southern daze

i've moved

2011-04-21T08:38:00.000-05:00

Lots of moving lately! First from Louisiana to Ohio and now from Southern Daze to cinnamon & champagne! Yep, that's right - I have a brand new space to keep you up to date and you can check it out by clicking here. Hope to see you soon!

the fun part of moving

2011-02-03T20:29:00.004-06:00

Even before I knew for certain that we'd be moving I was already thinking about the moving announcements we'd send out. I came up empty-handed until Abbie sent me this cute option from Etsy...

I really like it and, until tonight, it was the front runner. But then I decided my hand would probably get super tired from writing out our new address over and over so I did some searching and found some other fun options.

This one is from tiny prints and I'm pretty smitten with the pop of green. Very springish, don't you think?

This one is from Minted and I'm totally crushing on the color combo + the font. I don't normally fall for things that are so classic but this one also quickly became a favorite.

Last but not least, is a favorite from Shutterfly. The pink + blue feels really cheerful and I adore the mailbox.

Now that we're getting closer to closing on our house I'd really like to finalize the design and get it crossed off my list. It can sit in a "saved file" and be ready to go as soon as we close. I'm all about being proactive when it comes to pretty paper!

What do you think - which looks most like me? which do you like best??

my day {saturday} in pictures

2011-02-01T12:04:00.000-06:00

Lee and I flew to Cleveland this past weekend so I could get a good look {in person} at what will {hopefully} be our new house. I won't lie, I was pretty anxious as we waited to board our flight out of Shreveport. Lots of the unknown going on and, to be honest, I don't do so well with that. It didn't help that our flight was delayed and it was questionable if we'd make our flight out of Houston. If not, we were looking at missing my chance to see the house that day and would have to wait until the next morning. Yeah, didn't love that.

Luckily we did make our connection but it required a very fast walk and no time for food or a potty break. Given we left our house at the crack of dawn we were starving. Thankfully you can still buy food on Continental. It may have been snacky food but at that point we were just happy to have something of semi-substance to munch on. As a bonus it even tasted pretty good!

After our "brunch/lunch" Lee took a little nap and I took that opportunity to finally (!!) start my master to do list for the move. I've been bogged down with denial and couldn't find the energy to get the list going. Figured no better time to get it started than while flying to our new city. It definitely helped. Now I just need to get working on it!

Landing in Cleveland. Brrrr.

Walking out to get our rental car. Gotta say, the Uggs were a fantastic choice! Never once were my feet anything less than warm + super cozy.

We had to kill a little time waiting for our realtor so, of course, we found ourselves in a Starbucks trying to get warm.

After seeing the house (those pictures will come later) we made a beeline for an early dinner (aka super late lunch) at a place we found on our trip in November...B Spot Burgers. It's located in a cute shopping area that has an Anthropologie, Sur la Table, Trader Joe's, Barnes & Noble, and a Penzeys Spices. Lee was excited about Penzeys and I was excited that all of this goodness is less than 5 miles from the house!

Dinner was sublime and I can honestly say I ate the best {gourmet} burger I've ever had. It was truly incredible. If you're ever at a Michael Symon restaurant and you have the opportunity to try his Lola Burger, do it! You won't regret it! Read more about B Spot here.

We followed up dinner with a cold walk around the shopping center and I got to do a little window shopping inside Anthropologie. I was a little disappointed with their home selections until I rounded the corner and saw the chair I've had a crush on for YEARS! It's no longer available online (that I've seen) so needless to say I was super happy to see it in the store. Although we have lots of space to fill, unfortunately, this piece is still not in our budget. At least I'll be able to visit it from time to time.

Our trip was good and I'll be sharing some pictures of the house soon. I adore the inside but the outside needs lots of love. We've already started talking about how to ratchet up its curb appeal - can't wait!

This next picture wasn't a part of our day on Saturday but it pretty much sums up how I feel after this trip...

january at a glance

2011-02-01T10:54:00.003-06:00

I can't believe January is already over! Lots of changes in our life this month & I'm so happy that I decided to document our life with a picture each day. If you're interested click here to see how our January looked. And if you want more info on each picture just click on the thumbnail and you'll see my comment from/about that day.

13 on thursday {cleveland edition}

2011-01-27T16:21:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've done one of these but figured there's no time like the present to jump back in...

1. We're moving...to Cleveland!! It's been in the works/up in the air for several months but this past week we learned it's a go...and super soon.

2. We put an offer on a house (Lee's seen it in person, me just the online version) & it was accepted! Not sure if my favorite part is the kitchen or the master closet...

3. With this move we're upgrading to a king size bed (my 6' 3" husband is thrilled!) Here are two beds that are currently calling to me...

4. I'm struggling with a ton of conflicting emotions - excited for (& proud of) Lee & looking forward to a new adventure but super sad to be leaving our home for the past {almost} 6 years. My life has been blessed with many wonderful people here and saying good-bye is going to be incredibly tough.

5. I enjoyed a fun girls night out on Tuesday with 3 of my closest friends here and, yes, a super potent (& way yummy) margarita may have been involved...

6. Not looking forward to the cold + snow of Cleveland.

7. Had the realization today that my cute flats & flip flops aren't going to cut it as footwear in the middle of winter in Cleveland so had to break down and invest in my first pair in Uggs.

It's taken me YEARS to come around on them. I used to think they were horrendously ugly & swore I would never, EVER, own a pair. Then I started to think they weren't awful. And then I saw the cutest pair of Ugg slippers and ended up being gifted them. I was completely won over from the first moment my feet snuggled up inside. Hopefully my new boots will help me successfully endure my first CLE winter.

8. Fairly certain I'm still in denial about the move. I've yet to make my master to do list (and I'm a total list maker!) and without that I feel like I'm stuck in the mud spinning my wheels.

9. Really not looking forward to the cold + snow of Cleveland. Although come summertime I'm sure I'll be pretty happy. (I realize I just reiterated #6 but that's to show how much I'm not looking forward to being cold.)

10. I've never lived in the midwest so this should be a very interesting adventure.

11. Happy with the proximity I'll be to her, her, her, her, NYC, and have high hopes that I'll get to Indianapolis to see the Colts play next year. Not to mention we'll be in the same town as Lee's super sweet cousin Lindsey! Lots of fun people to visit + places to see.

12. Not happy that we're making this move after Lebron James left the Cavs.

13. Need to come up with a new name for the blog!! Any ideas?

perfect

2011-01-25T16:47:00.002-06:00

This reminds me of my other post but this one can be downloaded and made into an 11x14 poster thanks to this sweet blogger. Yep, it's totally going up in our new house.

love it!

2011-01-21T18:26:00.002-06:00

I came across this on stephmodo this morning and can't get it out of my mind. Figured if it affected me so much it may have the same effect on you. Let me know what you think.

smitten

2011-01-18T17:12:00.002-06:00

I'm 100% head over heels in love with this kitchen featured in this month's House Beautiful. I tend to just flip through HB but as soon as I laid eyes on this perfect kitchen I immediately stopped. It's been laying on our counter for a week on this page and I can't help but fall in love every time I see it. Every. Single. Time.

::via HB

golden globe glamour

2011-01-16T19:28:00.004-06:00

I don't normally do posts on award show fashion but I couldn't resist tonight. There were a ton of gorgeous looks on the red carpet but here are a few of my favorites (although I'm sure many of you will disagree)...

Michelle Williams - While this is a very unusual choice I think she looks stunning. Although, really, there's not much she wouldn't look gorgeous in. Now if only Shreveport would get Blue Valentine. I'm dying to see it! [Her dress at the Oscars several years ago is still my favorite.]

Sandra Bullock - I'm not loving her bangs but there's something so beautifully romantic about her dress.

Kyra Sedgwick - Love this color and think it looks gorgeous on her.

Olivia Wilde - My favorite dress of the night. She's also rocking some gorgeous shoes underneath that amazing dress.

Colin Firth - Love him and think he looks quite dashing.

::all photos via tmz

project 365

2011-01-16T13:09:00.003-06:00

I decided to try "project 365" this year and take a picture each day to document our year. I think this was started to encourage people to practice their photography by taking a picture each day. So far I haven't used it to practice my photography so much, really just documenting our daily life with my phone. Given my current love of the instagram app I'm using that before uploading my pictures to flickr. If you're at all interested in checking out how my month looks so far all you have to do is click here.

I'll definitely be using my other cameras for this project but, so far, my iphone has provided the perfect convenience to get me snapping away.

::the above photo was taken january 11 as we enjoyed dinner with some friends who were sweet enough to share an amazing bottle of wine from their extensive collection with us

{virtual} shopping date

2011-01-11T14:27:00.002-06:00

Ok, my friends, I need your help. I have a Anthropologie gift card burning a hole in my pocket (thanks to my sweet MIL) and to make it even better I can save 15% off one purchase this month since it's my "birth month" (I have an Anthro card). Imagine we're shopping and I find myself torn between two things, both are very me yet really couldn't be more different. I'm totally stuck and need your help.

Would you try to talk me into buying the sweet owl cookie jar or the adorable cardigan sweater? Please tell me why. I need some serious advice here because buying both, unfortunately, is not an option.

new year: new age: new me

2011-01-09T15:28:00.000-06:00

It's been a busy week. Last Saturday we marked a new year and on Wednesday I turned a year older. I don't normally feel any wiser as my candles increase but this year is different, this year I feel a bit wiser and more aware. Aware of what is important, aware of what drains my energy, aware of the things I do that I probably shouldn't, aware that I have great things to accomplish {even though I don't yet know what they are}. While I don't expect to make huge, sweeping changes in my life I have decided to adopt a word in which most of what I try to do in 2011 will revolve around.

I was advised to not just haphazardly pick a word, but instead try a few on {so to speak} and see how they feel before committing. After reading Heather's post on her word of the year {for 2010}, one word immediately popped in my mind and for the past week I've thought about it a lot and used it to guide me. The word, my word for 2011, is SIMPLIFY. I'm hoping this will allow me to focus on what's important, let go of the habits that drain my inspiration & energy, and work to declutter all areas of my life.

::above photo by me using the instagram app on my iphone

a glimpse into our day

2011-01-02T19:10:00.002-06:00

I recently added the instagram app to my iphone and I'm addicted. So much so that I documented our day as we loaded up the car, checked the girls into their flight home, hung out at the airport, watched them board, and spent a lazy afternoon watching the Colts win...

As you can see, our day was filled with some sadness (Lee watches them board and stays to watch the plane fly away - breaks my heart each time!) and some serious unwinding time. I hope your day was filled with some relaxing moments as well!

Also: I've decided to jump on the "project 365" bandwagon now that I have a good camera phone and hope to share the link to my flickr account {where I'll be posting them} by the end of the week.

11 for 2011

2011-01-01T08:32:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Here are 11 things I'd like to focus on this year {in no particular order}...

1. actually use the recipes I tear out of magazines
2. use my collection of cookbooks for more than just a visual display
3. declutter!
4. organize my digital pictures & save them to an external drive
5. write at least one handwritten note per week
6. eat less gluten & become familiar with Mark Bittman's "food matters"
7. develop an exercise routine and do it!
8. practice photography {I'd especially like to work on bokeh}
9. see a movie (at the theater) at least once a month
10. read more {fiction or non-fiction, doesn't matter -- I'm open to any and all suggestions}
11. strengthen my relationship with God

:: letterpress coaster set from here and calendar from here

looking back {2010}

2010-12-31T17:22:00.000-06:00

It was impossible to pick a picture from each month that could sum up our entire year but I think I was able to do a fairly good summary...

JANUARY
We started eating healthier and enjoyed the results. Unfortunately, we got away from that later in the year. Must revisit this ASAP!

FEBRUARY
We saw several concerts this year but Gary Allan was my favorite. He definitely knows how to put on a great show - one of his band members wore a kilt, his dog made an unannounced appearance, and there's always a bottle of whiskey on stage.

MARCH
We did a ton of traveling but it all started over Spring Break when we visited my mom & step-dad and took the girls to Disneyland & CA Adventure.

APRIL
I took Nicole's Photo 101 class and played with my camera a lot. This one of Maggie remains one of my favorites.

MAY
We lost Lee's sweet grandmother {Mama Jane} and while our trip to NC was sad, it was also filled with many great family moments. This picture of David with the girls makes my heart melt each time I see it.

JUNE
We took full advantage of our farmer's market this year and consistently came home with some amazing fruit. The bunch above was used in a cobbler and tasted divine!

JULY
What an awesome month! I won a community "award" for my time volunteering at the children's hospital, got to wear an incredible sparkly necklace for the month, and played with my camera while visiting our families in Park City.

