NYE and Liberty Bowl

We initially had intentions of a very low key NYE weekend. But when the Hogs announced they were Liberty Bowl bound...our plans changed. We spent the weekend in Memphis and enjoyed some good food and fun at the game with some friends.

The game was fun until I was frozen completely, and then I was just miserable. I was too cold to operate a camera, so Kati will have to email me some pics from the game (hint hint). The highlights of the weekend for me were definitely BBQ at Rendevous, eating at Big Foot and the paratroopers dropping into the Liberty Bowl!!

We had NYE dinner at Automatic Slim's downtown in Memphis. The service was super slow, but we had a good time. Afterwards we walked to Beale street to watch the guitar drop. Oh my, people watching at it's best! We made some friends from East Carolina and made a bee-line out of there after the guitar dropped. It helped that I had a Memphis police officer in full SWAT team attire following behind me walking out. People seemed to move out of the way for him. And I was just trying to keep moving as to not be in his way. HAHA. We then went to one of my other FAVE Memphis places...Big Foot...or as they call it now, the Kooky Kanuck. They had music and fried pickles. What more do you need? (We visited Big Foot several more times over the weekend for S'mores and giant chocolate chip cookies!)

While at Rendevous we had one of the oldest waiters, I say that because many of them have been there FOREVER. He told us how long he had worked there and it was something like 40 years. Serving BBQ for 40 years!! No wonder he doesn't write anything down when he takes an order. When I asked for a side that didn't come with my meal I though he seriously might kick me out. But he was charming, in an old and crazy way.

New Years Eve Dinner at Automatic Slim's

Bryan, myself and Johnny at Automatic Slim's

Waiting on a table at my favorite place Rendevous

Some of these fellas have been serving BBQ longer than I have been alive!

Insanity known as NYE on Beale. packed.

Boys and Beale

Going to Dinner!

Officially Ukraine Bound!

As of Friday we officially have our flight booked to travel to Ukraine to work with special needs children. Our group which is made up of mainly therapists (physical, occupational and speech therapists) will be traveling April 10-18th. We have LOTS of preparations to complete before we travel, and I couldn't be more excited! Please check back for more details and information about how you can help us, help these children. Please go here to Carmen's blog or here to Karen's blog to read about their trip to Ukraine from last year and the exciting progress that is being made. There are multiple entries on each, along with pictures.

The mission of our trip is to provide training and supplies to help special needs children. We will be working with orphans with special needs at orphanages, visiting a hospital with a NICU, helping families who have chosen to raise their children with special needs, and building customized equipment such as standers and corner chairs that can help children with physical impairments (I personally won't be building these...haha...but will definitely be assisting as much as possible). The hopes of our training and supply donations will be to keep as many children as possible out of institutions. At the age of four, special needs children are typically transferred to institutions...where the conditions are BEYOND bleak and the mortality rate is very high. The stories of these children have definitely touched me, and I can't wait to go and share my knowledge with caregivers and parents there (as well as love on as many kiddos as possible) in the hopes that we help give them a future.

For those of you who do not know, I am a Speech-Language Pathologist. Myself and the other half of the Ukraine Speech TEAM is my dear friend Carmen. We will be providing training and help in the areas of education in language development, facilitating language development, feeding and swallowing, and hopefully setting up some kind of communication system for any child who needs a way of communicating other than speech. I feel that we will in no way be prepared for every child we meet. But I know our actions will definitely be guided, because we will be in HIS hands......and that we will be able to roll with the punches...so to speak. :)

Please keep our group in your prayers while we prepare for this trip, specifically that our travels go smoothly and safely, that our information is well received, that our training and suggestions are carried over after we leave, and last but not least that we show God's love to everyone we meet as we work with these children.

I will post more information, detailed supply list that we will be collecting and background information about our trip later. But wanted to announce that I will be going and to please check back for updates on our preparations for the trip! Thank you! Amy


"No man stands as tall as when he stoops to help a child." -Abraham Lincoln

Your tire's all flat and junk....

This my absolute favorite commercial. I laugh so hard everytime I watch it...like really laugh and can't stop. Thought I would share, in case you are missing out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1pNPOZUf10

I have no idea how to upload a youtube video onto my post, so just click on the link, because I do know how to do that....

2009 Favorites

The year in pictures....

