Closing Time...

For the past couple months, ever since Eric and I received word that I was being promoted to the Galleria with LOFT, we have been looking for houses that are located centrally for our jobs. Additionally, when I applied for the position with Louis Vuitton, we knew I'd be working at the Galleria either way-- with LOFT or with Louis Vuitton. My drive to the Galleria from our current house is about an hour and a half!!!!!!! Thus, you can understand the urgency in finding a new home! (Although, we did have plans to move this year anyway, because we are simply outgrowing our current home.)

We ended up finding the perfect house in a beautiful suburban area called Trophy Club, Texas. This area is absolutely perfect because it's located smack-dab in the middle of Fort Worth and Dallas! We didn't want to be too far from our beloved TCU Horned Frogs since we are season ticket holders for Football and Baseball, but Eric nor I wanted to continue paying for my outrageous gas bills that were adding up quickly!

In addition to the beautiful area and location, this particular house is exactly what we have been looking for! Let me tell you a little about it:

1. It's a new construction home by Pulte-- never lived in!!

2. It's 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms with an office, game room, media room, formal living and dining, 2 car garage, and a beautiful backyard.

3. It's brick/stone combination-- which we LOVE-- and it has a cedar garage door!!

4. The kitchen it TO DIE FOR!! Granite counters, dark wood knotty alder cabinets, a huge wooden hood over the stove, stainless steel appliances, 2 sinks, 2 islands, double oven, gas cook-top... the WORKS!! Now, THIS is the kind of kitchen that will make me want to cook!!

5. Dark, hand scraped wood floors... enough said!

6. Brushed bronze hardware in all bathrooms and the kitchen.

7. PERFECT floor plan for entertaining.

8. Massive master closet.

9. Floor to ceiling stone fireplace with dark wood mantle.

10. There's crown molding in the garage... I mean, REALLY? It's incredible!! We are in LOVE with it.

Now don't get me wrong-- Not everything about this process has been rainbows and butterflies!!!! The ONLY easy part was finding the perfect house... and then began the purchasing process. Being a first time home buyer, I had no idea how dreadful this process would be, but Eric, being an experienced buyer and owner of 2 houses that we plan to keep as rental properties, knew exactly what to expect. He told me throughout the entire process to contain my excitement until we sign all the closing documents and they hand us the keys. They threw us through SO many loops and there were several times where it seemed like the whole thing might fall apart... but it looks like everything is actually going to happen!

I guess my excitement is a little premature because we haven't been given the keys yet... BUT we are going to the title company for closing today at 4:00pm!! I think it's appropriate to start getting excited at this point, don't you think? I just can't contain it anymore!!

Here are some of the pictures we have taken of this beautiful house that we can call our own after we close this evening!! Don't worry... there will be many more pictures to come!!

I just can't get over the crown molding in the garage... that's just too funny. I love it!

We appreciate all of the prayers that we have received from family and friends throughout this process, and we are SO thankful that it's finally coming to an end! We look forward to hosting many family gatherings, football watching parties, and barbecues in the future!! Be on the lookout for your housewarming party invitation in the next couple months!! :)

New Job!!

I have some exciting news to share!!

I have accepted a position with Louis Vuitton!!

Starting on Monday, April 4, 2011, I will be the

Operations Manager for Louis Vuitton @ Galleria Dallas!

I am super excited about this career move for a multitude of reasons:

1. I have loved Louis Vuitton ever since my love for couture fashion began over a decade ago. My first designer bag was a Louis Vuitton bag. Why? Because it's the best.

2. Louis Vuitton is rich in history and withstands the test of time... and a terrible economy! LV posted HUGE sales increases and profitability in 2009 and 2010 when most retailers were struggling to survive.

3. I did papers on Louis Vuitton and LVMH corporation in college... it was my topic of choice!

4. I named my precious teacup Maltese Louis after Louis Vuitton. His name tag on his collar reads "Louis V. Haggerty" (I will get it changed to Louis V. Cannon eventually). He actually had a super precious Louis Vuitton collar that I found on eBay when he was a puppy. He grew out of it pretty quickly, so I found a cute new one that could be customized with his name instead (it was slightly less expensive, haha).