AUGUST
Did more baking and played with recipes I found online.
[This one's kinda lame but my photo choices from August were incredibly limited.]

SEPTEMBER
Traveled to Mexico where we celebrated Lee's birthday & had an early anniversary celebration.

OCTOBER
Got to spend a long weekend with the gals in my family & celebrated my grandmother's 85th birthday over a wonderful homemade meal.

NOVEMBER
Took a once-in-a-lifetime trip with some of the most incredible women and was baptized! This picture was snapped shortly after the baptism to text to Lee. Awesome.

DECEMBER
This month was filled with family & friends and, at least for me, there's nothing better.

Here's to remembering the good + the bad of 2010 and looking forward to all the possibilities 2011 holds. Happy New Year!!!

pics from carneros inn

2010-12-30T13:09:00.002-06:00

After breakfast at Boon Fly we walked around the grounds of The Carneros Inn. Oh how I love this place! One of my sweet blogging friends is hoping to stay here one day so I took some pics for her...

I highly recommend it if you're looking for a romantic getaway.

christmas in california

2010-12-30T09:27:00.011-06:00

Every other year Lee & I spend Christmas with my family in California and this was that year! I love my time visiting the town where I grew up and it was made even more fun this year because I got to have some girl time with a few of my favorite gals...

No trip home would be complete without a visit to Vasquez Deli. They seriously have the best mexican food I've ever had!

Can't believe how much my nephew has grown just since July!

Another spot that I crave is Boon Fly Cafe, located at the Carneros Inn in Napa...

Lee and I stayed here for our 1st anniversary and the location and food quickly found their way into our hearts. I'm thrilled that my sister lives only 45 minutes away & they love the doughnuts as much as we do so a trip over is always on the "must" list when we visit. When I took this I was purring like a contented kitty cat...

In addition to Lee & I, Joining us for this yummy breakfast were my dad, step-mom, grandpa, sister, brother-in-law, and nephew.

My sweet grandpa wore the hat Lee & I got him for Christmas last year - quite dapper, don't you think?

Christmas Eve day dawned to find me in my sister's newly renovated kitchen inaugurating her brand spanking new Wolf oven. I was pretty nervous but thrilled to get to use it. [Side note: her kitchen has been completely torn apart for almost 2 months. When I arrived it was still in complete disarray and not one appliance had been installed. Not exactly what you want to see when you're hosting Christmas dinner for 15!]

Given the craziness of the kitchen I opted to take a very easy route with Santa's cookies [hence the mix]...

I tried a new recipe for pumpkin pie [the one on the back of the organic pumpkin can] and it was phenomenal. Super full of pumpkin + spice flavor - yum!

I may be a little biased but I think they turned out rather pretty looking [although that may just be because they're on my sister's new granite countertops!]

Unfortunately none of my iphone pics of Christmas Eve turned out but it was such a special night. Every year we're in CA for Christmas we have a tradition of eating my step-dad's "famous" clam chowder for dinner. I seriously crave it! There was a little scare when my sister's kitchen was still under construction but it was finished in the nick of time! While my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew were enjoying time with the other side of their family, Lee & I enjoyed some awesome time with my mom, step-dad, grandma, and step-grandfather. We played cards, visited, and settled in to watch a serious Christmas classic...A Christmas Story. It was absolutely perfect!

Christmas morning started bright + early [just like I like it!] As you can tell, we like to fill everyone's stocking to the brim!

Normally I get a early morning pic with Lee but he wasn't sitting on the floor next to me like usual [his getting older tush can't take it!] so I snapped one of me and my favorite nephew. Oh how I love that kid [although he isn't a kid any longer -- he's taller than me!]

Due to the renovations going on in my sister's house [the replaced the floors in the downstairs & painted], they didn't get a large tree like normal. Instead, we got to decorate this cute little guy...

Christmas morning surrounded by my grandma {Jeanne}, step-grandfather {Gene}, and my step-dad {David}...

My mom {Sue} and sister {Carol} [posing with the super fun gag gift my mom got my sister -- trust me, LONG story]...

Brother-in-law {Keith}...

Lee + Jordan rocking the UNC look...

I'm happy to report I got one of Lee + I after all. Oh how I love this guy!

I had such a wonderful time surrounded by many of my absolute favorite people & feel super duper blessed because of it. I hope you all had a wonderful day with your favorites as well!

getting my groove back

2010-12-18T20:48:00.002-06:00

It's been way too long since my last post because, honestly, I just haven't been feeling it. There's been plenty to talk about but at the end of a long, crazy day I just didn't seem to have it in me to download pics and write. Sad, isn't it? Up until yesterday I hadn't baked a thing for the holidays or even watched a Christmas movie, and for me, that's WAY out of the norm. Don't get me wrong, I've definitely been feeling the holiday spirit...our house is decorated, gifts thoughtfully purchased, cards lovingly addressed, and a good dose of Christmas music can be heard blaring from our speakers on a regular basis...I just haven't had the energy to write about it.

Sure, I have a million excuses but they're no different than what everyone else is going through and yet they've had the time + energy to complete post after post. Apparently I'd fallen into some sort of funk and didn't know it. That all changed when I walked into our kitchen yesterday for an afternoon of creating sweet treats for our neighbors. Normally I deliver a smorgasbord of different cookies but this year I just wasn't feeling it {can you sense a theme?} so I reached out to an expert for some different ideas. She sent me links to some awesome ideas {here, here, here}, as well as giving me a wonderful list of others. In the end, after bouncing around from blog to blog, I ended up deciding to do a rather unusual gift idea. For most of you this time of year is filled with cold weather and lots of daydreaming of sunshine + warmth, for us in Louisiana it's filled with crazy, erratic weather...a few days in the 30's/40's and the next near 80 {I kid you not, this was my week}...and the inability to correctly dress ourselves in appropriate clothing. Anyway, I decided to embrace our weird weather and create a "Louisiana Winter Survival Kit" filled with things to keep you cool when it's warm {ice cream sundae fixin's} and warm your tummy when it's cold {hot cocoa}.

I made hot fudge {amazing, btw}, pecan praline sauce {also super yummy}, candy & sprinkle-dipped Oreos, and some incredibly decadent brownies...

Tempted by the brownie? No?! Let me give you another look...

Now you're craving some, aren't you? {Sorry but I couldn't resist.}

To this I added some yummy hot cocoa packets I found at World Market, individual packets of marshmallows, Christmas themed sprinkles, and some fun holiday napkins {not pictured}.

Not pictured are the kits I had to improvise when my first batch of pecan praline sauce didn't turn out so well since I got the pecans more than a bit too toasty, and didn't have enough corn syrup for an additional {3rd} batch. For those I {obviously} omitted the praline sauce but added a cute {small} glass dish that contained fun sprinkles, crushed oreos for another topping option, and instead of two candy-dipped Oreos on a stick I gave them several of the version without sticks. The boxes were filled up lickety split and I must confess, I was pretty happy with the results.

Another thing making me happy was having my "big" camera out & playing around with it. Just having it in my hand made me smile and I slowly felt myself turning back into "me" - it was a wonderful feeling! Apparently baking + photography are two things that make me smile big time!

Oh sweet camera, how I've missed you!

It also made me super happy to get a quick label made so we could deliver these to our sweet neighbors/friends.

Here they are ready to brighten someone's day. It's always so much fun delivering these. I just wish I could have figured out a way to put some ice cream in there as well!

Hope you're having a great holiday season and find yourself gettin' your groove on!

thanksgiving {a little overdue}

2010-11-29T21:22:00.005-06:00

My dad and step-mom flew in from CA to celebrate Thanksgiving with us. We haven't had visitors for Thanksgiving since our first year in Shreveport so it was wonderful to have family here to share it with. We tried to keep it fairly simple but we still ended up with WAY more food than we needed {as a matter of fact, we had leftovers for dinner again tonight - so good!}

See those sourdough rolls? They were brought from CA because I had a craving for sourdough and the stuff here just doesn't taste the same. They even brought extra so we'd have some in the freezer the next time the craving hit. Love it!

This is my dad & step-mom, Linda. Although she's looking down I still love this picture because of the smile my dad has on his face. Love it. We learned while they were here that this is the first time they've traveled out of state for a holiday. It was so great to have them here. Fun times were definitely had {more on that in a future post}.

Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without dessert. This year I went with a crowd favorite and a new-to-me recipe. Both were hits and, yes, I'm being tempted to finish them off now that I see this picture.

I hope everyone out there had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

words to live by

2010-11-26T22:11:00.000-06:00

So very true.

::found here

13 on thursday {calendar edition}

2010-11-18T07:39:00.009-06:00

Thought today I'd share with you some more calendars that have caught my eye. Can't say they're all my style but I do think they're all pretty cool. Love that there are so many awesome calendars out there but it makes it VERY hard to choose. Pretty soon I'll have to whittle down my list to a very select few and I know that's going to be extremely hard to do.

kitty rogers {$16}

Red Red Orange {$20}

Colette Paperie {$16.50}

deKanimal {$25}

Sarah Parrott {$5}

Cat Seto {$21.95}

ilee {$22}

Gabrielle Kai {$25}

oodles of color {$20}

Natalie French {$30}

Michelle Smith {$25}

graphic grain {$10}

minted {$29 for standard size, $39 for grand size}

Where's your favorite source for calendars? Do you have a favorite for 2011 yet? How many do you buy each year?

fun gift ideas {random etsy selection}

2010-11-15T07:43:00.000-06:00

Between decompressing from all of the "up in the air" stuff and dealing with a little stomach bug on Saturday, I've been spending way more than my fair share of time on etsy. The good news is, I've found some pretty cute stuff that may make somebody you know pretty happy.

personalized stationery gift set {$42}

personalized family market canvas tote bag {$22}

gorgeous hand thrown mug {$40}

adorable cotton zip pouch {$15}

business trip + snow {cleveland}

2010-11-13T19:04:00.000-06:00

Last week I tagged along with Lee on a business trip. I haven't done that in quite awhile but thought this one would be fun. It was to a city I'd never been {Cleveland} and figured fall splendor would be in full swing. Given we were still experiencing temps in the high 80's I was all over a little fall foliage. It's also where one of Lee's cousins lives and I was excited about having dinner with her and her "newly wed" husband. Figured it would be a definite "win-win."

I began to rethink that when we got to our rental car and found this...

It was actually sitting like this when we got to the car. I knew there were snow flurries in the forecast {we learned that shortly before we left} but wasn't not prepared for how cold it got...quickly. I thought I came prepared by bringing my wool coat & scarf but given the newest weather forecast {super cold weather} we made a quick trip to Target so I could buy a hat & gloves.

Lee had a dinner meeting to attend that night so I spent my evening working on a Christmas photo project and enjoying this adorable mini bottle of Chandon. It was the first time I'd seen a plastic champagne cork!

The following morning Lee had to head out early for some more meetings and this is what greeted us when we looked out the window...

After living in Lake Tahoe for several years I learned that most weather forecasts {that deal with snow} aren't correct so I really hadn't counted on actually getting snow that stuck. Ugh. So much for pretty fall foliage!

As I continued to work on my Christmas project, it continued to snow. I was seriously shocked. My visions of strolling around some fun shops after Lee's meetings began to fade. I continued to hold out hope that it would stop but it wasn't looking good.

Once Lee got back I bundled up and got ready to head out into the winter wonderland {please excuse the poor quality photos but I only had my iphone}...

This look with a hat is fairly new to me {I didn't even wear one when I lived in Lake Tahoe}. What do you think, can I pull it off? Guess it doesn't really matter given we get snow in Shreveport on average once every 5 years.

This is how it looked when we checked out of the hotel {we moved to downtown for our second night}. Snow all around and continuing to come down.

Not happy after our short walk to the car. Cold, wet, and covered in snow. Not sure how those of you with super cold winters do it!

Lunch at Michael Symon's B Spot definitely hit the spot. We started with the most amazing milkshake {chocolate banana marshmallow} and added to it a very yummy burger and fries...

I stepped out of my comfort zone and tried the burger that was recently voted the #1 burger in America at the 2010 South Beach Food & Wine Festival, the "Fat Doug." Lee indulged his love of spicy food by getting the "Red Hot" and we both enjoyed the "Lola Fries" -- super yum!

From there we did a little shopping and I had the chance to smell those gorgeous candles I talked about here. As a matter of fact, I loved them all but couldn't resist buying this one as my souvenir. Given the white stuff outside I think it was pretty fitting, don't you? [Mom: the other two, Toasted Marshmallow & Winter Moss are still on my wish list.]

Isn't this walkway a fun mix of fall leaves & snow?

Not sure I've ever seen quite this mix before. I was pretty smitten and had to whip out my phone to capture the memory. Not sure why but I kinda love it.

