Our Tennessee Adventure

Pregnancy Update

2012-02-01T09:00:00.001-05:00

As you have probably already guessed, I won't be blogging every week about my pregnancy. I have a baby journal that I'm keeping and its enough to remember to update that thing.
But let's be honest, no one wants to see my waistline expanding and me tipping the scale. A pregnancy picture might end up on the blog occasionally but it is purely for my sisters/parents pleasure. Let it be known that there will NEVER be bare belly photos posted anywhere....that could be very scary for everyone involved.
But I do enjoy reading the weekly updates from my friends that are pregnant. Helps me put things into perspective sometimes.

I had my 16 week appointment this week and everything still looks and sounds good. I always hope that Tater is alive and well in there, and I haven't done anything yet to screw him up. We finished our genetic testing this week so I'm glad I get to keep some blood for a while.
As usual, I brought a list of questions to ask the doctor and she answered everyone with a smile or laugh. When I left she probably asked for me to be assigned to a new doctor! ha!

We scheduled our "find out the sex" appointment and we're counting down the days for the next 3 weeks. (side note- my brother in law and sister in law are finding out the sex of their baby TODAY...cannot wait to hear!! My guess is a girl) I am already convinced we are having a boy, so I don't feel like it will be a surprise at the appointment. Call me crazy, but I have a strong feeling.

We have discussed some names and usually Mike hates all the crazy names I like. This child might be nameless since both his parents are pretty stubborn. We shall see if any compromises can be made.

But all in all, I have been feeling great and still wearing my normal clothes. I have a little pooch but we all know I have never had a flat stomach. My friend, Ryan, told me to have a pair of maternity pants with me on all my business travels in case I wake up one day and my pants don't fit anymore. great advice!! Knoxville has a lot of great things, but maternity clothes are not on the list. I went to look this weekend and it was a terrible experience. I am working in Charlotte and Raleigh next week so I will continue my hunt for acceptable maternity clothes.

Besides traveling for work, trying to figure out our living situation and being pregnant...we live a boring life. We're praying for big updates soon!

Happy Hump day!

Creeper

2012-01-28T07:00:00.001-05:00

Have you ever wondered who reads your blog? I did about a year ago and decided to do something about it. I installed software to tell me anything I could ever want to know about each view or search of my blog. I can see the the person, their location, computer address, what was searched, what was viewed and so much more.
It has been a very comical and little scary at the same time.
Recently, there has been a creeper that likes to do some searches on my blog. It's pretty interesting to see what they are searching for and when. Apparently some people have nothing better to do than search blogs.

So just a word to the wise, make sure you know who is reading your blog or install some software.
When baby Staton arrives, we might just have to go private.

Happy Blogging!

S'mores

2012-01-26T16:18:00.001-05:00

Thanks to the addiction called, Pinterest, I have "pinned" a lot of recipes lately.
We ate dinner at a friends house recently and I told them I was bringing all the food. It was a great excuse to try some new recipes.

I made crockpot honey chicken, brown rice, salad and s'more cups. They were all devoured, but the s'more cups were the biggest hit!

The following week I made dinner for a couple in our Sunday school class that recently had a little girl. I pulled out a Staton house favorite- chicken enchiladas. Since I still had the "s'more" ingredients, I decided to make another "pinned" recipe.
S'more cookies were made and turned out really well! I actually didn't eat one but my personal taste tester said they were amazing.
I think the s'more cups are easier to make but both are worth a try.

Happy pinning...

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Telling the families

2012-01-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

By far, our favorite part about finding out we were pregnant has been telling our families We knew we wanted to tell our families in person and tried to figure out the best time/way to tell them.

We decided to tell my family at Abby's 2nd birthday party when we went to Tuscaloosa in November. I bought 2 "big cousin" shirts off of etsy and planned to have Abby & Nate spill the beans. We got to Em's house Friday late afternoon/evening and the Gibbs girls had already started our usual "wine time". I refused a drink and said I would get some in a little bit. While dinner was being cooked and everyone was hanging out around the kitchen, I took the kids into the playroom and put on their "big cousin" shirts. I walked them towards the kitchen and Mike was ready with the camera. It took mom a minute to understand what the shirts said but then started screaming. Em's reaction was the best...she flipped out and then started crying. Greg was in the background plugging his hears to protect himself from all the loud screams. Abby and Nate got a little freaked out at all the screams too!
I was so thankful they all finally knew because it was really hard to keep it a secret from my mom and sisters.
We waited until Thanksgiving to tell Mike's family because that's the first time we were all together. We bought a frame for his mom and had her open it when we arrived. She was absolutely shocked and thought it would be years before we started a family. She was even more excited because she is getting her first grandchildren within 4 weeks of each other. Mike's younger brother and his wife are due exactly 4 weeks before us.

