When Harry Met Sally.....

I find myself counting down the days and the minutes and the hours.... Rickey and I have been engaged for three weeks tomorrow, and it has been the most exciting, the most stressful, the most happy, the most anxious, and the most ready i have ever felt to get these next 330-odd-something days over with so that I can just marry the love of my life. Rickey and I knew, when we were setting a date, that we wanted to make sure things were "out of the way" in our lives so that our marriage could be the "focus" of our life after the wedding. We wanted school to be over. We wanted time to plan and not have to feel rushed in the planning stages. We wanted to savor the feeling of the "engagement" and have time to plan other things such as where we would live and getting jobs in new cities with less stress. That being said, I am so glad that we are going to take our time and make this time last. But, I have easily realized that on the flip-side, I am so ready to be Rickey's wife. I have been sick with ear infections for the last two days and Rickey has taken such amazing care of me. It was the first time I have ever been SICK enough to not want to get up and do things, and just lay on the couch. It was also the first time that Rickey seemed to just take charge and take complete care of me. Anything I needed, he made it happen. I even wanted a special kind of chicken noodle soup, and he made sure I had it. He's always gone above and beyond to make sure I was taken care of and all my needs were met but this just made me fall in love with him so much more. After I felt better, Rickey and I had the house to ourselves and it, for the first time, didnt feel like we were playing house, but felt like it was real and we were "married". We cooked dinner (which we never really do). I washed the dishes and we sat down at the table with Abner underneath our chairs, said our dinner prayers and ate dinner. We had the best conversation, and laughed. We talked about our day, what Rick did at the baseball field, wedding plans, just small - intimate things that might not matter to many people but meant the world to us. From the very beginning, Rickey and I have always appreciated the small things in our lives. We both understood that if we appreciate the small things, the BIG things in our lives will be most special and more rewarding than we could ever imagine. Little things like setting the table for our hamburger helper dinner, while Rickey is fixing us something to drink... Or how we ALWAYS work as a team when it comes to taking Abner out to go to the bathroom (one takes him out, one fixes his food to eat)... I guess I am just ready to marry Rickey, but at the same time I am excited that we are taking it slow and having time to plan the PERFECT wedding for US. It is best said in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally", when Harry says, "... when you meet the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible."...

Im rambling, I know.... On a lighter note, Rickey and I had our first engagement party in LA and we had an ABSOLUTEL BLAST! Rickey's cousins Ashley and Parker Jenkins and Nicole and Shane Young threw the party along with Rickey's Parents and his Aunt and Uncle. We had Rickey's favorite meal of fried catfish and home made french fries (he could literally eat this meal everyday of his life). Critter, Jereme Simmons, and Josh Cantu (all groomsmen) came to the party along with all the family, friends, and brothers! We sat around and listened to Rickey's mom, dad, and family give us toasts (which naturally made me cry). They also bought us an Indian Marriage Vase which is to represent our marriage. It was very special and sentimental to us. I officially have the best future in laws in the world. I have some pics to show of the engagement party. Many more parties to come.... Just another thing I keep counting down until!

Enough for now, Im exhausted... More to come when I have something more interesting...

Avec tout mon couer.. The future Mrs. Rickey Noland.

Oh, How it's the Little Things that Count....

These babies can sleep ANYWHERE. ANYTIME.


Its a blessed day... As always, I believe that if you get to wake up and breathe the air, you have had a blessed day. Nothing in life is guaranteed, and we are not promised tomorrow. I try to enjoy my life every single day, and appreciate the little things that I notice in my day to day routine. I'm a firm believer that a positive attitude makes more than the difference in the world and try to stay motivated as much as I can. If you know me, you will rarely see me without a smile, flashing those pearly whites. :)

This morning I got up and met Rickey and all the guys from Denham Springs in Grenada to pick up Abner. Rickey is on his way to Nashville for his friend, Brad's bachelor party weekend and he is SO excited. Since Rickey moved to Cleveland to play baseball and for school, he hasn't had many opportunities to just "hang out" with his best friends, other than the occasional holiday or break from class. Those boys are just so precious and even though I only had a chance to say "Hi" and "Love ya'll! Be safe!" because Abner was running around the parking lot like a crazy thing, I still was so happy to SEE them. Rickey was precious as always and gave me a great big hug and kiss so that made me happy. I hope that they have a BLAST! Nashville is such a fun town! Needless to say, Im sitting here with my sweet puppy watching him be fascinated by the rain. He is amazed by things like birds, and the rain, and every car that we pass when we drive. You can just look in his eyes and he's thinking, "what in the world is that thing?". I just love that pup. This weekend will be full of things that I am going to try to get done while Rick is out of town. Lots of things we need to do before life and baseball kick back in full swing in August.. But right now I just want to sit and watch the rain with my pup and drink my coffee.. Life is good.