We stumbled upon this cute restaurant for dinner that night and loved everything about it...the atmosphere, food, and drinks! The perfect end to a cold & snowy day.

The next morning was clear as could be. Hard to believe we had so much snow the day before.

We did more shopping that day and then had a fun dinner at Lolita with Lee's cousin. It was super fun to get to know her and her husband better and the food was amazing!

Even though I didn't get to enjoy the fall splendor like I'd hoped, it was a fun trip and I'm happy to say I can cross the state of Ohio off the list of places I've yet to visit.

words to live by

2010-11-12T06:03:00.001-06:00

Love this one. From here.

"window shopping" {etsy edition}

2010-11-10T23:02:00.001-06:00

There's a lot going on in our lives right now but, unfortunately, I'm not able to talk about it here {yet}. Nothing to worry about and, no, there are no babies in our future...just a lot of things up in the air. As a stress reliever I've found myself doing some mindless internet "window shopping" on etsy lately.

While they aren't my style I find these vintage whale napkin rings absolutely adorable! Aren't they super cute?

Again, not necessarily my style but who knew owl trivets from the 50/60's were so darn cute?!

These letterpress holiday tags are totally up my alley! LOVE. LOVE. LOVE.

The most adorable elves I've ever seen {nicely done, Lindsey!} These make me wish I wasn't so on the ball this year. Hmmm...maybe I should have a stash of these cuties for next year?

I bet this pine & lavender pillow smells incredible. Not sure there are two more perfect smells, although I've never really thought about pairing them together.

These remind me of something I'd drool over in Anthropologie. Aren't they gorgeous?

words to live by

2010-11-05T06:25:00.000-05:00

::from here

13 on thursday {bookmarked edition}

2010-11-04T10:28:00.002-05:00

I'm using today's "13" as a place to compile some things that have recently caught my eye. Who knows, maybe something here will prove to be the perfect thing for one of your beloved family members or friends.

1. The most adorable cupcake stands ever! {This one has been bookmarked for awhile but they continue to rank pretty high on the adorable factor.}

2. A fun way to ensure you get the perfect size crust every time. This probably isn't necessary for those who have already perfected their crust technique but for those novices out there {like me} this looks pretty handy. {Flip it over and it's a cutting board.}

3. I was pretty smitten when I saw this at Renegade in Chicago and just happened to stumble across it on Etsy yesterday. Isn't it adorable? {I do realize my love of calendars is now bordering on an obsession.}

4. The color of this caught my eye immediately and I regret that such warmth is not needed in Louisiana in the winter. Just for the sake of fun, if I needed a warm hat do you think I could pull it off?

5. I love pretty much everything in this shop but right now this personalized stationery stamp is calling my name. Think of everything you could do with this - the options are endless!

6. This initial stamp is also pretty cute.

7. Real Simple is one of my favorite magazines and for a very limited time {I think it runs through Saturday} you can get a year subscription for only $10! Total deal/steal.

8. Gorgeous holiday candles abound at Anthropologie {no surprise there}. Right now I'm totally loving this one but can't decide between Falling Snow or Toasted Marshmallow. I normally don't spend much on candles but at Christmas I indulge and enjoy the amazing scent throughout the entire holiday season. Guess I'll need to get to an Anthro stat so I can smell them in person and make a decision.

9. I've had a little crush on Tyler Florence since my days in Tahoe when I was just getting started with Food Network. I've not cooked many of his recipes but the few I have earned rave reviews. His new cookbook looks to offer a good mix of recipes, personal stories, and gorgeous photography.

10. While we're on the subject of food. Check out these yummy cookies.

11. And the drool worthy holiday flavors over at Vosges.

12. These {in teal} would be the perfect match to the hat from above. Too bad it very rarely snows in Shreveport.

13. These are gorgeous and make me swoon every time I see them. Unfortunately, I'd probably be afraid to wear them.

What things are catching your eye these days?

awesome trip {north carolina}

2010-11-02T15:14:00.000-05:00

Each year we make a trip to North Carolina to see the girls and visit Lee's family. This year we coordinated the trip around seeing Jordan cheer {she made the JV squad this year} and had a fun {albeit cold} time. Unfortunately her team didn't win {they're winless for the year} but we loved watching her shine.

I'd be lying if I said that watching her didn't bring back lots of memories from my days cheering. Talk about a long time ago!

I got to see one of my best friends {Sharon} while in the area and although our visit was super short, it was better than nothing. She was one of the first people I met when I moved to North Carolina in 2001 and we've been friends ever since. Love her!

On Saturday we headed to Chapel Hill to cheer for Lee {and Lee's dad's} alma mater ~ UNC Tarheels. It turned out to be homecoming weekend so it was the perfect time to visit.

We did some shopping on Franklin Street before the game and the girls decided to ham it up for the camera. Don't worry, they didn't buy anything from this shop {that's a leather-esque mini dress}.

While walking down Franklin St. I saw this adorable bakery and convinced Lee & Natalie {ok, so Nat didn't need any convincing!} that we needed to go in and check it out.

Look at the amazing mosaic entry way! So clever & gorgeous.

The inside was pretty cute too and before I knew it Lee was buying 6 cupcakes to share with our group at the homecoming tailgate. Weren't they cute...

Not only were they cute but there were one of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten. Seriously. I'd only wanted a bite after filling up on bbq & coleslaw but before I knew it I'd eaten an entire half {and could have eaten more if I allowed myself}.

Lee's brother David LOVES the band and, quite honestly, is probably the highlight of the game for him. Here he is with the band in the background.

Lee with his dad, sister, brother, brother-in-law, and daughter. Such a fun picture!

It's been awhile since Lee's captured me with the girls. Love it! Not sure I love that I'm almost the shortest in the pic but love them dearly. They're growing into beautiful young women. Whoa! When did that happen? {They were 6 & 3 when I met them and 8 & 5 when we got married.}

This is one of my favorite pics from the weekend because there are so few pictures of just Natalie & I. Love!

Lee's little girl isn't quite so little any more. Before we know it she'll be in college!!!

David got a kick out of hugging & posing with the mascot, Ramses. It was fun to watch!

The historic Bell Tower on the UNC campus. It was a truly gorgeous day. Loved the Carolina Blue sky!

Lunch was fantastic and made my belly VERY happy! I had to laugh though when I tweeted this picture because Leslie commented on the verbiage "pig pickin's." I didn't notice it at first but I must admit, it's a pretty funny thing to read, especially when you're not from/have lived in the South. The food was incredible and the sweet tea was exactly how it was supposed to be - yum!

Speaking of "yum" the cupcakes from Sugarland made everyone smile...

Inside the stadium where we {luckily} won the game, 21-17. It wasn't pretty at all and, in fact, we didn't take the lead until about 5 minutes before the end of the game.

It may have been an exhausting day but it was super fun and worth every minute!

words to live by

2010-10-29T06:31:00.000-05:00

"You are enough. There's no need to waste energy in trying to be someone else. No one is better than you. What you do best, is being you."

--Ralph Marston {via twitter}

I don't remember how I started following Ralph Marston on Twitter but I love his daily words of encouragement. So many of them make me stop and think and, most times, I feel wiser because of them. I saw this quote on Tuesday and immediately knew it needed to be shared as "words to live by." I hope they help you like they helped me.

In case you're interested he also has a blog called The Daily Motivator.

13 on thursday {fall photo edition}

2010-10-28T08:07:00.001-05:00

As I type this {on Wednesday afternoon} it's 90 degrees outside. Seriously. 90 degrees! While the heat may still be on in this section of the country I did my best over the weekend to channel a little fall feel in our house. I'm not a huge fan of Halloween so I tend to keep our fall decor simple enough that it will flow seamlessly into Thanksgiving. Let's see how you think I did...

The light was pretty bad so you can't see the fun flowers we planted in pots in the front of the house {boo} but you can see the hard work my mom & David put into replacing + painting the wood pieces back in May. I sure do wish I had a "before" to share with you but, sadly, I don't. Huge thanks {again} to my mom and step-dad for all of their hard work!!

Welcome!

These mums were my bunko gift this month - love how they go with our bench.

Simple, yet classic, mantle decor. I made myself take pictures so I wouldn't forget this year's version since it's our new favorite. I always think I'm going to remember but I never do.

I like this angle because you can see the curtains my mom helped me hang back in May as well. Thanks to her our dining room finally feels finished. Thanks mom!

Above and below is a little touch of fall on our coffee table. Nothing big but enough to make it feel cozy inside.

Sweet Maggie watching me take pictures. I know you've seen similar versions of this picture but I couldn't help post another. Love her eye color!

This is my favorite of the bunch. Not only do I love the color combo of the plant + pot but I think the rock looks a little bit like a heart. Seems fitting since a whole lot of love went into bring a small touch of fall to our home.

Happy {almost} Weekend!

gifting cuteness {sundance}

2010-10-25T09:00:00.003-05:00

In an effort to get rid of the quickly growing stack of catalogs I spent a little time this weekend going through them. Several things caught my eye in the newest Sundance Catalog...

Mercury Glass Initial Ornaments

These would be sweet on your tree, hanging across the mantle or in a window spelling out holiday sentiments, or even as a fun gift topper with the recipient's initial[s]. So many ideas sprang to mind that I just had to share. Apparently I'm not the only one given their current backordered status. Not to worry, though, they're set to be back in stock on 11/12.

Beyond Teddy Bears

These adorable little creatures immediately stole my heart. Unfortunately, the one I love the most [elephant] isn't pictured online. I can see these little guys becoming the favorite toy of many sweet kids this Christmas. They also have a zebra, cheetah, donkey, and a fat tiger available. Too cute!

Oversized Red Letter Mug

I love these as a fun option for co-workers, a favorite neighbor, or your child's teacher. Fill them with coffee beans, candy, tea, hot chocolate, cute little cookies, or even a little potted plant/flowers. So many ideas for this. Again, I must not be the only one since they are also backordered. They're set to be in stock on 11/16 so there will still be plenty of time to order for your holiday festivities.

What is your favorite hostess-type gift for the holidays? Do you have a go-to source? I'd love to hear so leave any ideas you have in comments. I'm always on the lookout for a cute/easy/clever way to make people smile.

girls trip {san diego}

2010-10-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

My trip to San Diego with my mom, sister, grandma, aunt, and cousin last weekend {in pictures [mostly from my iphone]}...

My sister & I. The weekend included a lot of comfy clothes & champagne.

Instead of booking multiple hotel rooms we went in together and rented a beautiful house. I took this while standing in the pool and looking toward the hot tub. Check out that fountain - amazing!

Another view of the pool & hot tub. I'm not usually a huge hot tub gal but this one was incredible - absolutely huge and so beautiful. All six of us hung out here the first night and is a memory I'll likely not forget for a very long time.

My sister & I enjoying a morning dip in the pool. This {to me} was one of the coolest features of the house...total indoor/outdoor living. This entrance to the pool is literally a step outside of the living room. Incredible.

My mom & sister. We spent much of Saturday playing International Rummy, drinking bloody mary's and champagne, and catching up with each other - absolutely lovely!

Sunflowers we picked up for my grandma. Loved how they brightened the gray skies we had over the weekend. They instantly made the living room feel warm & cozy.

We watched lots of chick flicks - Two Weeks Notice {above}, The Devil Wears Prada, Wedding Date, and Hairspray. [The reason I took this picture is because I fell for its size & clarity and wanted to show Lee -- I was not taking a picture for the sake of remembering the movie. Promise!]

My adorable Aunt Judy and cousin, Debbie. Don't they look identical?!

Our wild & crazy bunch!

Saturday night dinner made by the grandkids {Carol, Debbie, and I}. Pork roast with prosciutto & rosemary, potatoes, spinach salad, and apple-cinnamon cake - yum!

Sunday morning we splurged and took grandma to brunch at Hotel del Coronado in the crown room. Here are the birthday girls under their crown.

Not the greatest picture but I love the look of all the crowns.

Before we gorged ourselves we posed for a quick picture [this one is from my mom's camera]. I'm hoping someone got a better shot than this since the only one that looks like she's having fun is my aunt!

The food was INCREDIBLE! Pretty much anything & everything you could ever want is available and I'll admit this was the first of three "rounds." I didn't want to miss out on anything. Don't worry, I wasn't a "clean plater" - just wanted to taste it all.

The birthday girls were surprised with a dessert plate and the singing of "Happy Birthday." Since there were so many other tempting dessert options our sweet server boxed them up for us to take home.

Round 4 for me was this dessert sampler platter. I promise you I shared most of it and only sampled each option. The only things I ate all of were the strawberries in Grand Marnier and the macaroons {they were the best I've ever had!}

I grabbed this quick shot of Hotel del from valet as we were leaving.