January 2009-
Ice Storm, Farmington, AR

"The Villa" at Chateau Aux Arc- Altus, AR

February 2009-

Horse Races with Jami, Greg and Linda, Hot Springs, AR

Family picture after church, Bryant, AR

March 2009
Horse races again- the weekend of my stomach bug.bleck. Hot Springs, AR

April 2009-
Linda's Graduation, St. Louis, MO

Mariellen, Erin and I, Nashville, TN

May 2009-
Aunt's and I at Eddie Haskell's Rogers, AR

June 2009-
"Friday night Mexican" Fayetteville, AR

Kati's birthday weekend and new hats for Lindsey's wedding, Kansas City, MO

July 2009-

The Love Family- Oksaloosa Island, FL

Lindsey's Wedding, Cancun, MX

"crazy eyes" The night we sported fake eyelashes-
Elizabeth's Bachelorette Party, Fort Smith, AR

August 2009-
Casey and Monica's Wedding- Mt. Magazine St. Park, Paris, AR

September 2009-
My bachelorette party, I love these girls- Nashville, TN

Riley's 2nd Birthday Party, Bradford, AR

October 2009-
Hadleigh's 1st Birthday, Fort Smith, AR

Wedding Party, October 17th- St. Catherine's at Bell Gable, Fayetteville, AR

November 2009-
Hadleigh at Thanksgiving, Ma's House, Cane Hill, AR

Riley at Cracker Barrel, Branson, MO

December 2009-

Debbie's 50th Birthday Party, Benton, AR

Snow in Central Park, New York City

I included the location of each picture because I feel like I have been all over the place this past year. And I have, and loved almost every minute of it! I am really excited for 2010!

Christmas Party

\We had our Christmas party last night! It was so fun. We have such a fun group of friends. We did a theme this year, and everybody was suppose to wear a Christmas hat! We voted on the best girls/guy hats and the BULLINGTON'S WON! :) Kati's hat was insanely good, and so was Johnny's...they won by a long shot. The rest of us just thought we were going to stand a chance.

My sweet girl said her aunt's name for the first time at he party! :)
Bryan made my hat and I made his...:)
Lindsey and Bryan, A to Z special hats! I love it. It's like a glittery Christmas ornament and then a Charlie Brown tree on Bryan's head...:)

Liz and Hadleigh's matching hats! So cute! :)
Kortney and James, Kortney didn't have a hat...so she borrowed Lindsey's! :)
Kristy brought John Lleyton by before the party got started to visit, he's just getting so big and even more handsome!!!! I think he might have been in Christmas overload at my house. He and Hadleigh hadn't seen each other since Hadleigh was a month old...my how they have changed! :)

Casey and Monica came from Fort Smith!
Leslie and Brice, of course her hats were so cute!
Sarah and Jessie, mistletoe hat and a reindeer! :)
Matt and Tiphany, Matt really went wild with those ornaments...and Tiphany was Mickey Mouse Christmas! :)

And saving the WINNERS and best for last:

Santa and his Sleigh and Kati's full blown gingerbread house in which she glued every single thing onto it herself!

I like the action shot! :)

Now I am going to start thinking up the theme for next year! :)

The best day!

Our wedding day was pretty close to perfect. I try not to over use the word perfect, because hardly anything really is....but October 17th was exactly what Bryan and I wanted. A day filled with our family and friends, a small ceremony that was short and sweet followed by a fun reception with lots of music, family, friends and dancing!

I was surprisingly calm all day. The girls and I along with my mom and Bryan's mom got our hair and makeup done and spent the day together. I wasn't sure how my nerves would be running, but I was so ready to get the show on the road I was just excited all day long. During the months leading up to the wedding I could tear up just thinking about my wedding day or hearing a certain song. So the actual day of I did great. I managed to read a card from Bryan, a card from my future mother in law and see my groom and my dad all with out losing it. I was proud!

My little love!

I did get nervous on the ride to the ceremony.....but I am guessing nervousness was to be expected. On the way to the ceremony as we were turning onto the interestate I had the window down getting some air and I saw a HUGE piece of metal fall off the truck in front of us (it looked like an important part) and our limo ran right OVER it. I am pretty sure everyone was wondering what we just hit. I started cracking up because I just knew we would have a flat tire on the way to the ceremony...but suprisingly we made it to the ceremony with air in all four tires.

Limo ride

I waited for Bryan inside the chapel and we saw each other before the ceremony and did pictures. I really can NOT remember if our photographer was in there with us...or if we were alone...or if she took pictures. I just have no idea, I just mainly remember his face and how handsome he looked....and focusing on not crying.

Standing outside the chapel with my dad and watching everybody take their places was a great feeling. We really had so much help the day of our wedding. Everybody was wonderful...our friends videoing the ceremony, to my sweet friends going early to get the reception ready to go and helping with my guestbook, to my bridesmaids putting up all the candles at the ceremony...to Lindsey taking over for the wedding coordinator at the chapel because she wasn't really doing things the way I had asked her. It was wonderful! I can't even thank everyone who helped, all the little things everybody did.....I was just so overwhelmed and I know I don't even know who all did what....THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

My Loves!!

Our reception starting at 6:30 and I am pretty sure Bryan and I got there just a few minutes after it started...I know we even beat many of the guests. But I knew the evening would go by so fast...I wanted to get in there so I could make it last as long as possible.

my handsome handsome husband!

I love this picture. We took this the night before the wedding...sweet Hadleigh and Riley!