More to come later... Avec tout mon couer.... Lacey Marie

This is a pic of abner as a baby.. I just love it because hes soooo precious!

Let the planning begin..... holy cow...

Good Gracious.... Who ever thought that weddings would be so much fun to plan yet so stressful at the same time? Honestly, I am not stressed out the least. It has been a lot of fun being engaged for the last, oh what... SIX DAYS?!?! :) Rickey and I are soooooooo blessed to have such amazing friends that give us great advice and families who are behind us. I am on pins and needles waiting to go see Rick's family next weekend. I cannot wait! Mrs. Dana is just the best person in the ENTIRE world and I have so many questions for her about china, and dishes, and flowers, and dresses, and this and that.. She is so creative and just a blast to be around so I am looking forward to her helping me as much as she can. Candice is also helping me, and this girl is like serious "wedding planner and organizer of the century". I am not lying. She is throwing me and Rickey a "stock the bar" party and we are very excited about it. We have so many showers and parties to go to, almost averging One a Month, so this is going to be a blast of a year! I never, in a million years, thought that so many people would be soooo excited and sooo happy for our engagement. It has totally filled our hearts with joy.. I have booked the church, gotten the preacher (who is a family friend and my campus minister for my church), gotten on top of things with my cake, still checking out flowers, think I have an idea of dresses and colors, checking out invitations, and STILL WORKING on the reception venue. Rickey and I want to try to get as much done as we can during these last summer weeks because when the fall hits its school, baseball, work, life, coaching, and planning.. and THAT might be when it becomes stressful.. But right now, its just Bliss... Rickey said last night that he felt like a celebrity, but I told him that he was because he is the BEST fiance' in the world and just executed the most perfect proposal with the perfect ring and.. well everything Rick does seems to be perfect.. I am so very lucky.. In two weeks we have our first engagement party in Louisiana. Rickey's cousins, Ashley, Parker, Shane, and Nicole are throwing it for us. We are so excited. I have to get a bunch of pictures and things that represent us (baseballs, bats, nursing stuff, cheerleading stuff) together for the "memory table" they are setting up. This should be PRECIOUS! I will take lots of pics and post them. Two weeks after this, we have a second engagement party being thrown in Louisiana by the LaBarre family. Logan LaBarre is one of Rickey's best friends from high school and his mom and dad are throwing a MASSIVE party for us. We are SOOO EXCITED! I think that most of my bridesmaids and most of his groomsmen will be there so I cannot wait for the first time that EVERYONE MEETS! YAY! All these people mean the world to Rickey and myself, and its just going to be a blast. And in November, Candice, Glenn and The Kidder family are throwing our Stock the Bar engagement party. We are JACKED about this one because it will be the first time that Rickeys friends come to Oxford and Candice throws one heck of a party... My heart is just soooooo happy.... I cannot even explain... I never needed this ring that rickey made for me (cause I would have taken a ring out of a cracker jack box), and i almost didnt need the question that he asked (because i always felt i would marry him, we just "fit").. All i EVER needed was Rick, day in and day out, for the rest of my days.... He's my Person. Enough rambling..... Avec tout mon couer.... The "soon to be" Lacey Noland.

Going to the chapel and we're... Gonnnna get MARRIED!

Bonjour! Well, this is an exciting and blessed day today. Each and every day that we get to wake up and experiance life is a blessed day, but THIS day, is extra special because im waking up with a Fiance'... :) Rickey proposed at exactly 10:00 pm last night, July 10th, 2009... Heres how it goes for those who want to know..