Since we pushed our bellies to the limit at brunch we ate a later dinner of appetizers made by my mom and aunt - delicious!!

As we were cleaning up the next morning we found an almost empty champagne bottle...

...and I decided we couldn't possibly waste it. [No idea what I'm doing with my hand - weird.]

We had a great weekend and I'm so blessed to have been able to spend time with these amazing ladies. Here's to another trip sooner as opposed to later!

13 on thursday {a day late}

2010-10-22T16:54:00.004-05:00

Sorry for the delay!

1. I've been MIA since last Thursday because I spent a long weekend in San Diego celebrating the birthdays of these lovely ladies (my aunt & grandma). For the past several years the women in my family have celebrated my grandma's birthday with a girls trip (every other year or so). We haven't done it in about 3 years so it was a definite priority this year (my grandma turned 85). Given they share the same birthday it's a big time celebration. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful & loving family. {More on this trip over the weekend.}

2. This Apple Cake is so good! I made it for my grandma over the weekend and then again four days later at home since I was hosting bunko. It received RAVE reviews from both audiences and, bonus, it's from Cooking Light! The first time I made it I used Honeycrisp apples and the second time I used Braeburn. While both versions were good I highly suggest using Braeburn. I also served it with cinnamon cool-whip the second time and highly suggest that as well. My belly is growling just thinking about it!

3. I finally tried the new pretzel m&ms this week and became an instant addict. I purchased them to serve at bunko and it's a miracle there were any left. Holy cow are they good [and I'm not even a huge fan of pretzels!]

4. My pants have ceased to fit properly [hmmm...wonder why] so yesterday on facebook I put it out there that for the next week I'm going to cut out sweet treats, begin to exercise again, and watch my portion size. I figured that would help hold me accountable. So far, so good. I walked 3 miles yesterday wearing my "super shape-up shoes" and can definitely feel it today. I'm taking that as a good sign.

5. This is Lee's anniversary gift from me. It's a picture from each of our annual anniversary trips. All the pictures are mine except the gorgeous center picture of the Brooklyn Bridge [which is by the incredibly talented Lindsey and can be found here]. We love to travel and have so enjoyed these trips so I thought what a better way to celebrate our anniversary than by reliving each trip. TOP ROW [L-R]: {year 1} barn at Frog's Leap Winery [Napa, CA], {year 2} fountain at Forsyth Park [Savannah, GA], {year 3} beach & Shutters hotel [Santa Monica, CA]; MIDDLE ROW [L-R]: {year 4} spa at Ojai Valley Inn & Spa [Ojai, CA], {year 6} brooklyn bridge {NYC, NY}, {year 5} Santa Barbara courthouse {Santa Barbara, CA}; BOTTOM ROW [L-R]: {year 7} Esperanza {Los Cabos, Mexico}; note to Lee; {year 7} Esperanza {Los Cabos} -- the bottom two will be replaced with a picture from year 8 & 9.

6. My tan is fading and that makes me sad.

7. I have the best friends!

8. I embraced my naturally curly hair today and actually went out looking like this [this happens very, very rarely].

9. Remembered today why it's never a good idea for me to go to Target when I don't really need anything. Lee needed a prescription filled so I took it in for him and then had to wait for 30 minutes. I proceeded to just wander and look around but before I knew it I had $40 worth of merchandise in my hands! I really shouldn't be allowed in Target without a chaperon [did I spell that right?]

10. What the heck?! That's exactly what I asked myself as I rounded a corner while killing time in Target. Seriously?! Is there truly an need for adult footie pj's with a sock monkey and other crazy animals on them? Apparently so.

11. Several years ago Lee was given a Lobster Gram as a gift and I'm excited to say we're finally going to enjoy our steak & lobster dinner tonight. It was delivered yesterday and we have a four course meal waiting for us...clam chowder, lobster cakes, filet & lobster tail, and a chocolate heart cake. Yum! Thank you again, Sarah!

12. I ordered our Christmas cards super early this year [very unlike me!] and they arrived this week. I absolutely love them!! They're a rather unusual color combo and have pictures of our kitties on the back. For the first time in our family history they're being included on our family card. [Yes, I realize this could potentially qualify me as a crazy cat lady but I don't care.]

13. Saw these ADORABLE cupcakes on A Little Sussy yesterday and was instantly smitten. If I wasn't on a sugar detox I'd have made them already. Can't wait to whip them up one day and surprise the hospital staff I "work" with. I'm thinking they'll bring huge smiles. {photo by Nicole Hill Gerulat}

13 on thursday

2010-10-14T09:50:00.001-05:00

1. Excited to be heading to San Diego this weekend to celebrate my grandma's 85th birthday. This is the third time the gals in my family have made a weekend out of it and I'm looking forward to some good quality girl time. I'll be with my grandma {obviously}, mom, sister, aunt, and cousin. Let the good times begin!

2. I'm hosting bunko a day after I get home so today will be spent doing some serious cleaning in preparation for 12 women descending on my happy abode.

3. Learning who my true friends are these days. Sad to see some aren't as real as I thought but happy to know the truth.

4. Spent my time at the hospital yesterday helping them get ready for their big Halloween celebration and feeding the sweetest little baby girl. While in the NICU I thought a lot about Abbie and her sweet baby, Finley. Really hoping & praying that he continues to get bigger & stronger so he can go home soon.

5. Had a lovely, relaxing evening at home for our anniversary celebration. Lee was in charge of taking care of dinner and fed me a yummy filet, twice-baked potato, and asparagus. He even followed it up with a variety of cupcakes {one of which was "wedding cake" - how fitting!} He knows me so well.

6. Hoping to come up with a similar cleaning plan to Heather's. I really need to find a way to stay on top of the mess that we {somehow} make. Seriously, you wouldn't think that two people + two cats could cause such a mess!

7. Currently reading Freedom and having a hard time getting through it. Some parts have been quick page turners and others have been really hard. Holding out on my opinion until I finally finish. Has anyone read it? Did you like it?

8. Loving this new color from Le Creuset. Isn't it pretty?

9. Tried a new OPI color for my mani/pedi and don't think I'm liking it all that much. What's your favorite nail color for Fall?

10. We're still playing catch up on our favorite shows from being gone and I'm bummed that I've yet to see John Stamos on Glee. For those of you that regularly watch, how's he doing? Hot as ever??

11. Need to find a fun/fancy dress for a big fundraiser event in December. I'm taking any & all suggestions and would love to see any links you want to throw my way. This is the one I wore last time.

12. Really need to have our carpets cleaned but not looking forward to the mess those guys make in the process. Have any of you rented one of the machines yourself? Are they hard to use?

13. Excited to plan Thanksgiving this year {my dad and step-mom are visiting} and already have Christmas cards on my mind. I hope I'm not the only one thinking ahead!

That's it for me. What's going on in your life?

7 years ago today...

2010-10-12T04:41:00.000-05:00

...I married my best friend and the love of my life. Things haven't always been easy but, you know what, I'm thankful for that. Struggling through the challenges wasn't fun or easy but, ultimately, they've brought us closer together and have allowed us to create an even stronger bond. Lee put it best in the love letter he gave me last year on our anniversary, "We are on a journey TOGETHER! That doesn't mean it will always be easy or without challenge, but knowing that we will always do it together is the best feeling I know."

He is my partner, my love, and my best friend. I love him with everything I have and as I think back to our wedding day I'm overwhelmed with feelings of joy. Because we wanted to get married surrounded by the splendor of fall color we planned the wedding in a matter of five months {I must have been crazy!} Even though it was planned relatively quickly it was perfect. Everything about that day represented us and I'm so thankful we were able to share that joy with our family & friends. I still laugh remembering how our photographer called us the "kissingest couple" she'd ever known {love that!}

Thank you, Lee, for being the most amazing husband. I knew I was a lucky girl seven years ago when I said "I do" but I had no idea just how lucky + blessed I truly was. Thank you for being my partner and for always being on my team. I love you so very much!

::photo by regina holder

more calendar love {sweet fine day}

2010-10-10T12:40:00.003-05:00

You know how I love their sweet treats and now they have a calendar with some of their most beautiful photos. It was definitely love at first sight and I'm beginning to wonder how I'm going to be able to narrow down my calendar choices for 2011.

words to live by

2010-10-08T06:25:00.002-05:00

"NEVER FORGET YOUR SUNGLASSES WHEN YOU'RE HEADED ON A BEACH VACATION"

...because you'll quickly learn the terminal you're flying out of in Houston doesn't sell any sunglasses and you'll be forced to spend WAY more than you thought humanly possible at the resort at which you are staying. After hearing the total you'll then feel so guilty that you'll tell your sweet husband that you'll gladly accept them as an anniversary gift because you know he hasn't had time to think of one and you hope it will erase the mountain of guilt you feel because you forgot your sunglasses when you were headed on a beach vacation! And, oh yeah, you have new sunglasses at home that were purchased on your summer trip. Seriously, who DOES that?! Um, yeah. That would be yours truly. {insert huge kick in the arse here}

What do you think, were they worth it? Not sure I can say they were but I must admit this shot [which was captured immediately after purchasing said anniversary gift] is one of my new favorites!

los cabos {dinner on a cliff}

2010-10-07T13:34:00.002-05:00

I'm fairly certain by now y'all are sick of seeing pictures from our vacation but given this is my way of remembering trips & sharing with my family, I'm gonna have to post these last few [please don't continue if you're tired of seeing paradise - don't worry, I won't hold it against you].

The resort where we stayed has a restaurant that has tables overlooking the Sea of Cortez. I saw various pictures on their website and was pretty smitten so I made a reservation for us for the second night of our stay. Lee wasn't exactly looking forward to it given it came with a "no shorts policy" and I was a bit nervous after reading some not-so-excellent reviews of the food. However, once we arrived on property and feasted our eyes on the setting neither one of us was hesitant and, in fact, we both began to really look forward to it.

Check out the picture below and tell me you wouldn't have been excited too...

I heard they reserved the best tables for those who planned ahead and made reservations and I can honestly say it was the best view we've EVER had. We had an unobstructed view of the sea and when you looked straight down you could actually almost feel the spray from the waves crashing against the rocks.

A sweet couple offered to take our picture and other than my hair having a funny spot where it was scrunched up against Lee, I think it's pretty darn nice. [Well that and my flabby arm - hmm...maybe I should have Tracie work her photoshop magic on that.] Hard to believe as I'm typing this that just a little over a week ago this is where we sat. Ahhh...

Other than my dessert [more on that later], I didn't love my food but with a view like this, who's gonna complain...

Not me, that's for sure. The above picture was taken as I looked directly down from where we sat. It really was pretty incredible.

And the sunset wasn't so bad either.

Cheers to you all for putting up with my plethora of vacation shots.

I wish for you the chance to visit a place that truly speaks to your heart & soul. Once you do, it will stay with you forever!

13 on thursday {los cabos iphone edition}

2010-10-07T06:06:00.001-05:00

I thought it would be fun for the second edition of "13 on thursday" to be iphone photos I took while on vacation [I know it's getting old but please bear with me].

1. Our view from our spot on Day 2. In love. Didn't want to move.

2. Lee on Day 2 enjoying said view & reading. Very relaxed. That made me very happy.

3. Day 2 view from our perch [this time looking left]. Continued to be very smitten with both the view and my handsome hubby.

4. Tried to capture our bliss with my iphone. Not so easy to do [thereby explaining my funny + confused look].

5. The view from our casita on Day 3 [aka Lee's b-day]. Not a shabby way to wake up, no?

6. Breakfast was AMAZING every day [and bonus, it was included in our rate]. This is what Lee ate on his 44th birthday. Turned out to be his absolute favorite breakfast. Nice timing on his part.

7. My breakfast on his birthday [I had to help celebrate, right?] Hard to imagine but I actually moved the whipped cream aside [my mom will cringe when she reads that] and couldn't finish it. Very surprising given my love of sugar + carbs. And the smoothie you see in the corner? I became addicted to them on our trip. Learned on morning 2 that mango/papaya smoothies are a GREAT way to start the day. WAY yum!

8. Our view on Day 3 [Lee's b-day]. We spent most of the day here reading, napping, eating, and drinking. He decided that was a pretty perfect way to spend his birthday. I think I may have created some unrealistic expectations for the years to come.

9. Horrible picture from the book down [he looks like a beached whale & is so not as large as the angle makes him look!] but I love the contented look on his face so I had to share [he's cringing right now if he's reading this]. Guess it's one way to find out if he's still reading the blog.