Back story

2012-01-09T21:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks for all the sweet comments, emails and phone calls. We are definitely excited about the little munchkin but still a little shocked.

I have gotten the same question a lot from friends...was this "planned" or was it really a complete surprise. My answer has been, BOTH!
Here's the story with not too many details since my husband would probably not be too excited. Since I'm a control freak and a major planner, Mike and I have been discussing the baby topic since we got married. We both really love our careers, traveling, being on our own schedules and our current lifestyle but wanted to start a family at some point. During our anniversary trip to Hawaii, we started to seriously talk about "our plan" and when that would happen...since we are both getting old :).
Due to our work schedules and only seeing each other once in a while, we knew this baby things would take a while. The plan was to start trying in the winter of 2012 and hope to get pregnant within a year. The doctor told me it could take 4 months for the birth control to get out of my system. So if we wanted to start trying in the winter, we decided to go off it in the fall. Well, I went off the pill and 2 weeks later I was pregnant. When I decided to take a pregnancy test, I NEVER expected it to be positive. That's why it would only make sense to take 5 at home tests, urine test at the doctor, followed by 2 separate blood tests...just to make sure. Even though all the tests were positive, I still didn't believe I was pregnant until our first ultrasound at 7 weeks. Clearly it takes me a while to adjust when things don't go according to my plan! Once I heard the heartbeat, I knew there was something alive in my belly!!! It was such a cool experience to hear the heartbeat for the first time.

proud papa after our 1st ultrasound

I have to tell you that God really does have a sense of humor, and I probably needed the reminder that it's not MY plan. So hopefully that explains to everyone that we 100% wanted to get pregnant, just weren't planning for it to happen that soon. But I am VERY VERY thankful we didn't have any issues and I've had an uneventful 1st trimester.

here's little tater at 12.5 weeks!

2011 Christmas card

2012-01-04T06:00:00.001-05:00

Our Christmas cards have finally gone out and most have been received...I should have scratched out "Merry Christmas" and replaced it with "Happy New Years"! If you didn't receive one in your mailbox, consider the one below yours (we had a little quantity issue with shutterfly).
That's right folks, Mike knocked me up (sorry dad)! Surprising I know since Mike and I are usually traveling in opposite directions! It's been hard keeping this a secret for the last 3 months but worth it to see & hear all the great reactions to the news. We are still in shock by the little surprise, but looking forward to meeting Tater in July. More fun details to come...

Book Review

2012-01-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

During Christmas 2010, I opened my stocking to find the Hunger Games trilogy set from my husband. I thanked him and then thought..."why the heck did he buy me these weird books". My oldest sister had already read them and told me to stop being a brat and read them. My sisters have always been good at putting me in my place!

Over the next week, I finished all 3 books and LOVED THEM!!! When I was done, I was so sad they were over and have passed the books along to anyone that would listen to me.

A few months ago, a blog friend recommended another book. She said if I loved the Hunger Games, then I should give this new author a chance.
I introduce you to DIVERGENT by Veronica Roth.

source: Amazon

This was a quick read and pretty good. Of course it wasn't as good as Hunger Games, but still worth a read. Divergent is the 1st in a trilogy, but the 2nd book won't come out until May. boo

If you are lame like me and enjoy reading "young adult" books, give this one a chance!

On another note, is everyone as excited as me to see The Hunger Games in March?!?!

Charlotte time

2012-01-02T06:00:00.003-05:00

We headed to Charlotte to make the rounds seeing a few dear friends. Wednesday we tried out Vivace for the first time and it was so good. We met one of my business partners and his wife for drinks which turned into a long and fun dinner. I met this couple when I first started working at my company in 2004 and we've been friends since.