Yesterday was just a regular day. I woke up with a pounding migraine and played with abner to try to make my head feel better. Rickey and I went and had lunch with Ashley at Brass Monkey, which is WONDERFUL if you havent tried it yet.. After that, we came home and took a nap, just a regular day in our lives. At the beginning of the week, Rickey had said that he wanted to take me to dinner at one of my favorite places, Downtown Grille, in Oxford. I could eat thier signature dish, Catfish Lafitte, every day of my life so needless to say i was pumped for dinner. Rickey and I ordered a great bottle of Chateau St. Michelle and had a blast just chatting and talking. I can honestly say it was one of the best dinners we have ever had! We split our staple dessert of choice, creme' brulee, and headed home to what I THOUGHT was a packing session for Baton Rouge in the morning. On the drive home, Rickey and I were talking about special memories we have had of our time together. He mentioned that he wanted to drive through town in WV and go to the park, the place that we had one of our favorite memories and a very special and sentimental place to me. The gazebo in WV was previously old and run down, and while my betty was alive, she was involved in the Garden Club. One project she committed herself to while she was President of the club was to restore the gazebo. It has always been very special to us and was definately a special place in her heart. The first time that Rickey and I had a date in Water Valley, he had to see the park and the gazebo that she so intently worked on. That night, we checked out all the bricks that were inscribed on the ground and slow danced at midnight on that Gazebo. Soooooo.. when we got to the park LAST NIGHT, Rickey wanted to go dance on the gazebo again.. ME, being the clueless and gullible girl that I am, said ok and thought nothing of it. Rickey is quite the romantic so i thought this was him just being.. well, Rickey.. When we got to the steps, I could see a million rose petals and lit candles (1,000 rose petals and 112 candles to be exact).. Rickey grabbed my hand and we slow danced for a second... He asked me if i knew how much he loved me, pulled out the ring, got down on one knee and officially asked me to marry him. My sister and best friend were also there watching the taking pictures of the entire thing, so i am so happy that i can look back and see my proposal. It was SOOOO perfect for US. Very special. Very sentimental. VERY RICKEY. This morning I am so happy. I have thought many times of betty and how happy that i feel she is, smiling down upon me and Rick this morning. All of our friends have been so wonderful with congratulations and sweet words. It is so amazing to have such a great support system behind us. I even think that Abner was happy when we got home, his tail wagged more than usual. ;) I cant believe that Rickey and I are going to get married and start our lives together. What a happy and exciting thought. I am truly blessed.

Avec tout mon couer, L

Suprise Thursdays...

I usually despise thursdays. I despise them because if there is a day that Mr. Rickey Noland suprises me, its usually a thursday. I can say that this thursday was just an all around good day! Rickey hasnt suprised me, and that is great because i am TERRIBLE with suprises and hate the anticipation. Today I got to have lunch with my best friend Tanya and her 4 month old baby boy, Paxton. We have both been so busy that the time we have gotten to spend together since he has been born has been slim to none. I must say that Pax is the CUTEST baby i think that i have ever seen and Tanya is just the sweetest and most attentive mother. We had the best time catching up and laughing over our sushi! I even got to hold Mr. Pax and show him off to the other visitors to lunch. Seeing baby Pax made me miss Candice and Harrison so much. Harrison is just my heart i think that he and Pax will be best buddies. I am so happy for Tanya and Randall, they are the most deserving family of this precious bundle of joy and I cant wait to spend more time with Pax and her. I worked the rest of the afternoon at the clinic then headed to meet Ashley and my other bundle of joy, Molly Adyson to get a manicure. Molly Adyson is another one of my precious girls and she just touches my heart each time i see her. She had the best time picking out her pink nail polish and getting her nails done while Ashley and I chatted with the sweet people who did our nails. They love us since we seem to be regular customers here lately. I came home, cleaned the house, and tried to clean up my MESS of a jeep. Now im just hanging out with the sisters and waiting on MY BABIES to come see me..... more blogging to come when I develop something more interesting....

Avec tout mon couer,

L

Lend me your ears....

I have insomnia tonight therefore I am watching a replay of the MJ memorial service and listening to some tunes on YouTube at 2am. I dont know if you're a Sugarland fan or not, but I totally am. I can get in my car and jam out to every one of thier songs with the windows down and a great pair of aviators and a smile. If you like Sugarland, then you will appreciate how amazing Jennifer Nettles is with this cover of Kings of Leon's "Sex on Fire"... and if arent a Sugarland fan, well, maybe you need to become one...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X4ldVNVrBHE

Enjoy... Avec tout mon cour, L

Music is one of the best ways to enjoy the present. It's not much fun to look forward to hearing music or to remember what a song sounded like last week, but music right now absorbs you and places you in the present moment. ~Sonnett Branche

I have been pretty bummed out about the deaths of some of my favorite celebrities this week and last. We all remember Ed McMahon and his "HEEEEEEEEEEREEE's JOHNNY!".. When I was little, my mimi would promise he that we was bringing us a million dollars in the publishers clearing house, and she seemed to fill out everything that came in the mail from PCH, not because i think she wanted to win, but because she really liked that Ed! ;)

Farah Fawcett, to me, is iconically beautiful. I remember being younger and seeing the poster of her in her red bathing suit and thinking, "I have never seen a more beautiful person!". She was my favorite Angel. My heart goes out to both the McMahon and Fawcett families.