10. The spa was another highlight of our vacation and by looking at this outdoor shower I think you can see why. I had a spa treatment on 2 days which resulted in 4 showers. Love.

11. If you follow me on twitter you know this was another one of my highlights. Seriously the BEST churros I've ever had [and Disneyland has some pretty good ones]. I may or may not have consumed these for dessert 3 out of the 5 nights we were there. Guess that explains why it's all about recipes from Cooking Light this week.

12. View from our spot on the last day. Please don't judge me by the pina colada you see. While Mexico is clearly for drinking tequila, I learned very quickly that real tequila kicks my butt and I had to resort to something a bit more doable. I quickly learned that it may not be the tequila that was kicking my butt but the heavy pour from the bartenders. Cheers!

13. Tune in tomorrow for "words to live by" for a very important tip I learned on this trip. Any guesses what that might be?

los cabos {sea of cortez & pools}

2010-10-06T06:49:00.003-05:00

There was no shortage of gorgeous places to spend our day. We opted to use the pool on the hotel side most days but one afternoon we did venture over to the residence side to use the one with a swim-up bar...

The setting was pretty spectacular but we still liked "ours" better...

The top infinity pool provided the most amazing view over the lower pool & out to the Sea of Cortez. I proclaimed I'd found my "happy spot" and would happily stay there for the rest of our vacation. Lee decided to document it for me [that speck is, in fact, me]...

Another "happy spot" of ours at this same pool came in the form is this...

We spent two days enjoying that exact view on that double lounge chair. The pool was behind us and since there were only two other loungers to the left of us we had a pretty sweet [and semi-quiet] spot.

This was right before we bid adieu to "our" spot and headed back to the room to pack and put aloe on Lee's sunburn & anti-itch medicine on my heat rash. So thankful we did well with our sun exposure until our last day. On our honeymoon I was sunburned & suffering from heat rash after our first day!

Although we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the pools, it was the view of the Sea of Cortez that really stole our hearts. It wasn't recommended that we actually get in due to the rockiness, the undercurrent & possibility of sea urchins but that didn't matter, the view alone was enough to melt away any stress & make you relish in the moment.

The sound of the crashing waves never got old. If I close my eyes I'm immediately transported back and can hear the waves crashing over the rocks & smell the sea spray in the air. Talk about an instant stress reliever! Seriously, try it. I bet it brings a smile to your face.

We were both mesmerized by the sea and could have spent hours upon hours just taking it all in. Truly the most stunning location we've ever been blessed to experience.

Time for audience participation - what are some of your favorite locations? Have you ever been awed by the landscape? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

los cabos {lee's birthday}

2010-10-05T06:12:00.000-05:00

The main reason for our trip was to celebrate our anniversary [Oct. 12] but due to timing it worked out better to travel the last week of September. Lucky for Lee that meant he'd get to celebrate his birthday in paradise. And paradise it was.

He loves to swim and 3 mornings a week he heads to a local gym before the crack of dawn to swim laps. Although we were on vacation he opted to start most mornings off with a swim [for the pure pleasure of it] and his birthday morning was no different. After opening the one gift remaining from his birthday week we both headed out into the early morning calm - he to swim and me to take pictures. It was perfect. [At the end of our trip he said one of the highlights for him was to swim laps with the Sea of Cortez right over his shoulder. Needless to say I was thrilled upon downloading my pictures and seeing this one.]

After his swim we went to breakfast and then lounged all day by the pool. We read a little, slept a little, swam a little, drank a little, ate lunch, and then started the process all over again. It was a truly lovely day and he seemed perfectly content + happy. Exactly what I hoped!

After taking a much needed siesta we got ready for a once in a lifetime experience. I'd arranged with the hotel to set up a private dinner on the beach. This was to celebrate our anniversary and his birthday and let me tell you...it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G.

A table [with a rug underneath - I kid you not], two lounge chairs, a fire pit, and tiki torches were set up on the beach in front of the infinity pool just for us. Pretty crazy. The beginning got off to, hmmm, shall we say an "interesting" start due to a group of guys that had probably had way too many while enjoying the afternoon sun. They were loud at the pool to begin with and then decided they wanted to get in the water and since they couldn't use the area in front of us they stumbled by us to get to another section of beach. They were quite friendly [one guy even said hello as he walked by] but shortly after a security guy came to escort them back to their room. From what the concierge told us the following day one of the guys asked her to apologize to us.

The setting was spectacular, our server was friendly and incredibly engaging, and the champagne and wine they paired with our meal was fantastic! I wasn't in love with most of the food [I found this to be the case for most of our vacation, with the exception of breakfast] but Lee thought it was perfect. I'd even spoken with them about having our dessert be a small birthday cake for Lee and they happily obliged. It truly was a magical evening.

The following are all views we had during our dinner...

Looks to me like he had a fantastic birthday. What do you think?

I love how happy + relaxed he looks.

After dinner we "retired" to the lounge chairs they had set up in front of a fire pit for us. The addition of this completely surprised + delighted me and, truth be told, was one of the highlights of the evening for me. The dinner was incredible but to be able to sit and enjoy your very own {private} fire pit with an after dinner drink {wine for Lee & cappuccino for me} while gazing at the crashing waves several feet away was pure magic.

It was truly incredible and I'm certain this is one experience I'll remember for a lifetime. Pure bliss.

los cabos {our room & resort grounds}

2010-10-04T06:46:00.001-05:00

[our garden view room]

[our jacuzzi that we never used because it was too hot outside]

[there was a heart of petals on our bed & these in the tub when we checked in]

[our room is behind the foliage so it was pretty private]

[this was pretty much our view over the foliage - beautiful!]

[sculpture in the lobby with the Sea of Cortez in the background]

[hotel grounds]

[hotel rooms as seen from the beach]

[hotel side pool deck - loved it!]

[hotel side beach]

[taken from the residence side of the resort]

[residence side]

[all decked out for a fiesta on our last night]

[iguanas were everywhere!]

los cabos {sneak peek}

2010-10-03T14:37:00.003-05:00

Our vacation last week in Mexico was amazing. The location was truly stunning and we both agreed it was our best vacation yet. I know for a fact that we've never been so relaxed in our entire lives. Seriously, one day we were so relaxed it actually took effort to talk! I'll probably be posting pics all week but wanted to give you a sneak peek of a few of my favorites today. I really tried to pare it down to 5 but couldn't. Hope you don't mind seeing 10 because that's as far down as I could go...

13 on thursday

2010-09-23T17:44:00.001-05:00

Lots of random stuff going on so thought I'd do a spin off of Leslie's "Ten on Tuesday." Not sure if I'll make it a regular thing but it definitely works today. We'll see how it goes. Welcome to the first (and maybe the last) installment of 13 on Thursday...

1. I'm so ready for fall temps. Our weather continues to be in the 90-100 range and I'm totally over it. This is our 6th summer here and it's been the longest, hottest one yet. While I'm not a fan of living in an area with snow, if it also offers 4 seasons I just may consider it. A season lasting 3 months seems so much more bearable than ones that last 9 (summer in Shreveport & winter in Lake Tahoe).

2. Lee's birthday is coming up and he's really been enjoying his "birthday week." Lucky guy gets to open a gift a day. He's like a little kid in a candy store every morning - I love it!

3. Our annual "anniversary trip" is right around the corner and we're both counting down the days. Love seeing Lee so excited about it. Wishing the weather where we're headed wasn't the same as it is here but, oh well, at least we'll have a pool to cool off in.

4. Abbie had her sweet little boy this week (7 weeks early!) Please pray for Finley to grow and get stronger every day and for Abbie's body to heal. It's been one heck of a ride for her and her husband.

5. So excited about the pics Tracie took of me as part of Lee's anniversary present that I couldn't wait to show him. Lucky guy got an early anniversary present in addition to "birthday week." I'm beginning to think I may be spoiling him but it's ok...he definitely deserves a little spoiling every now & again.

6. Rather smitten with these new holiday offerings [especially the candy bars] from Vosges.

7. Currently obsessed with 2011 calendars, new cookbooks, and cupcakes.

8. Found what might be the perfect chairs for our living room. Now just need to get by a store and see if they're comfy. Fingers crossed.

9. Attempting to organize our study/office. It's turned into the room to dump everything we don't know what to do with so this should be interesting. Thought it would be a one-day project but quickly learned it will take multiple days to make order from that mess.

10. My dad's birthday is two days after Lee and I'm struggling to figure out a great gift. He's definitely one of the hardest in my family to buy for. Why are men so hard to buy for?

11. I find myself already looking for Christmas gifts. I'm bound & determined to not be overly stressed this holiday season. I may have also already been looking at Christmas cards as well. I feel like I'm so ahead of the game but know I'll end up scrambling at the end. I always do.

12. I was doing pretty good about going to the gym at least 3x a week but got out of the routine when I wasn't feeling well. Now that I'm feeling better I'm having a heck of a time getting back into the grove. Why are habits that are good for us so easy to break?

13. Really excited the fall season of tv has begun and so thankful for the invention of the DVR. Seriously, what in the world did we do before?

Told ya, totally random.

what a deal!

2010-09-21T07:49:00.001-05:00

Between now and Saturday you can snag a 1-year subscription (12 issues) to Sunset for $5 over at Amazon. You read that right...$5! What are you waiting for?

fall inspired baking

2010-09-20T20:24:00.004-05:00

So I may have purchased this month's House Beautiful just so I could have this recipe (and photo) on pretty, glossy magazine paper. No judging. It was love at first sight and I can assure you these will be made once our temps start to cool off. Pumpkin + maple just don't taste as good in the 100 degree heat. Doesn't it look like comfort in the form of a cupcake? I certainly think so.

::photo from here

fun collections {terrain}

2010-09-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

Friday nights have been date nights for us lately but last night I found myself without a date due to work obligations. I worked on bills, ate way too much pizza, and found myself perusing Terrain and thinking how lovely their kitchen items are. Such great ideas for gifts! Before I knew it I was putting together some fun combos.

{Fall Baking}

{Bread & Cheese Plate}

{Fall Flavors}

{Canning Fun}

{Random Loves}

Too many links to list but everything you see in this post can be purchased from here, here or here.

happy heart

2010-09-15T16:27:00.000-05:00

My weekend adventure was one of the best trips I've ever taken! These lovely ladies [Heather, Tracie, Leslie] showed me such a great time and it was very, very hard to leave.

My time there was filled to the brim with fun: birthday party, church, Starbucks run, train ride to Chicago, Renegade Craft Fair, mexican food & margaritas, the VMAs, photo shoot, a lunch date, sightseeing, dinner date, school runs, coffee date, lots of sharing & loads of laughter, plus so much more! I'd love to share pictures of everything I did but, well, the lone photo I took over the three days is posted above. I still can't believe it myself but found I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to take time out of having fun to pull out my camera. I guess that was part of me stepping out of my comfort zone, instead of watching my trip through the lens I actually partook in it. I highly recommend it.

I loved visiting with Heather & Leslie in person! They're everything I thought they'd be and more. They greeted me with open arms and Heather even did some crafting & baking in my honor. I tried to grab a picture of her adorable treat on my iPhone but it didn't turn out [big boo!] I so enjoyed visiting with them and I have a feeling I may have even shared too much once that second margarita was consumed! Really wish I lived closer so I could partake in more fun with them. A second visit to WI is a must!

And Tracie. What in the world can I say about Tracie that hasn't already been said? She's one of the most generous, giving, loving, caring, thoughtful, sweet, faithful, and inspiring people I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She truly made me feel like one of the family and I don't know how I can ever repay her for that. From the moment she met me at the airport I felt like I'd known her for years. We have so much in common and I feel that a lifelong friendship has been born. Saying good-bye to her yesterday was so hard that it even brought tears to my eyes. What a wonderful gift I was given when we connected via her blog.

One of the most poignant moments of my trip was being a part of the bedtime ritual with her little girls. Before bed they did some reading from the Bible and it truly melted my heart to see how eager the girls were to learn and take in the words. They are very much God's children and it was such a beautiful sight to see. I also loved that I got to meet all of their stuffed animals before they surrendered to sleep and having the 4 year old ask to play with me repeatedly was music to my ears. Now if only I lived closer so I could see those cutie pies on a regular basis...that would be heaven.

Another favorite memory from the trip was hearing the story of how Tracie's 15 year old reacted when she learned her mom met me on the internet! Oh the horror!! Hopefully I proved to her by the time I left that I wasn't crazy. If not I'm sure Tracie will continue to get an earful.