Thursday, Kel & I spent the day together...errands, shopping, lunch and nails. That evening was our monthly (or every other month) FAMILY DINNER! We have been having these dinner for the past year and half and they always make me so happy. It was even more of a treat because my husband was in town (usually he isn't able to attend) and we had special guests...the Hines! The Chids hosted this time and did an outstanding job. Not only was the dinner and dessert delicious, they introduced everyone to a new game. I will now be begging to play this game every time I'm with friends! Can't wait until our next family dinner in February. (I was a slacker and sadly didn't breakout my camera a single time during the evening)

Friday was the big day! Lauren has been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for Kyle and I couldn't wait to celebrate. I have to brag on Lauren for a minute...she did an AMAZING job with every detail of the party. The food, custom koozies, personalized cupcakes, invitations and all the little "theme" details that were carried throughout the party. There were so many people there and it's just proof how much everyone loves Kyle & Lauren.
We had a great time, but grandma was so tired and had to sneak out early!
Here are a few pics from the fabulous party...

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

My sister, Em, was very diligent and already blogged about our Gibbs family Christmas! If you want to see more pictures and stories, you can go over and say hi to her. For memory sake, I'll give a quick recap with lots of pictures. You know time with my family isn't complete without taking a million pictures.

Mike & I headed to Charlotte on the 23rd so we could attend the Christmas service at Elevation. The service was amazing and I probably cried through half of it. After the service, we grabbed a quick dinner and headed to Clemmons. Nate got to stay up late and greeted us when we arrived...he was so stinkin cute! We were so happy to see our sweet dog, O'Malley, who showed us lots of love.

The 24th was spent working out, last minute errands, baking cookies with the kids, reading and hanging out with the family. That evening we went to our home church, Clemmons United Methodist, for Christmas eve service and it was quite entertaining. I can now say that I have experienced church with a 4 and 2 year old. I really didn't pay attend to the service (sorry baby Jesus) because I was laughing at the kids or playing with them. Even though Em thought they didn't behave very well, I thought they were angels and other kids were MUCH worse. When we got home, dad had gotten Deedee (grandma Gibbs) from the home. She has Alzheimer's so we never really know who she will know or what will come out of her mouth. She was in a great mood, LOVED watching the kids and was very engaged. She acted like she knew me but had no clue who Mike was...we just had to laugh about it. My mom made a yummy dinner & dessert and we had a good time catching up with Deedee. After dinner, it was time to get Santa's cookies & milk ready before reading the Christmas story.

We woke up bright and early on Christmas morning so we could get breakfast started. In our family, we open stockings, the "kids" make a big breakfast and then open presents. Nate & Abby got SO MANY PRESENTS! It was so fun to watch them open presents and get so excited. We got to talk to Lora on Christmas morning while she was vacationing in Italy. Lora & John went on a 2 week vacation in Italy so it was weird not having her there...she was definitely missed! The rest of the day was spent playing with presents, reading, napping and just hanging out around the house.

I woke up on the 26th to lots of "Happy Birthday's" from my family. For the record, Nate was the first one to wish me a happy birthday! It was the perfect day...went for a walk with Mike & O'Malley, met some of the West Girls for lunch at The Loop, a little shopping, relaxing, dinner with my family at my favorite spot- The Village Tavern, finally we ended the night with a little party, presents & dessert!

Love these 2 polo boys

We always have such a great time when my family gets together and this year wasn't any different. After 5 full days, we packed up and headed to Charlotte for a few days with friends. Christmas 2011 was another great one for the books!

Nail day

2011-12-29T18:18:00.001-05:00

I need to blog about Christmas and my birthday, but that would require me combing through 500+ pictures...and I'm too lazy right now!
Instead I will share with you the best thing ever- Shellac! Kel and I got our nails done and I'm obsessed with shellac. I'm not usually one to have painted nails but I think I found a few obsession.
If you haven't gotten a manicure in a while, go treat yourself to some shellac nails ASAP!