...all of these reasons and more make me feel that Louis Vuitton is a perfect fit for me.

Not to mention, the hiring process took FIVE MONTHS, so it gave me plenty of time to decide if this move was right for me. Since Louis Vuitton can be incredibly selective, they most definitely are! Over the 5 month process, I interviewed with a corporate recruiter, the Galleria store manager, the regional operations manager, the regional vice president, and then they booked a flight for me to interview in person at their corporate office in New York! BUT that happened to be the same week as the terrible ice storms in Dallas, so all the flights were cancelled. My 5th interview was then conducted via web cam out of their regional office. After all of the interviews concluded, it took another couple weeks for them to make a decision and extend an offer.

I kept thinking to myself, "My GOODNESS this is taking forever!" But then I remembered, they're Louis Vuitton... and you don't rush greatness.

I was elated when they extended their offer, and I accepted graciously. Although, my current employer, Ann Taylor LOFT, was very upset and countered the offer by coming as close as possible to matching the salary LV offered... I didn't see that coming at all!! So, I called Louis Vuitton back to explain what happened, and they bumped my salary up another 5 grand without hesitation. Needless to say, I accepted!

Now, don't get me wrong. My reason for leaving LOFT is not because I didn't love working for the company! I had a wonderful experience with LOFT and they even promoted me to the Galleria store a couple weeks before I gave my notice! They had tons of faith in my leadership, ability to coach and develop a team, and ability to drive sales--- which is a really nice feeling. Thus, I wouldn't have left LOFT for just any measly job. I had always checked the LVMH recruitment website periodically, so I happened to check it one day in November 2010 and noticed that a position was available in Dallas... it was the very first time I've ever noticed a position available in the area, so I jumped on it!

Monday through Friday during my first week on the job, LV is flying me to Scottsdale, Arizona {all expenses paid} to train with a very seasoned Operations Manager. I think it speaks very highly of a company when they are willing to spend that kind of money on training.

I cannot wait! Wish me luck!

This was me on Rodeo Drive in December 2010... I just had to have a photo op with my favorite store!

Mr. & Mrs. Cannon's First Valentine's Day!

Eric and I have never really done gifts for Valentine's day before; he usually gives me some beautiful flowers, we exchange cards, and go to dinner...

but I guess he though that this year,

{being our first Valentine's as a married couple},

should be *extra* special!

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Eric surprised me with a gorgeous David Yurman cuff bracelet, roses, AND dinner!

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Talk about amazing! :)

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(It may sound like I did absolutely nothing for Eric... but the Lucchese Classic Caiman Aligator boots that I gave him on his birthday, only a few days before Valentine's day, were a birthday/Valentine's present because they were a little pricey!)

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After work, we got all dressed up and headed to Truluck's in Southlake (my hometown). It was our first time dining at Truluck's and we absolutely LOVED it. Amazing atmosphere (a live pianist played timeless hits such as Tiny Dancer), incredible food, delicious wine (we found a new favorite), and fabulous service! All around excellence!

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Here are some photos of our super wonderful evening...

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Eric's 27th Birthday

My wonderful husband turned 27 on Wednesday, February 9...

and what a HAPPY BIRTHDAY it was!

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The day started by me making Eric a giant cup of coffee (his life support, basically) and then waking him up a little earlier than usual so he could open his presents before work.

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There were two gift bags by the fireplace in the living room; the larger bag housed my gift, and the smaller bag was a gift from our four-legged children (the dogs).

Eric started by opening the present from the dogs first... and they helped, of course!

He was pleased to find that they had given him his favorite beer (Blue Moon- original) and some of his favorite candy (Reece’s Pieces bites)!

Then he moved on to the gift from me... which actually contained a wrapped box inside of the gift bag! Louis helped Eric remove the tissue paper from the bag as we laughed hysterically. Eric would point at a piece of tissue, saying, "Get it, Louis!" and then Louis would rip the tissue out of the bag and shake it around.

When all of the tissue paper was removed, Eric proceeded with the wrapped box, which Louis helped with also! Eric tore a little piece of the paper from the wrapped present, and told Louis to "get it"... without hesitation, Louis took the torn piece in his mouth and took off with it, un-wrapping a large portion of Eric's gift! We were SO amused!! haha.