I'm truly blown away by my trip. I fell in love with the area and am feeling rather out of sorts now that I'm home. Don't get me wrong, I happy as a clam to be home with Lee and my fur babies but Shreveport [or ShreveSport -little private joke!] just doesn't feel the same as it did when I left. The combination of these three ladies + the feeling I had in Tracie's church + the beauty of the area has stirred up something within me. I'm not exactly sure what it is or what it means but I can honestly say that this trip has changed me.

Huge thanks & hugs to the girls that made this trip possible. I hope there are many more trips in the future! In the meantime I may need to figure out how to use Skype...

weekend adventure

2010-09-10T14:21:00.000-05:00

I'm not adventurous. At all. The craziest thing I've ever done is fly to London for two weeks by myself and stay with the brother-in-law of a close friend (who I'd never met)...who also happened to live with tons of others and only had one bathroom! I explored the city during the day all by my lonesome and proved to myself that I could do it. While I returned home more independent I continued to be my normal "nervous nellie" self. I don't like change and tend to live within the comfort of my routine. Which is why this weekend is such a big deal.

Tomorrow I'm flying to a state I've never been (WI) to spend the next three days with these amazing ladies...

Tracie {tsj photography} | Heather {pass the cereal} |Leslie {tiny wings}

It's amazing the friendship I've formed with them through blogging, twitter, and emails. I first met Tracie through her blog and was immediately inspired by her - her faith, love for family, and positive outlook despite a challenging diagnosis of MS. Her words captivated me and after leaving a comment of one of her posts she emailed me back. We continued that way for awhile and before I knew it we were following each others day-to-day comments on Twitter.

It was through Twitter that Tracie introduced me to two of her besties, Heather & Leslie. Soon they were leaving supportive comments on my blog & rooting me on via Twitter. Any time I was having a bad day I knew they'd all send me a sweet shout out. They've each helped me through different challenges and I'm so incredibly thankful for their friendship. I know some people don't trust what you can find via the web but this is real. So real, in fact, that after talking about it for months I finally took a step out of my comfort zone and used miles to book a flight to Wisconsin to spend some face-to-face time with these lovely women.

I figured I'd be overcome with nerves by now but I'm not. Maybe that will happen while I'm traveling tomorrow but right now I'm just crazy excited to see my friends and spend time with them. Lee thinks I'm partly crazy but has been totally supportive. I guess anyone who has never developed a relationship in this unusual fashion would have a hard time understanding but I'm so thankful that he cares enough to be nervous. If he told me that this is something he wanted to do I'm pretty certain I'd tell him that he's nuts.

Blogging really is a small world. I found out several months ago that one of my besties, Sadie, follows Heather's blog and they've bonded over having sons the same age, and just last night I found out that a friend/neighbor of mine follows Tracie's blog and is inspired by "her faith and parenting." Super cool, don't you think?

So here I go, about to step into a situation totally unknown to me and instead of being nervous, I'm excited beyond words! Can't wait to tell you about our crazy fun adventure when I get back! Hope y'all have an awesome weekend of your own.

words to live by

2010-09-10T06:58:00.000-05:00

This may be my new favorite.

::found here

early favorites

2010-09-09T10:29:00.002-05:00

2011 calendars are starting to pop up and I've already found a few that make me happy. Check them out...

Paper Source {$28}

While I don't love February or May, I adore April, June, August, and September. I also like that it's offered in two sizes ~ the wall calendar linked above and a postcard size version available for $15.

Avie Designs {$24}

Everything I've ever ordered from Avie Designs I've loved and she offers super customer service. I'm especially loving August above. That color combination makes me happy.

Sweet Bella {$18.50}

I think this one is pretty cute too. I especially like June, September, and November.

Linda & Harriett {$30}

The calendars from L&H are always on the top of my list. Last year they were designed with a post card on the back so once the month was over you could brighten someone's day with the gorgeous design. Genius, don't you think? I loved it so much that I've already purchased this one. Can't wait to see it gracing my calendar wall come 2011!

fantastic

2010-09-07T11:11:00.003-05:00

I read it in one day. From the middle of the book on I couldn't put it down. I even cried and that hasn't happened with a book in a very long time. A definite must read.

Erin is now three-for-three. From here on out I'll be taking her recommendations with no questions asked. Got anything else for us Erin?

[Heather - I'll bring it with me this weekend if you're interested in it.]

the marketing worked

2010-09-04T21:13:00.002-05:00

I saw this commercial last night and found myself at the store today to check them out. Granted, I was only at Dick's because Lee needed a pair of running shoes but used that as the perfect opportunity to see what these shoes looked like. I didn't necessarily love my options (they only had these & these) but once I tried them on I was hooked.

They fit my foot so much better than my current NB running shoes and since I'm spending my exercise time walking, not running, I figured they'd be good to try. I won't lie...the main reason I bought them is because they claim to help you tone & burn more calories. If this, in fact, does happen, they will be the perfect shoe!

I'll still wear my running shoes when I attempt a 5K but hope these will be my mainstay for trips to the gym and around the neighborhood. As crazy as this may sound, I'm actually excited about walking in the morning now. Wonder how long that will last?

words to live by

2010-09-03T07:25:00.002-05:00

I saved this eons ago but was inspired to use it this week by the lack of good mail in our mailbox. I figure that's something many of you deal with as well and if we're dealing with it, so are our friends & family. This week I'm going to challenge you to do what this says. Just think of all the spontaneous smiles that will take place across the country when our loved ones open their mailbox expecting to see the normal stack of bills, catalogs, and magazines only to find "fun" mail buried within. Sounds pretty good, don't you think?

:: from here

sweet maggie

2010-09-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today we adopted the sweet kitty above and while it took Lee some time to convince me we needed her [I'm not a huge fan of change], she quickly became my bud.

She's funny and loves to talk. Her "talking" is a trait I tend to think is cute, unless, of course, she's talking/crying outside our door because she either can't stand to be separated from us or because she's hungry and thinks it's time to be fed. Then it isn't as fun or cute.

She's my buddy during the day and loves to follow me from room to room. On more than one occasion I've referred to her as my shadow. Not sure what I'd do without her.

She's usually not a cuddler but if you cover yourself with a blanket and put your knees up she loves to settle in under the fort you've created. There's something about being under things that she just loves.

She's normally patient while I stick the camera in her face and shoot away. Gotta love that!

She loves to pounce on Panther and while Panther doesn't exactly enjoy that, they have become friends over the past four years [thank goodness!] She also loves to play in her water and most days I find her toys floating in her water dish.

My sweet Maggie. I'm so glad Lee convinced me that she needed to be a part of our family. She makes us laugh on a daily basis and has a knack for making my heart melt.

can't decide

2010-09-02T08:06:00.001-05:00

I've received so many great book recommendations - thank you! Yesterday I stopped by Barnes & Noble and picked up three books. The problem? I don't know which to read first.

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes

A Vintage Affair

Best Friends Forever

Which would you read first?

september joy

2010-09-01T16:04:00.005-05:00

September favorites from my calendar wall

Although you wouldn't know it by our weather [currently in the high-90's] today is, in fact, September 1. I truly have no idea where 2010 has gone and was having a hard time accepting the fact that it was time to flip the calendar pages...again. However, before I knew it a true Fall frame of mind set in. Any guess as to what caused the quick change of heart?

While browsing Facebook this morning I saw a friend had posted that Pumpkin Spice was back at Starbucks. I'd already planned on stopping by on the way to the hospital due to a serious need of caffeine but couldn't get dressed fast enough once I knew Pumpkin Spice was in my very near future. [Apparently I got dressed a bit too fast because I inadvertently put on two different tennis shoes and didn't notice until hours later! In my defense, they're both NB and very similiar in both color & style.]

After taking my first sip of spicy yumminess I immediately began thinking about all the exciting things September brings...

~ pumpkin spice lattes [obviously]
~ Lee's birth month
~ a trip to visit these great ladies - Tracie, Heather, Leslie - where lots of fun is sure to ensue!
~ college football
~ cooler temps [one can hope anyway]
~ early anniversary trip to Mexico
~ countdown to our 7th wedding anniversary [Oct. 12]
~ Fall baking [I'd really like to tackle & perfect the quintessential apple pie]
~ the debut of Top Chef: Just Desserts
~ the new season of our favorite shows...Modern Family, Brothers & Sisters, The Good Wife
~ planning for the holidays

How do you feel about September? Do you dread it because that means summer's over or embrace it because Fall is on the way?

::calendars are from PagebyPaige, Linda + Harriett, Nicole Hill Gerulat

recent reading

2010-08-31T06:49:00.000-05:00

Water for Elephants is a book that although I'd heard rave reviews about, I just couldn't see myself reading. Something about a traveling circus set in the Great Depression just didn't do it for me. Even knowing a movie was being made about it starring Robert Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon didn't sway me. It was only after I texted Erin for a couple of book recommendations for our trip to Park City that I finally gave in. She's the one who finally convinced me to read The Help and it's quickly became one of my all time favorites. Needless to say, as soon as I saw her recommendation of Water for Elephants I put my misgivings aside and purchased it. I was incredibly tentative about it but as soon as I started reading it I was instantly hooked. I finished it yesterday and cannot say enough good things about it. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend you add it to your must read list. I give it 5 (out of 5) stars. Thank you, Erin!

I also picked up The Best of Times to take on vacation. I hadn't heard anything about it but the cover drew me in and the description sounded interesting. It's about a large group of random people that are all caught in a horrible accident in London and how they the deal with it. I really enjoyed how it jumped from character to character and while it took me a little while to get through it I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

What books have you read lately? Any suggestions to put on my must read list?

sweet surprise!

2010-08-30T16:08:00.003-05:00

This gorgeous 2011 calendar is not yet for sale and yet somehow one ended up on my doorstep Saturday afternoon. Pretty cool, don't you think? Especially given my obsession with calendars and my calendar wall. Even more fitting is that Sycamore Street Press [the genius team behind this creation] is located in Heber City, UT which we went through on our way to Sundance last month during our vacation in Park City. Coincidence? Not at all.

My sweet friend Abbie attended a letterpress class they taught, saw the calendars, and immediately thought of me! Even though they aren't currently for sale she told them about her friend's obsession with calendars and they were nice enough to sell one to her [thank you Sycamore Street Press!] How awesome is that?!! Yep, extremely awesome.

I have a handful of blogging buddies that never fail to lift my spirits when I'm feeling a bit blue and sure enough Abbie found me in the middle of feeling tired of headaches and the inability to get back into my normal routine. The arrival of this lovely letterpressed calendar definitely brightened my spirits and I'm happy to say my headaches have gotten much better. Thank you, Abbie, for always knowing when I need a little pick-me-up. You are definitely one of my favorite "finds" in the blogging world.

Although the calendar isn't yet for sale, Sycamore Street Press has many other goodies available in their shop.

::photo above is by me & is my very first addition to the 2011 calendar wall

what if...

2010-08-30T14:54:00.003-05:00

When Lee & I got married I knew babies were not in our future. Most of the time I'm ok with that but there are some moments when I wonder what if. Most of those moments come when I'm rocking babies in the NICU and Lee is nowhere around.

On our trip to Michigan I instantly feel head over heels for cousin Chris + Meghan's newest addition to the family...sweet little Nico. I had the pleasure of rocking him to sleep after the rehearsal dinner and admit it was fairly hard to give up such a cute sleeping boy. I offered to take him for a bit during the reception the following day and before I knew it, he was conked out again. Meghan whispered that I must have magical powers and that was all it took to tempt fate and make him show, in no uncertain terms, that my magical powers had gone kaput. As I was trying to soothe him and give Meghan a chance to eat Lee walked over to help me.

Standing there with my husband working together to try and appease Nico was such an incredible feeling. Most of you have experienced that with your husband and your kids but until that night it was a feeling totally unknown by me. My heart overflowed with love for both Lee and sweet Nico. I noticed a flash at one point and hoped this moment had been captured and lo and behold, Meghan uploaded it today with the wedding pictures. Now I have a visual to go with that moment and I'm absolutely overjoyed! [Meghan - thank you, thank you, thank you!!!]

You can tell Lee has done this many times before - look at that face of experience. I, on the other hand, wasn't exactly sure what to do. While we weren't successful in our endeavor even crying, Nico is the cutest baby. So cute, in fact, that for more than a minute or two I began to wonder what if...

[Before anybody gets overly excited please know there are still no babies in our future.]

words to live by

2010-08-27T06:46:00.000-05:00

I love these new cards by elum [here & here]. Pretty much sums it up, don't you think?

Check out the whole wisdom collection here.

michigan weekend {wedding edition}

2010-08-26T21:28:00.000-05:00

The wedding was held in the garden area of this great restaurant. We ate there the night before and all I can say is...YUM! Isn't the building gorgeous?! It's actually the old mansion of a lumber baron [Mary - did I get that right?] and it's breathtakingly beautiful!