Happy day!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

All Things Christmas

2011-12-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

It's hard to believe that Christmas is almost here. I look forward to the holidays every year, and I feel like I haven't gotten to "enjoy" them as much this year...shame on me!
Regardless of our busy schedules, we have managed to fit in some holiday joy. It goes without saying that I LOVE traditions and that really comes out during the holidays.
From "when" we get a tree, to describing the memory of each ornament when we decorate the tree, to watching The Elf, to baking Christmas cookies, making our Operation Christmas Child shoebox, to our 33+ year old Gibbs family advent calendar or to buying our hallmark series ornament each year...just to name a few. Don't get me started on Christmas eve or Christmas morning!

our VERY old advent calendar

the stocking were hung by the wine with care...using Mike's great-grandma's cookie cutters

Our tree might not look "pretty" but I love how each ornament has meaning!

Here are a few of our favorite ornaments that are new to the tree this year...

Breckenridge, CO trip with Kel & Robby

Boston trip for Mike's 30th birthday

Kauai, Hawaii anniversary trip

KitchenAid Mixer in honor of getting my very own

Our 2nd "cupcake" ornament from Hallmark

I took the last 2 weeks of December off and it feels fantastic. I am trying to be as lazy as possible because I know that 2012 is going to be madness!

So, I plan to "live in the moment" over the next 2 weeks and enjoy every second I get to spend with my wonderful friends and family!
Love to all and have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

No clue

2011-12-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

My AMAZING, WONDERFUL and THOUGHTFUL husband pulled off the best 30th birthday surprise party on Saturday night...and I had no clue! Apparently there were hundreds of emails exchanged between Kelly & Mike over the last several months.

Let me set the stage...
I worked in Charlotte all last week, and Mike came into town Friday to attend my work holiday party with me. Kelly's parents were supposed to come into town on Saturday to see the Christmas lights and take us to dinner. Kelly "said" she wanted to have a girls day so we decided to spend the whole day together. Little did I know this was a big fat lie and she really just needed me out of the house!
She took me to Yama for lunch, shopped until we literally dropped at SouthPark Mall, then headed to the movies to see Breaking Dawn. By the time the movie was over, it was around 7:15 and I had made a 8pm reservation at Cantina. We were going to rush home, grab the husbands and her parents before heading to dinner.

We pulled up to the house, got out of the car and all of a sudden a bunch of people jump up and started yelling, "SURPRISE, HAPPY BIRTHDAY." I then had a mild heart attack, wondered who they were yelling at, and began freaking out. I saw my sister, Em, doing what looked like a cheerleader cheer with her mouth wide open smiling (love you, sis) and then realized they were "surprising" me.
Kelly led me upstairs where so many sweet friends (and both my sisters) were there to wish me a happy birthday. To say I was shocked would be the largest understatement of the year!
I then got to see all Mike's hard work (my sisters and Kel helped some too)...invitations complete with calligraphy, custom koozies, decorations, catering from Cantina, the most perfect cake ever and lots of loved ones to share the night with. Mike filled me in on the months of planning and all the lies that had been told.

Kel left the boys a diagram so they would set everything up right-ha!

I cannot thank my husband and friends enough for such a wonderful surprise. All the details (especially the cake & koozies) were perfect and made my heart so happy! I felt beyond loved and couldn't imagine a better 30th birthday present.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving 2011 in Charlotte with the Staton clan.
The Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I had a very important appointment at the DMV. Since I'm about to turn the big 30, it was time to renew my license. Yes, I still have an NC license which is probably against the law. Before you go and call your local law enforcement officer, I practically live in Charlotte more than 50% of the time so it is justified.

After I passed my sign test and took my pretty picture, Mike & I head to the lake for the annual Russo family Thanksgiving.
Each year gets larger and larger which mean more amazing food! There was enough to feed all 40+ guests plus the entire neighborhood. We stuffed our faces, caught up with friends and of course took lots of pictures.

Judy is such a great host and loves having everyone at her house.

Thanksgiving was spent at grammie and grandaddy's house along with the ENTIRE Staton family. I don't think we have all been together since our wedding, so it was nice to catch up and actually get to spend time together. Mike's brother, Tim, is serving in Afghanistan and we all missed having him around. The Staton family knows how to cook and we stuffed ourselves again with more yummy food. It's a good thing Mike and I brought our workout clothes because we had lots of calories to burn off.Friday night we met my parents for dinner in Clemmons before heading to Chapel Hill on Saturday. We woke up Saturday morning and my mom decided to make us a big breakfast before we hit the road. Well, let's just say she forgot to look at the expiration dates for the syrup and pancakes. At least O'Malley thought it was delicious!
When we arrived in Chapel Hill, Mike drove us all around pointing out his running routes, apartments, frat house, favorite bars, etc. We walked & shopped on Franklin street, ate lunch at Top of the Hill, had a drink at Back Bar and then headed to the stadium to watch the UNC vs. Duke game. Thankfully, UNC pulled out a win so the husband was very happy for the rest of the evening.We woke up on Sunday and headed back to Knoxville. It was a very full and fun weekend with both our families! Just a few more weeks and our Christmas vacation will begin. I love this time of year!!!!

