward to this for a very long time! It was so nice to get away and have fun. The show was amazing!

Tradition.

Such a wonderful friend. 

Saturday I was blessed to witness the marriage of two amazing, Godly people. Kelsey Laprade and Nathan Young were married at FBC in Pontotoc, MS. It was a lovely ceremony and the reception fit them to a T. So much fun seeing old friends. God was truly present at this celebration. 

My favorite Nicholas. 

At the reception, there was a photo booth set up with all kinds of props. Didn't take us long to jump in there and start goofing around!

Carlye and I. Can't wait for her to move to Jackson. 

Took some coaxing to get this picture done. :)

Fun friends!

Saturday evening, Moma and I went to the Elkin Theater in downtown Aberdeen to see Taken 2. Two tickets, two popcorns, and two drinks cost $10. You can't get better than that! Love living in a small town...some days. 

Now it is Thanksgiving week. That means that all the family is coming into town. This year, there will be 77 in attendance on the Mattox side. I know it sounds like a lot, however, that's relatively small for us. 

Looking forward to catching up with family, eating some good food, and watching football, of course. 

Wednesday we are having a Gender Reveal Party! I CANNOT wait to find out if I'll be getting a niece or nephew! Post to come! 

Mabry is engaged!

This past weekend I secretly went to Starkville. One of my best friends, Mabry Nelson, got engaged. She had NO idea! Her fiance, Jonathan, contacted a lot of her friends. She thought she was going to a small, no-name, concert. Well, her brothers were singing when she came in and all of us were sitting there waiting on her!

Me, Kat, and Derek. We were all in the Philippines together. Kat drove from Louisiana for Mabry. That was very exciting to her!

They FINALLY arrived! Mabry was definitely stunned. 

Yes, tears were shed. 

After singing Adam Sandler's "I Wanna Grow Old With You", Jonathan got down on one knee and proposed. 

She said YES!

Mabry and I! Love her very much!

It was wonderful spending time with these ladies. 

All the Starkville peeps!

Hoot. Hoot.

Let's see...I had a birthday since my last post. I turned 24 on the 24th. Pretty cool, huh? It wasn't my favorite birthday I've had. I drove home the morning of my birthday. My grandfather, Pap, passed away the night before. When I got home, we didn't leave. My family did such a good job of trying to make it "my day". We sang, had cake, and I opened a few gifts. It was definitely hard and not the special day everyone looks forward to, but I can't tell you how much I loved having all of us under one roof. It's been so long since we have all been together. I even convinced everyone to play a game! The last time Ben, Sarah, and I played a game was probably Monopoly at Grandmother's house. Crazy! We played Catchphrase and laughed so hard! We also watched Duck Dynasty, which cracks everyone up! 

I am so ready for Thanksgiving Break...only 7 more days now! Today, I rearranged my room. Hopefully, I'll get pictures put up soon. I really like this new layout. I think I've got my kids down pat. Of course, I learn new things about them all the time, mostly because they tell me everything about their lives! Haha! I do love my kiddos. And my coworkers. Oh my goodness, my coworkers are the bomb! All we have to do is give a look and we know what to do, say, who to get on to...everything! 

Pumpkins

Today, my small group went to the Pumpkin Patch. We went on a hayride through the farm, saw some cools animals, laughed, took pictures, and of course, hunted for a pumpkin!

I should've pursued photography. Think it's too late?

I was so excited. I haven't been to a pumpkin patch in ages!

The group with our pumpkins!

Then, we came back to my house to carve the pumpkins. It took forever! Most of us did the stencil kind. We had fun though...sitting, cutting, listening to music, enjoying the beautiful weather. This is the most action our backyard has seen since we moved in!

All done! There should be more curly cues, but...they broke. Sad day.

Side note: My birthday is in 4 days! :)

Wild Woman

Yes, it has been a while, so sorry. 

Last week was Homecoming Week at good ole Puckett Attendance Center. Monday, the kids were out of school. Sadly, we were not. Tuesday was Cowboy Day. Wednesday was Celebrity/Professional Day. Thursday was Hippie Day. Friday was Spirit Day.