Here are Lee + I as we arrived for the wedding. The favorite part of my outfit? The great clutch I got from here.

We got there a bit early so we enjoyed relaxing in the Adirondack chairs that were scattered about.

The location of the ceremony was lovely. This is the view we had from our seats. Look at the beautiful blue Michigan sky!

The families went up during the ceremony to offer blessings to Lindsey + Jaffer. Such a beautiful moment!

Lindsey looked stunning! Thankfully my heels paired with her flats don't have me looking as short as I did next to her the night before [she's 6'1"]. She's such a wonderful person and I'm so blessed to have her in my family [thanks to Lee!]

There was a little gap between the ceremony and the reception so after enjoying "cocktail hour" at the ceremony location we headed back to our hotel for a little nibble + another cocktail while enjoying the breezy weather and lovely views. I can't even begin to tell you how much we enjoyed the weather while we were there. No 100+ degree heat or humidity to speak of - loved it!

The cake and table centerpieces were gorgeous...

...and I loved the tree that featured wedding pictures + advice from some of us. The wedding picture I sent of Lee + I is on the bottom right and features us laughing like crazy at our reception. Our advice to Lindsey + Jaffer...always keep laughing.

This adorable sweet pea is Sofia and she's playing with some of the toys that came in her "goodie bag." She belongs to Chris + Meghan and is Lindsey's neice.

Chris + Meghan just had another addition to their family last month [Nico] and he's the sweetest baby. I so enjoyed my time hanging out with him [thank you guys for trusting me with him!] Unfortunately I don't have any pictures of him to share. Trust me though, he's precious!!

Like I said in the earlier post, wherever Lindsey went David was sure to follow!

We had such a great time and although it was a VERY short trip, we wouldn't have traded that time for the world!

weekend in michigan {family + downtown edition}

2010-08-26T11:04:00.005-05:00

Last weekend was quite the whirlwind for us. We started off by leaving Shreveport at 6 am Friday for the almost 3.5 hour drive to DFW. From there we flew to Atlanta [gotta love how our flight plan totally took us back over our house!], endured a 2 hour delay, and then flew into Grand Rapids, MI. By the time we arrived in Grand Rapids we'd been traveling for 12 hours. I can't say it was fun but it was totally worth it because we got to visit with Lee's family and be there for Lindsey's wedding [Lindsey is Lee's cousin].

Lee's brother, David, couldn't wait to get his picture taken with Lindsey. Here they are after the rehearsal dinner. I didn't realize until this trip that David is such a huge fan of Lindsey's. Everywhere Lindsey went, David wanted to follow.

Saturday morning Lee + I, along with his mom, dad, and brother, started out at our hotel for a yummy breakfast/brunch and then walked around downtown a bit. What a lovely city it is!

It was such a lovely morning but before we knew it the time had come so we raced back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.

Up next: pictures from the ceremony + reception...

words to live by

2010-08-20T07:25:00.000-05:00

I think this print pretty much sums it up this week. Hope you like it!

::from here

on a happier note

2010-08-18T21:45:00.002-05:00

...I finally found shampoo + conditioner that does what it says! Pureology Super Smooth has transformed my hair. For those of you that know me, you know that's saying a lot!

I'm blessed to have a very [and I mean VERY] thick head of hair. The challenge is that, as my hair dresser always tells me, it has three extremely different "climates," so to speak. The very bottom layer is stick straight and doesn't like to hold any curl; the outermost layer is somewhat wavy but not enough to be cute; and what lies between is just plain crazy ~ kinky curly and not, in anyway, cute. It's totally hard to manage and the more I try to tame it, the bigger and nastier it becomes! That, combined with our serious heat + humidity, is why 9 times out of 10 when you see me [or a picture of me] my hair is in a ponytail. Up until now that's been the only way for me to survive.

A hair stylist friend of mine turned me on to Pureology back in 2003 right before my wedding but it was so expensive I didn't buy it. I've perused the aisles at Ulta many times drooling over it but the $27 price tag stopped me...each and every time. I finally got fed up with my uncontrollable hair and when a nice Ulta employee asked me if I needed any help I asked for their suggestion on what I should try. Pureology was one of the options. I decided to buck up and pay the $27 for the shampoo but I'd stick with the conditioner I already had on hand. I could definitely tell a difference when I started using the shampoo but the biggest difference came when I bought a travel size of the conditioner to take with me to Park City. The difference was so huge I actually didn't fear trying to tame my big mane.

I splurged on the full size conditioner [another $27!] when we got home and I just have to say...I love it! To make things even better I've been washing my hair at night and letting it dry overnight [make that almost dry given it's thick state] and then curling it in the morning. I find I'm wearing my hair down more and I don't dread the process anymore. LOVE IT!

I promise this is not a paid infomercial either. I'm just so happy with the results that I had to share [fingers crossed that I didn't jinx myself!]

What are your go to beauty products?

sad

2010-08-18T18:04:00.000-05:00

Life. Death. They both happen every day yet unless we're personally affected we only note them in passing. Someone has a baby and you think, "how wonderful for them" and then you start another load of laundry and move on with your day. Someone dies and you stop for a moment and think how hard it must be for their family but before long you're back in the middle of your crazy day trying to figure out what to feed your family for dinner. It's definitely necessary for our coping to move on. If we dwell on how quickly life passes by or how in an instant life can be altered we'd never move forward and that's not healthy. I sometimes have a tendency to dwell and that's what Lee was a little afraid of when I started volunteering at our local children's hospital two years ago.

He thought I'd get so bogged down in the despair and sadness of it all that I wouldn't ever be able to live my life. I have a rather sensitive soul and tend to feel things deeper than most. I'm sure he was nervous he'd be coming home to depressing stories week after week. That was never the case until recently. Most times I see different kids each week and the ones I've seen repeatedly have all gotten better and gone home. A few babies that I was familiar with have passed away but I didn't have an emotional attachment so I thought "how awful!" and then shortly thereafter went about my business.

A week ago today I was making my rounds to see if any of the patients or their families on the PICU floor needed anything and I walked into the room on a new patient, a 14 year old boy. He'd been admitted the night before and I wanted to make sure they had whatever they needed to make him more comfortable. He was sleeping when I walked in and all I could see was a head of curly blond hair. His dad didn't need anything at the moment so I left. I was so struck by his resemblance to my 14 year old nephew that I immediately went back to the offices of the Child Life Specialists [my friends and "supervisors"] so I could have a moment. I've been on the verge of tears there before but never because I had a true visual of my nephew laying in a hospital bed. It literally took my breath away. While I always pray for and pull for those in the hospital to get better now I had a semi-personal reason to want him to get better even quicker.

Over the course of the next few days the situation looked rather bleak but the community rallied together and held a prayer vigil outside the hospital every night. The pictures were posted on a public facebook page and they continue to give me chills. To see so many people, many of which didn't even personally know the patient or his family, literally made my heart burst. So many people were praying for him. The facebook page is up to almost 2300 members and it was created less than a week ago. That's how far reaching his story is. Unfortunately his body was unable to recover and he died on Sunday morning.

When I found out I cried. I cried for his parents. I cried for his three brothers. I cried because the realization hit that it could have been my nephew. It could have been my step-daughters. It could have been any number of people that I care about so deeply. I cried because no matter how much time goes by there will always be a hole in that family. They will always be missing a precious piece of their family.

I don't know God's will but I know he has a plan. What his plan is I don't know. I just pray that this sweet boy's family and circle of friends will know peace. I've just come from his visitation and I'm sad. I'm sad this family is without an integral part of their life and I'm sad knowing that a virus could strike any one of us and the outcome could be the same. I'm sad that I don't live closer to my nephew so I can hug him tight whenever. I'm sad Lee can't hug his daughters every time he has the urge. I'm sad this boy wasn't able to achieve his goals and life a longer life.

I don't mean to be so depressing tonight but I wanted to remind everyone that life is short. Please make sure those you love know it and try not to squabble about things that don't really, truly matter. I realize this is much easier said that done but if anything ever happened to my loved ones I really hope they'd know how I felt about them.

Yes, life is going to go on for me and soon I will be making dinner but that doesn't mean that the lesson of this won't live in my heart. I hope it lives in yours as well.

For more information on this story click here, here, and here.

sunday dinner

2010-08-16T15:02:00.000-05:00

Lee loves to cook and Sunday has turned into his day to do the cooking. We find a recipe that looks good to both of us and then head to the store to stock up on everything we need. He focuses on dinner and I have an excuse to make dessert. It really is a win-win situation!

Here's the first bundt cake I've ever made. Seriously! I finally invested in a bundt pan yesterday at Target so I could make this recipe and I'm so glad I did.

While the cake was cooling Lee prepped the asparagus & got it ready to head into the oven.

The final result was incredible. Check out that monster turkey burger - yum! The burgers had a lot of flavor going on but my favorite was the addictive combination of cranberries & grainy mustard used for the sauce. Very, very good!

While we're talking about yummy food, check out the cake. Is it making your mouth water?

What about now?

It, too, was wonderful. I love pairing chocolate with cinnamon and this cake is quite heavenly if you like that combo. Cinnamon has long been the secret ingredient in my chocolate chip cookies and this cake took it to a whole new level of deliciousness. It was so good that I took most of the leftovers to the hospital today so Lee & I wouldn't be tempted (don't worry, we have enough left for dessert tonight!)

words to live by {a tribute}

2010-08-13T06:33:00.000-05:00

I learned on Tuesday that a lovely blogger that faithfully left comments on my words to live by series this past year lost a very quick battle with cancer. I was stunned and saddened beyond words. Our friendship didn't extend past us leaving comments on each other's blog & an email or two but that doesn't mean she wasn't important to me. In fact, it's because of her that I continued "words to live by" into 2010 because she expressed a true love for it.

I continued it and over the course of those weekly Friday posts, I heard from her almost each week. After awhile I stopped hearing from her as much and in the past month I found myself thinking about her and wondering if everything was ok. With the girls here & our travel I was out of my normal routine and never reached out to her. Heck, I didn't even check in with her blog and I'm kicking myself for that because if I had, I would have seen that the last several weeks she struggled with being sick. I so wish I could have left her words of friendship + encouragement.

Because she enjoyed this series so much I wanted to post a special words to live by for her today. I came across the print at the top of the post last night as I was looking through some of her old comments and I thought it was very fitting for today. I've also included some of Lisa's favorites [based upon her comments] from the past six months...

My thoughts and prayers are with her family + friends and hope they can find the strength and peace they need right now. It was an honor to "know" her and I'm so thankful this little blog of mine introduced me to her.

::credit for top print here; all others in original posts

park city {other favorites}

2010-08-07T18:27:00.002-05:00

This will be the last of my Park City posts and I so appreciate you indulging me this past week. Today I'm sharing with you some of my other favorite pictures and the memory that goes along with them...

My mom, Connie, Carol, and I enjoyed a "spa afternoon" at Hotel Park City and loved every second of it. While the massages were incredible I think my favorite part was enjoying the scenery surrounding the pool. Not only was the pool area beautiful but to see the surrounding mountains in the distance was absolutely incredible. It was so relaxing that we decided to enjoy lunch out there as well. Talk about a perfect day!

Another day a large portion of our group [above] headed over to Heber City to check out the Heber Valley Railroad. They enjoyed a scenic 3-hour ride and I'm so looking forward to seeing the pictures my mom took. Carol & I opted to stay in Park City and do a little shopping and then met Keith for a yummy lunch. All the way around I think everyone had a great day.

Another afternoon Carol & Keith wanted to take Lee & I out so we headed over to Sundance. Talk about beautiful! We ate a delicious lunch at Foundry Grill, did some shopping, and then took the chair lift up to enjoy the awesome views. Truly stunning. [I included the above picture because I loved capturing Lee & Keith in a totally relaxed state and goofing off.]

It was really interesting to see the pictures lining the walls near the Foundry Grill & the General Store. I thought it was fun to see Oliver Stone on the wall [he did wink at me once after all]. There were so many great ones of Robert Redford but I think this one was my favorite [that's his daughter with him]...

One of my new favorite pictures of Lee & I [at Sundance]...

The neighborhood we stayed in was filled with beautiful homes but the one below had me at first sight. I love, love, LOVE the turquoise door!

On our last full day there we decided to have a quick photo shoot. I wanted to capture one of everyone and my sister was looking for one to use on their Christmas cards. After way more takes than anyone was ready for I captured a few good ones of my sister's crew [this one was my favorite]...

And a relatively good one of all of us. Jordan and I are a little covered up but of all the takes [and there were WAY more than a few] this is the best of all of us...

