On: I said yes :)

"Marriage is like having a sleepover with your best friend every night of the week" - unknown

Ryan asked me to marry him on December 13, 2012. I said yes!

He proposed just outside of Cinderella's Castle in Walt Disney World, Florida. My parents were there, along with thousands of our closest Disney enthusiasts! We went to get our picture taken right before the fireworks when he got down on one knee. I was shocked, he was terrified - it was perfect :) I can't wait to marry my best friend!

On: Our Home for the Holidays

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup". - Elf

Ryan and I hosted our inaugural Ugly Christmas Sweater Party this weekend! Here is a quick snapshot of the Christmas fun; because, really, what could be better than an ugly Christmas sweater?!

It's the inaugural ShawBarry Ugly Christmas Sweater crew!

The boy :)

Lindsay and Tyler! They won for most original design.

Jennifer and Rick!

Stacie, Ryan and Cooper. Cooper was our overall winner - of course!

Karin and Drew!

Jessie, Nikki, Shawn and Casey!

Justin and Casey.

Ryan's first gingerbread house.

Our home for the holidays :)

Such a fun evening with amazing friends! We couldn't have asked for a better way to get into the Christmas spirit - happy holidays!

On: #ISpyRyanBarry

#ISpyRyanBarry 2012

SPEED, FOX, ESPN, TNT and other media outlets fueled our fantasy league this year. No, it wasn't our football, baseball or NASCAR leagues per say, it was our #ISpyRyanBarry Twitter league! 

Through the course of the 2012 NASCAR season Katie, Alex, Joyce, Megan and I were on the lookout for Ryan in action! If we caught him on TV (or even in person) we could take his picture and tweet it for points. Of course if you did see him in person it was bonus points. This made for some interesting photos, videos and tweets. 

The official 2012 #ISpyRyanBarry Champions with @Rbarry00 in Chicago.

Official Points Standings:

1. @ADolister and #TwitterlessMamaJoyce were our inaugural #ISpyRyanBarry champions.
2. Second place is awarded to @CaitlinShaw. 
3. @KatieK_912 trailed @CaitlinShaw by a mere five points finishing in third place. 
4. @MeganC89 had a strong run mid-season and rounded out the top finishers in fourth place.

The highlights of #ISpyRyanBarry are below - enjoy!

@RBarry00 was spotted in Phoenix breaking up the post-race fight.

@ADolister found @Rbarry00 in this shot.

@RBarry 00 was spied in pre-race coverage.

This was a live shot of @RBarry00 taken by @ADolister.

@RBarry00 moderating post-race interviews.

@ADolister found @Rbarry00 yet again!

@RBarry00 was spied on the pre-race show by @CaitlinShaw.

@RBarry00 working before the race. Spied by @CaitlinShaw.

Phoenix tweet-up, spied by @CaitlinShaw.

This shot was spied by @KatieK_912!

@RBarry00 spied on the ABC Special by @CaitlinShaw.

I believe @KatieK_912 spied Ryan in this shot! 

He was spied again by @KatieK_912!

@RBarry00 was spied on local news coverage by @CaitlinShaw.

@RBarry00 spied on SPEED's RaceHub. 

The picture that started it all - the first #ISpyRyanBarry sighting!

Even others at the track helped us spy him occasionally...

#ISpyRyanBarry at the NASCAR Banquet.

And finally, #ISpyRyanBarry on the NASCAR red carpet!

Thanks for playing everyone! It was a fantastic year of spying! Alex and Joyce definitely deserved the MVP award in Chicago for yelling Ryan's name when they saw Clint Bowyer. Clint and his business manager both asked Ryan why he had such a large fan group, normally people are yelling for Clint not the other way around :)

On: Food, Fun and Family... Thanksgiving

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Thanksgiving 2012 was the first holiday Ryan and I were able to host in our new home. We were blessed to have both of our families join us as well as one of our very best friends - Katie Kessen. The long weekend proved to be a fun time. It reminded us all how blessed and thankful we are to have the best family and friends imaginable. 

Here is a quick snapshot of our holiday:

Our first time hosting Thanksgiving.

Lazy 5 Ranch "Lazy R"

The Barry Family

Katie Kessen making the deviled eggs.

Tracey and I at Lazy 5.

Best Uncle Ever :)

Thanksgiving dinner.

My mom and dad at Lazy 5.

Shaw Family!

Matthew and Uncle Ryan!

Mikala, Nick and Matthew at Lazy 5.

Thanksgiving Day fun.

Ryan and Katie - my faves :)

Matthew and I feeding the Kangaroo!

Matthew and Mikala!

The Carolina Crew :)

She loved the giraffes!

The girls.

Black Friday Shopping Team 2012.

Best Friends :)

Uncle Ryan and Matthew playing NASCAR cars.

All in all, a fabulous Thanksgiving holiday!