When the box was finally unwrapped, Eric read "Lucchese Classics" on the box and pretty much knew what to expect from there! He opened the box and quickly removed his new boots from their individually knitted boot sleeves, smiling from ear to ear! He tried them on and they were perfect. He had been wanting a pair of black boots, but we had a very difficult time finding any that did not have a really blunt, square toe, (apparently that's all the rage in western wear), but we prefer a more pointed or rounded toe. These were exactly what he had been looking for... and it only took me WEEKS to find them! haha!

I'm absolutely convinced that no matter what you have to go through to find the perfect gift for someone... it's all worth it in the end when you see them open it! I'm so glad he liked them.

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After opening the presents, we both got dressed and went to work, but we looked forward to our dinner plans all day! We had reservations at Texas de Brazil in downtown Fort Worth... YUM!

We made it to the restaurant at 7:45pm, which allowed just enough time to sit at the bar for a drink until our reservation time at 8:00pm. We enjoyed our delicious assortment of steak, chicken, lamb, pork, and other various meats... and made sure to save room for dessert!

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Since I'm from the family that I'm from, I always have to make birthdays as public as possible, so I was sure to tell our waiter that his birthday dessert must have a candle... and I brought my own just incase they didn't have any.

We ate until we thought we were going to have to be rolled to the car, and when we called it a night! I hope Eric enjoyed his birthday as much as I did, haha!

Ice, Ice, Baby!

...Alright, STOP!

No, I'm not just singing the lyrics to an old-school Vanilla Ice song... I'm literally telling Mother Nature to STOP! We've had enough of this freezing weather!! Here in Texas, we don't handle the cold well... and we've had it up to here with this ice and snow (mostly ice). Bring on the 110 degree heat, already!

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In the midst of all of the craziness that ensued with practically the entire state shutting down due to the freezing weather, Eric, the dogs, and I did have some fun outside in the snow.

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Here are some fun and beautiful pictures from our snow days...

Let’s just hope we don't see too many more! haha!

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The spoiled rotten baby of the family...

2.5 year old Toy Maltese
(and it's pronounced Louis... as in Vuitton.)

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Our loved-beyond-words old man...

7 year old Boston Terrier

Playing chase in the snow... Louis keeps Lucky young ;)

When they learned that the snow is edible!

The snow-eaters have been caught red-handed! haha!

In the backyard just before our snowball fight...

Our cute 1938 tudor-style home all covered in snow

Pretty, snow-covered Colonial Country Club
(this is where we had our wedding reception)

A beautiful canopy of trees along TCU's campus...

How beautiful is Fort Worth, Texas?!

I love it.

Rose Bowl Celebration at the DMC!

One beautiful Sunday afternoon in January,

6500 people gathered

to Celebrate TCU's Rose Bowl Victory!

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The celebration was held on January 16, 2011 at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on the TCU Campus, and it was open to the public. I had received several emails about the celebration in the weeks preceding the event, and I had nagged at Eric several times about going. We had no idea that the celebration would be so HUGE and AWESOME... and we're both SO glad that we decided to attend! It ended up being a really big deal!

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The coliseum was PACKED, and on the floor level there were several guests of honor... A few of which included: Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief, Chancellor Victor Boschini, Head Coach Gary Paterson and his wife, Athletic Director Chris Del Conte, several members of the Rose Bowl staff, state politicians that are graduates of TCU, news crews from every major news station, the TCU Showgirls, Cheerleaders, Band, and {best of all} the TCU Football team.

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It was such a nice way to honor the team and to show support. The emcee of the event recounted several memorable moments in the game, and then interviewed a few senior members of the team and Coach Gary Patterson.

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Additionally, the Rose Bowl Celebration was broad casted live on the Internet... so even though there were thousands in attendance, there were thousands more viewing the Celebration live!

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I hope the team and all of our Coaches know how proud we are!!

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Here are some pictures from the event, and then a link to a YouTube video that shows a clip of the Celebration:

Click here to view a YouTube video clip from the Celebration!
(Ps... the title of the video says Sunday, January 17th...

but that's wrong. haha.)