My sister quickly captured this of Lee, the girls, and I and while I wish I wasn't wearing a hat, it's probably the best of the four of us in quite some time.

What do you think...Christmas card worthy?

Once again thank you for allowing me to relive our wonderful family vacation. It truly was a week filled with loads of love, laughter, and many great memories!

words to live by {park city version}

2010-08-06T16:04:00.002-05:00

park city {around the house}

2010-08-06T15:53:00.004-05:00

park city {olympic park}

2010-08-05T08:49:00.000-05:00

One of the most fun things we did in Park City was visit Olympic Park. It truly had something for everyone and remember, we were a quite diverse group of 12. Even better? Admission is FREE!

I'd heard that you could watch the freestyle aerialists practice their jumps in the pool so that was our first stop. Talk about amazing! It totally captivated us for at least an hour and, quite honestly, I could have stayed & watched even longer. Incredible.

One of the things Natalie was most looking forward to was the zipline. She's definitely the adventurous sort and while I knew a few others would be game as well I was surprised when half of our group bought zipline tickets. This picture is a bit blurry but I still had to share. Here are the thrill seekers of our bunch....

I have an issue with heights and, unfortunately, as I've gotten older I struggle on roller coaster rides so I knew this wasn't for me. While I wanted to be brave and do it I just couldn't make myself after seeing how high it was...

I opted to plant myself at the bottom so I could get pictures as everyone ziplined down. What I didn't expect was to see my mom & step-dad heading over to the chair lift to take them up. Yes, that's right, my mom & step-dad decided to zip line as well!

And from the looks of things (above) it seems like they really enjoyed themselves!

Everyone was full of smiles & tales of how much fun they had as I met them at the bottom.

After the abundance of success stories & a few pep talks I decided to step out of my comfort zone and take a chance. That's right...

I decided to take a leap of faith and zipline!

The worst part was riding the chair lift up & the initial moment they open the door and send you down. After that it was AMAZING and totally AWESOME! And apparently that's what I kept saying as I sailed down. What an incredible experience!!!

Lee & the girls did it with me & I'm so happy we have this to add to our list of things we experienced together.

Needless to say, it was a day full of fun + surprises. If you're ever in Park City I highly recommend a visit to Olympic Park.

park city {eating out}

2010-08-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

With a group as large as ours (started with 9 and grew to 12) we tend to eat most of our meals in. We've been lucky/blessed to have GREAT kitchens in each of the homes we've rented over the years and this year was no different. However, there are times when you just need to get out. Our first full day in PC we headed out to the Park Silly Sunday Market and decided to eat downtown before perusing the aisles of great vendors. I'd heard about Zoom from a friend of mine so I was pretty giddy when we literally stumbled onto it while searching for a good lunch option for our group. Here we are enjoying the outdoor patio...

It may not seem like a huge treat to you but eating outside during the summer months is an total treat for us. To then be surrounded by family, gorgeous scenery, and the ability to indulge in a yummy summer wine took it over the top. Loved it!

After lunch I made a portion of our group pose under the sign so we'll never forget where we ate that first day. Pictured above is my step-dad (David), stepdaughter (Natalie), mother-in-law (Connie), stepdaughter (Jordan), mom (Sue), and brother-in-law (David).

Looks like Connie was caught a bit off guard with this photo but it's a "keeper" because it's the only one I have with my "moms" and "girls." Huge thanks to my step-dad for snapping it!

A couple days later we had lunch out after our fun morning at Olympic Park (more on that tomorrow) and ended up at Red Rock Junction. Above is my father-in-law (Roger) having fun with the fan of UNC's staunch rival. Unfortunately you can't see her in the background but she was wearing a Duke shirt & my nephew (who is interested in possibly attending UNC) convinced Roger to turn his UNC hat around so she knew there were Carolina fans in the house. I don't think she was really a fan of Duke because she didn't seem to be phased by our allegiance...at all.

After lunch I wanted to take advantage of the pretty flowers across the street. Gathered for this photo op are my nephew (Jordan), Natalie, Lee, my mom, and bro-in-law (David).

Thankfully my mom turned the camera on me so I could get in on the fun. What you can't tell in this shot is that my nephew is now taller than me. Not happy about that at all!

The following day my sister (Carol) and her hubby (Keith) took Lee & I out to lunch. We decided to head over to the Sundance Resort for a day of sightseeing and yummy food. Here we are after enjoying a lovely lunch at Foundry Grill.

We normally never have dinner out due to traveling with a larger than normal group but threw caution to the wind (and secured reservations) and had dinner out at the Loco Lizard. It was causal + fun + everything is homemade on the premises...perfect! Here are my sister & brother-in-law posing for the camera...

Lee captured this next one and I just have to say...this dress makes it look like I actually have cleavage when, in fact, I do not. Needless to say, it's now one of my favorite dresses! Speaking of which, it's currently on sale. Like my necklace? It was a gift from my handsome hubby that he picked up for me at the gift shop at Sundance. Love it!!!!

Apparently I was pretty camera happy at the Loco Lizard because I got a shot of my step-dad & father-in-law...

...and my mom & David. Not sure if you've noticed yet or not but bro-in-law, David, loves getting in on the action!

We definitely enjoyed our times out but probably enjoyed our evenings in even more (more on those soon).

park city {around town}

2010-08-02T09:25:00.005-05:00

On our first full day in Park City we wandered downtown to check out the Park Silly Sunday Market and we're so glad we did! It's an ecofriendly open air market and the entire street was full of vendors + fun activities. The people were incredibly friendly and the girls and I found lots of great stuff. Even though it was only day one of vacation I succumbed to the temptation of owning the most beautiful handmade silk blouse & then Natalie talked me into stepping out of my "box" and getting some pretty dangling earrings [although now purchased I'm afraid they're a bit too long]. The girls both found some great jewelry and have worn it repeatedly since. It was so much fun to experience such a great market in such a beautiful place and support ecofriendly business owners.

Park City is truly gorgeous. Check out this print of the mountains decked out in autumn splendor...

I decided to snap a few pictures downtown of the buildings. I love all the colors!

Next up is The Sky Lodge. I've read about this a few times in my travel magazines and even checked into their spa for our spa day [unfortunately it was a bit too pricey]. Needless to say I was happy to literally stumble upon it as we were exploring downtown.

I didn't go inside but, instead, fell for the fun open air dining areas and the cool balconies.

Check out those old time hot tubs! So cool and probably the perfect way to unwind after spending your days on the slopes.

Park City has such a cute downtown area full of great shops and restaurants. We found lots of great stuff to take home as souvenirs & ate some really good food. I can definitely see another trip to Park City in our future.

i'm back

2010-08-01T16:41:00.006-05:00

Hard to believe I haven't blogged since July 15 but I have a good reason why, well at least a good reason why I was absent for part of the time. We took our annual family "summer vacation" to Park City this year and for once I opted to not take the computer. It was really nice to unplug but I found myself with a ton of catching up to do when we got back. There's so much I want to share but have felt incredibly overwhelmed & exhausted since arriving home a week ago.

In order to finally get the ball rolling I'm going to post some pictures today and then use the next week to get the story of our vacation told. I took a ton of pictures (567! to be exact) and look forward to getting even more from my mom & sister. Park City was incredibly beautiful and I found myself in awe of its beauty on more than one occasion. As you know I'm totally in love with summers in Lake Tahoe and never thought I'd find any other such spot. I was wrong. Check it out - Utah is gorgeous...

{all photos by me}

another recap

2010-07-15T06:20:00.000-05:00

Sorry to post so many family pics but we're having the best time with the girls this summer! They've been super sweet + loving and so far we haven't had to deal with any tween/teen drama [hear that sound? that's me knocking on wood]. Needless to say, I want to document all the smiles while they last.

We went on a family dinner date Friday to our favorite restaurant [Wine Country] and enjoyed a yummy dinner complete with many, many laughs. By the time we left we were all feeling fat + happy.

I want to learn how to pose like Jordan. Talk about a natural! Not exactly the best picture of us but I'm thrilled to actually have a picture that includes us all.

Saturday was another family day filled with fun. We went to our favorite lunch spot and saw Toy Story 3 (the best one yet!) and went home to make pizzas. We came up with some crazy combos but they turned out to be really, really good.

This picture of Lee and I makes me laugh because he has such a goofy look on his face and I'm not even looking at the camera. At the exact moment Jordan snapped the picture I saw our waitress walk out with our food. Can you tell I was anxiously awaiting its arrival?!

For some reason I didn't take pictures on Sunday but we had a fantastic day complete with a family outing to the gym [Lee + Natalie swam, Jordan did the elliptical, and I walked the indoor track], pedicures for the girls, and a new recipe for dinner [it was really good].

Monday night we invited our neighbor over for dinner. His wife + son are currently visiting her family in Finland and he's lonely without them. Jordan helped me get the corn ready...

...and Natalie was in charge of making the best banana pudding ever [thanks again, Erin, for sharing this recipe - it's a hit wherever it goes and so dang easy].

Jordan jumped in and helped out and I was thankful to capture them with some serious teamwork going on. The whole meal turned out fantastic but the banana pudding was the best part [we all had seconds!] I'm not kidding it's seriously addictive!!

sharing gemma

2010-07-14T13:49:00.002-05:00

It's been an honor to share Gemma with some special ladies in my life. First up was Amy. She's the one I work the most with at the hospital and is the one who penned the lovely nomination letter. She & I clicked from the beginning and I'm so blessed to be able to call her a friend. She's AMAZING at her job [Child Life Specialist] and I've learned a lot from her. She is truly an inspiration. She loved having the opportunity to wear Gemma and, quite honestly, I'm certain nobody can rock Gemma the way she did.

Next up was Paige. She's another Child Life Specialist I work with and almost didn't want to wear Gemma. She said she didn't want to waste a not-so-good hair day with Gemma but Amy & I convinced her that Gemma would help her feel fabulous and give her an added sparkle. By the end of the day she was in total agreement!

[There's one other Child Life Specialist I work with and is the third person responsible for that awesome nomination letter. No matter how much we tried to convince him (Shawn) to wear Gemma (just for a second) he just wouldn't do it. Now that would have made a great picture!]

The girls weren't so sure if they wanted to wear Gemma because they were afraid they'd lose her. No matter what we said we couldn't alleviate Jordan's fears so when I offered "her" to Natalie Friday night on our family "date night" I was shocked [and happy] when she quickly said she wanted to wear her. We quickly took her off my neck and added the fun + fabulous sparkle to Natalie. She loved it!! So happy that she wanted to share in the honor of wearing Gemma.

Last for the week was Jordan who after seeing her sister rock it the night before decided she could handle the "pressure" of wearing it. We had plans to go to our favorite lunch spot & then head to the movies so that's what we did...all with Jordan sparkling. Although it clearly isn't her style [thank goodness!] she loved every second of wearing it.

I couldn't resist posting this additional picture of Jordan with Gemma. Check out the extra sparkle in her eye. Love it!!!

quick update

2010-07-09T17:01:00.003-05:00

It's been an incredibly busy week and I'm quickly learning that if I want to get anything done I need to be a better multi-tasker. No more leisure time to write posts whenever I want. That being said I'm quickly posting this while Natalie finishes up her shower because as soon as she's out I need to get cleaned up for a family dinner out.

We thought it would be fun to walk in the Firecracker 5K (this year held on the 3rd) and although the humidity was insane, we had a good time!

Lee with his quickly growing girls. I can't believe how grown up they are and that Natalie (at 12) is almost as tall as Jordan is (at 15)! Holy cow.

That night we took the girls to our favorite chinese restaurant and had a blast! Lots of good food & conversations were had. There were also A LOT of laughs. These girls crack me up!

I wore "Gemma" to dinner and enjoyed the extra "sparkle" she gave me. Funny story but I'm currently wearing her with my workout clothes as I type this (long story for another time).

On the 4th we had an inpromptu fireworks party at Louisiana Downs. Even though we only gave them less than 48 hours notice everyone we invited came. So excited to spend the evening with them. (I "work" with Shawn & Amy at the hospital.)

Please excuse the dark photo but it was the only one showing that Lee & I were there so I had to include it. As you can see "Gemma" joined in the festivities. (Paige also works at the hospital.)

Amy brought her step-son and he had a BLAST with Jordan & Natalie. Truth be told we all had a blast and admitted it was our very favorite 4th of July EVER!

The rest of the week has been filled with basketball camp (Natalie) and volunteering at the Chamber of Commerce (Jordan), lots of games, and just good ol' fashioned family fun. I spent the week learning how to be a great taxi driver and while it was insanely busy, I loved every second of it. Lots of activities are planned for next week too so we're looking forward to a fairly low key weekend.

Hope you have a great weekend!