LOOOONG Week

2011-11-20T20:30:00.000-05:00

I spent last week working in Charlotte and living at my 2nd home, casa de St. Louis. It was a very busy week and I was glad to see the weekend arrive.
Sunday night, Kel & I went to dinner and caught up on life before the crazy week began.
The majority of the week was spent running from meeting to meeting, prepping for a GIGANTIC presentation, having to deal with teammates getting let go (heartbreaking), after work activities and hanging out with friends.
The good news is...I got to attend 2 baby showers (YAY!!), volunteer at Crisis Assistance Ministries, attend an offsite with my extended teammates and partake in Family dinner night!!

I always look forward to family dinner night and couldn't wait for Thursday to roll around. The Bruces, Chids, Kessler and Parker came over to the St. Louis house for a night of food, drinks and laughter. Kel made delicious soup that we ate in Panera bread bowls...HUGE hit! We ended the night with the ever so popular, cookie cake, to celebrate Ellen & Sara's birthdays. I always love an excuse to eat cake!

I was so excited to catch up with friends, that I neglected to take many pictures. I did however take a few pictures of the food...priorities!
We already have the next Family dinner planned and I'm so excited that my husband will be in town this time. He hasn't been to a family dinner in so long.
Even though the week was a long one, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I'm grateful to be able to see my Charlotte family and teammates every few weeks.

We're heading back to Charlotte on Tuesday morning to spend Thanksgiving with the in-laws. Then we only have a few weeks of work before our 2 week Christmas vacation...WOOT WOOT!!!! I LOVE THE HOLIDAYS!!

Happy early Thanksgiving to everyone...gobble gobble.

Bama Trip

2011-11-13T13:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sad to see our 3 day weekend already over! Mike & I headed to Tuscaloosa, AL on Friday for Abby Reece's 2nd birthday party. I hadn't been to Tuscaloosa since college, so it was nice to be back. It was sad to see all the tornado damage still present all over the town...Em told us about it but you don't really believe it until you see it.

My sister, Em, did an amazing job on Abby's party. She is so creative and crafty and pulled together an awesome "doggie" themed 2nd birthday party. All the kids & parents had a great time and were asking Em to help them plan their kids' parties. Abby & Nate always make me laugh and seem to grow up way too much in between visits. Even though it was sad to leave, we were thankful for the time together and it made us so excited for Christmas!!
I will save all the pictures and details for Em's post because I know she will do a full recap. In the meantime, here are a few pictures from the weekend!

Some phone favorites

2011-11-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

I was going through my phone tonight and found some funny "App Family Weekend" pictures. These were too great not to share. Enjoy!!

Always travel with a fire extinguisher.

Our car speakers for the trip

Robby was annoyed and didn't like our loud singing

My first trip to Cookout!!

Missing Masser :(

A little breakdown after our Coltrane photo shoot

Never a dull moment with the St. Louis family!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Bedside Baptist

2011-11-06T20:00:00.000-05:00

Some Sunday mornings, Mike and I really miss our church in Charlotte. This morning we decided to stay in bed and watch Pastor Furtick live...and it was well worth it. It was a sermon that both of us really needed to hear and were totally convicted.
We missed seeing our friends at Sunday School, but sometimes we just need to take a break and hear Pastor Furtick bring it!
Have a great week!!

Still going strong

2011-10-23T21:15:00.000-04:00

Is the weekend really over? We made it back from another App Family Homecoming weekend and had a BLAST!!

Robby & Kel picked me up from the Charlotte airport (honking in the travelall, of course) and we headed up the mountain. The party was in full swing when we arrived. We unloaded the car, grabbed a beverage of choice and jumped right in.