Next, we have to celebrate the life of the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson. I think that my family might be one of the biggest MJ fan's, being that we allllll loved choreography and his music. Brittany made a comment yesterday that totally solidified MJ's life. " You cant hear his music and NOT like him. Even after all the scandel and rumors, he was and still is a Legend, and everytime i hear his music i smile," she said. This is so true. I hope that my children will one day appreciate and jam out to MJ's music as well do in our household now.

Last, my heart is just broken today about the murder of Steve McNair. Mississippian and Alcorn State Alum, McNair is one of the greatest college and professional football athletes. We have always been proud of him! I can remember watching him play football for the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans and cheering him on with Betty! She loved him! Our hearts go out to his family as well.

Its not how you win, but how you play the game...

Our world seems to revolve around the standard things in life. In the south, we love our Lord and Savior, we love our family, we love sweet tea, and we love our ball. Rickey and I have both grown up in the sport and have developed a passion for it. Baseball has been the way that we met each other, its been our career, its been our biggest heartbreak, and its a future that we look very forward to. If you talk to Rickey's mom, Mrs. Dana, she will tell you that when Rickey was little he would be asked what he "wanted to be when he grew up". His response? "I want to be a professional baseball player". He played all through his youth, winning championships and titles. When he was 12 he played for the Denham Springs Tigers and won the USSSA World Series. He played high school baseball, won a junior college world series at LSU-Eunice, and finished his career at Delta State University in Cleveland, MS. Rickey, who has played the catcher position all his life, was a college baseball standout. Among many of his accolades, he was voted Gulf South Conference co-West Division Player of the Year, All Conference, All American, the list could go on and on and on. Our dreams came true on June 15th, 2008 when Rickey signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization to play professional baseball.

Rickey will kill me when he reads the above. He never brags or boasts of his talents. He is not a record keeper, doesnt keep stats, just loves the game and the nature of the sport. Rickey is one of the most talented baseball players I have ever seen in my life... But he got released. Not because he wasnt a good player, not because he didn't perform, but because they had to release SOMEONE, and that someone was MY someone. Professional sports is one of the hardest careers to have. Its a day to day dread, wondering each night if in the morning you will wake up and have a jersey in your locker to play the next game. It's never about the talent, even the best players get released at some point. You work your ass off in spring training, play your hardest each and every game, and at the end of the inning you are never guarenteed your spot. Every year there are younger, faster, better guys vying for your spot and in the game of baseball, everyone deserves a CHANCE. I am so proud of the hard work that Rickey has achieved and proud that the time he and I spend traveling and watching him play professionally. It was one of the most exciting times of my life. Rickey has a bright future ahead of him with his coaching career and I am more excited to see how far he will go as a coach!

Recently, we have had many friends get drafted and many friends get released from the league. Its a hard reality to accept. One of my best friends that I met while Rickey was playing ball for the Cardinals talked with me about her heartbreak. Her boyfriend and Rickey's former roommate was released from playing and they were feeling what we previously felt. They felt lost, dreams had been shattered, and the future was dark and unknown. Its hard to figure out "what to do" when you've put your entire life into the present, into this game that you love, and it gets taken away from you in a second. Rickey and I relied on God to help us overcome our feelings and move on, and in that many doors opened for him (And myself). Many people think that baseball is just a game, but to us all, those in the field and those in the stands, its our lives. You realize ultimately that these men in uniforms are little boys at heart, and all they want to do it play.

Rickey: Delta State Baseball

Our friend Jareck West (right): Oakland A's, Canada Canadians, Gateway Grizzlies.
Rickey's teammates, Chris Clark (left), Clay Sartain (Right): Delta State University
Rickey's rookie teammates: St. Louis Cardinals, Johnson City, Tennessee
July 4th: Rickey playing at Lawrence Dumont Stadium for his Derby, Kansas league

Teammates: Delta State University

Teammates: Delta State University

Cellular South Award: Boo Ferris, Rickey Noland, Buck Showalter