What you can expect on "The Toast"....

I figured I should include a little background about myself and what you can expect to read here at "The Toast", as I've affectionately termed it.

The players...
Me (Shanda) age 31 7/8th's - (I turn 32 on the 13th of this month.)
Hubby (Dave) age 34
Our "Kids"
Dog - Emme (Brussels Griffon - almost 2: her bday is July 7th)
Cats - Baxter (grey/black tabby-age 12); Annabelle (orange/white - age 1)


These players represent the core of my life. Dave and I were college sweethearts, who after being apart for 10 years, got married last year on March 14th. Some people say our story could be a Lifetime movie but I don't think its that dramatic. We dated on two different occasions during college but the first go-round, I wanted to get marry and he didn't. Round 2, he wanted to get married and I didn't. I guess you can say our timing sucked. Fast forward 10 years, a bad first marriage for me and Dave, waiting for me to come to my senses. We kept in touch throughout the years and remained friends. Never in a million years did I think we would end up together. But about a year after my divorce, we started discussing the possibility of dating again. There was only one hitch...I lived about 2 hours from Memphis in the small town of Grenada, MS. After a few months of dating long distance, I began to look for a job in Memphis. I got one in June 2008 and headed home. The plan was for us to date through Christmas then re-evaluate to see if marrige was a possibility. I guess that when the heart knows...it knows. By September 2008, we had purchased a house together, where the love of my life proposed as we made our final walk-thru. Collective awwwwe.

Now came the wedding planning. Since Dave is teacher, it was decided we would get married during Thanksgiving break of 2009 because I did not want a summer wedding. You'll hear more about my hot flashes later. Somehow during the planning, the wedding got moved up to March. We decided we had already waited 10 years to be together so it was pointless to put it off until November. The wedding was incredible! It was everything I had always dreamed of. Here are a few pics.

So fast forward to now.... and us living a great life. Now that you have the background, you can prepare to see all of these players on "The Toast" often. Also expect to hear about fertility woes. We have been trying to have our first baby since July '09 with no luck. You'll get the 4-1-1 on all the details another day. You can expect to hear about work, too. I'm a non-profit fundraiser. As much as I love my job, it can be more than a little stressful at least 3 days a week. And as much as I love my husband, he is a husband and they can generally find something to annoy us about. There will definitely be crafty talk, too. I love crafting and have a small home business, SW Designs, which specializes in custom invitations and embroidered gifts. You will also get the scoop on the crazy people I encounter out and about in Memphis. Sometimes I feel like I have a target on my back because it seems like all the crazies around town LOVE to talk to me. You'll also meet some more extended family players as we progress. Hope you enjoy the ride!

Toastingly Yours,