Yes, 4 twin beds pushed together-this is where me, Mike, Kel & Robby slept!

Saturday morning rolled around and everyone was ready to begin the fun. We loaded up the cars, packed 10 people into the travelall and headed to campus for a full day of tailgating. The weather was perfect, the leaves were gorgeous and it was a great day to spend with friends. After lots of pictures, drinks, food, cornhole, football and laughs, we packed up the tailgate and headed into the game. TBruce scored us fantastic seats and we all enjoyed the game (a little too much)...probably annoyed our neighbors too!After the game, we all headed back to the house for more QT and grilling out. It was a very relaxing evening filled with great conversations and yummy food!
The house crashed early on Saturday which of course warmed my grandma heart!

Sunday seemed to come a little too quickly and I wasn't ready to head back to the real world. After breakfast and a little clean-up, we loaded the car to head back to TN.

I walked away from this weekend with a full heart, lots of pictures, some wonderful memories and maybe a few extra pounds.

App Family, thank you for the sweet gift of friendship

That time again

2011-10-20T20:00:00.001-04:00

Tomorrow is the day. I will catch a plane from NY to Charlotte, ride up the mountain and then the weekend will begin! Every year since graduation (minus 1), 16+ members of the App Family rent a house over homecoming weekend. I look forward to this weekend EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR! We begin early in the year emailing each other to decide on a house, then all buy tickets together, then the food planning emails begin!Blogs, emails, phone calls, texts and facebook just don't cut it sometimes. I need some real face to face time with my "family"! I might not get as much sleep as I like, men in diapers might appear, some folks think they can drink like they did in college, snuggling and catching up into the wee hours, and making more memories with some of your best friends. Memories, that is what it is all about. I love tradition, obviously, and this is one that I hope we keep until we are all tooting around in our electric scooters! The camera is charged and I'm ready to begin the weekend in my "happy place".

Obsessed

2011-10-16T22:00:00.000-04:00

I admit, I'm a little obsessed with my niece and nephew. When we are all together, I cannot stop myself from taking pictures of their every move. When we found out they were going to be in Clemmons, we made sure we could make it for the day.
We made a VERY quick trip to Clemmons this weekend to see my whole family and attend a little friend/baby reunion.

Nate has grown up so much in the last few months and I couldn't handle it. He can write his name, say the pledge of allegiance, say the whole alphabet, and says very witty things. The next time I see him, he will probably be ready for college. AR has grown up so much too AND is talking up a storm...why does this happen?!?!

Like I said, we were home for less than 24 hours but it was well worth the trip. We had a great time playing with the kiddos, catching up with friends at the reunion and spending time with the family. I just love that family of mine...Christmas can't come soon enough!

Sweet Addison

Proof that hubs and I were there too
Dad loves to dance with the kids!reunion with all the babies

love my sisters!

Pooks Weekend

2011-10-10T19:00:00.002-04:00

This past weekend, our pooks traveled to TN for a visit and a little UT football! Despite 3 out of the 4 of us having a cold, we had a great weekend together.

We had BLAST tailgating for 6+ hours, introduced Kel & Robby to some of our friends, and had great seats for the game. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I didn't have a voice. Seriously, I could not talk at all! After Kel & Robby left, I spent the rest of Sunday and Monday on the couch (praise the Lord for bank holidays). My life has been filled with lots of TV, tea, Kleenex and my sweet husband taking care of me. Hoping this laryngitis is gone tomorrow morning! I have a busy work week to tackle AND a weekend with the entire Gibbs family!

Cake Monster

2011-10-09T20:55:00.001-04:00

When Mike and I were wedding planning, we took the cake very serious! We both LOVE our desserts and wanted to make sure the cake was good. Our "cake lady" really won us over when she said we didn't have to freeze our top tier. For all of her customers, she makes them a replica on their one year anniversary...score! Last weekend, "cake lady" made Kelly's birthday cake and also our anniversary cake. We stuck it in the freezer until we were ready to eat it. We finally got around to eating it this weekend and boy was it delicious!
I got out the serving set we used at our wedding and now use at all our special celebrations!
I'm tempted to put it in the freezer so we can enjoy it again for our 2nd anniversary. That's not weird, is it?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Reason

2011-09-28T15:54:00.001-04:00

Work is really busy for us right now (ok so maybe its been like that since we got married), and we usually only see each other on the weekend. Not ideal but like I keep saying, this is the season of life we are in so we will embrace it...and have a breakdown once in a while!