Third Grade Cowgirls. I seriously work with the best people around. These ladies keep me sane...most days! 

BOOTS!

We are having a pumpkin decorating contest for Fall Festival this week.
I wanted to see what he'd look like as a cowboy.

Tuesday - Queen of Third Grade, Book Lady, Olympian

Hippie Day

Thursday night we went to the State Fair. It was pretty awesome!

I fed a goat and had a staring
contest with another one. 

For some reason, we decided to ride the Scrambler, or whatever it's called. Bad idea. It was fun, and funny to watch, but oh my!

Friday night we went to see Needtobreathe in Jackson.
Love them!!

Went to the MSU game Saturday. It was so wonderful being back in Starkville, tailgating, catching up, watching other games on TV, laughing, and being around people I love. 

Derek, me, and Colton. My brothers. 

Ashley, me, and Kayla. Beautiful ladies. 

I think this is our gajillionth tailgating picture we have. Love them all! :)

Soon to be Mrs. Hutchinson.

Beat Tennessee? Check! 6-0 baby!

Beautiful stadium. I can't wait until the expansion!

Needless to say, last week I was not the boring, typical me. I actually went out, on a school night! It was a lot of fun. That bad thing was that it made me not look forward to Monday even more! Haha! One more week closer to Thanksgiving!

Where's your worth?

Self is defined as your consciousness of your own identity. Worth is defined as the quality that renders something desirable or valuable or useful. 

Therefore, self worth would be how you value yourself. 

So, my question is, "Where do you find your self worth?". 

I have grown up in Aberdeen, MS my whole life. My family has a specific pew at church and we have our "assigned" seats. I am known in that town. Whether it be by my last name, school, or something else I've done in the town or at school. People know me. 

I have an amazing family that loves me dearly. We're not the best at always saying it, but I know it's true. When I'm gone for the summer I am bombarded with mail from my family and friends. When I've been hurt, I know exactly who in my family is going to give me the pep talk (or go off on someone) that I need. When I've had to be rushed to the hospital, family members were there before I was. Case in point: my family loves me. 

Then there are my friends. Friends who have planned surprise parties for me. "Decorated" my car. Helped me get over boys. Taught me things. Acted a complete fool with me. Sent me more mail that I could have ever dreamed. Made me things. Listened to my terrible day. Bought me flowers. Taken picture, after picture, after picture, after picture with me. Needless to say, there are people outside of the Mattox Clan who love me. 

So what's my problem you say?

I find my value, my self worth, in other people. Looking back, I think I always have. When I am around people, when I walk into a place and I'm greeted by name, when I have plans for the weekend, when I have visitors and people coming to me for help or advice...that's when I feel useful. The only problem with that is, people let you down. There's no doubt about it. It WILL happen. It doesn't matter how long you've known them or how close you are with them. It's inevitable. In that case, I've been hurt...a lot. I put so much emphasis on other people's opinion of me, that I've forgotten who I am. 

So who am I?

I am a daughter, sister, roommate, friend, teacher, the epileptic, the should you cry on, the one who always has room for you, the listener, the photographer, the scrapbooker, the good girl, the traveler, the goofy one, but most importantly, I am a child of the Most High God, the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and Omega. That, dear friends, is where I should be finding my self worth. Because He will NEVER let me down. Some days I wonder how in the world the Perfect One could ever love me like that? I sure don't deserve it. He does though. 

I know all the verses, all the promises...in my head. How do I get that to correlate to my heart? 

How do I turn finding my self worth from people and circumstances to my Risen Savior? 

I praise God for revealing these things to me. That's what I get when I ask Him to reveal any idols in my life, right? Ha. Now, I'm not one to just pour my heart out on my blog like this. I usually just tell about what I've been doing. However, for some reason, I felt like I should share this. It was hard, don't get me wrong. This whole lesson I'm learning is hard, but I know some life changing lesson will be learned when it's all said and done. 

I lift my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip-He who watches over you will not slumber, indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you - the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, not the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm - He will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore. 

Psalm 121

To God be the Glory.