Mike and I use a google calendar (nerd alert) so we can know where the other will be during any particular week. When we found out that we might cross each other in the airport, we decided to make a date out of it!

So today, as I was getting off a plane and Mike was going through security to get on one. Convenient, huh??

As Mike was walking over to me, I noticed his suitcase looked a little odd. Being the loving and supportive wife that I am, I instantly started laughing. Mike's suitcase handle broke on our last trip and he "forgot" we had another one he could use. For some reason, he thought it was a good idea to bring the broken one! Bless my husband...he looked so funny trying to wheel that suitcase around.

After I got in some good laughs, we popped on over to Ruby Tuesday and had a nice lunch together! Now we are in different states again but will meet up in Charlotte for what looks like a friend filled weekend!

Happy travels!

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Hot and Dry

2011-09-27T15:09:00.001-04:00

I spent all last week in sunny Arizona where the temperature was 105+ everyday! That doesn't really work well when you are wearing a business suit and have frizzy hair. I looked like a hot mess most of the week but managed to have a great time. We worked hard all week, but managed to work in some fun.

There is a resort there called the Sanctuary that has the perfect location on Camelback Mountain and an amazing restaurant called Elements. (if I knew how to add a link on my phone, I would).
We might have visited this spot a few times during our trip to enjoy dinner, drinks and the beautiful views.

All in all, the trip went really well. I got back to Knoxville at midnight on Friday and was so happy to see my husband (that's him if you forgot)!!

We got to spend the whole weekend together and didn't have any set plans...it was heaven! At church on Sunday, Mike spotted "Joe, the BBQ man " in the parking lot and made a beeline. Mike took a tour of his huge smoker/oven/trailer thing and talked his ear off. I didn't think we were ever going to leave. Joe and his dad built and welded this entire thing and mike is already drawing one he wants to have made. Yeah, keep dreaming husband!

Anyways, that's the update for now. I'm currently in Boston soaking up the gorgeous weather and trying to stay sane.

Have a fantastic week!!

Ps- thanks Emily M. for showing me how to blog on my iPhone!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Don't Mess with Texas

2011-09-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

I took a quick trip to Austin, Texas last week for work and tried to see as much of the city as possible. A few friends recommended eating at Chuy's and experiencing 6th street. Sixth St was first on my list. It was near my offices downtown so I headed that way for lunch and a drink at the end of the day- Success!

Chuy's was next on my list and it didn't turn out so well. My friend, Ryan, told me I had to go to Chuy's and I promised to text her from the bar. Well, I went there one night and the wait was around 5 YEARS...fail! I was about to eat the hostess because I was slowly dying of hunger.

I then stumbled upon this little gem and my night turned around. I am a sucker for cupcakes and had to experience one made in an airstream. Come to find out, there are 3 more of these beauties around the Austin area. The cupcake was pretty good, not the best, but the experience was totally worth it.

The trip ended as quickly as it began but I was glad I got a little taste of Texas.

Fat Albert

2011-09-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

Mike and I love to try new restaurants but always venture back to our "normal spots" out of habit. I usually stick to the same items on the menu because I know I will like it. Yes, I can be very boring!
A few weeks ago, Mike and I tried a new spot called Silver Spoon. The food was pretty good, I got a salad and I think Mike got something involving chicken. When the waitress asked if we wanted dessert, we realized we had left our willpower at home and made our selection. When our dessert arrived, I almost asked the table beside us if they wanted to split it.
Let me describe this goodness..."The S'more Sundae- Graham cracker crumbs with heaping scoops of vanilla ice cream, toasted marshmallow, chocolate syrup, Reese's peanut butter cups and whip cream." My apologies if you just gained weight from reading the description! I highly recommend this dessert if you are ever at Sliver Spoon. But please call me first and I'll come by and take a few bites! For the record, we ate less than half of it but it was worth every single calorie.

Friend filled weekend

2011-09-12T06:00:00.002-04:00

We had a great weekend in Knoxille hanging out with some sweet friends!

Friday night, we had a "date night" with 2 of my favorite couples. We went to a Mexican restaurant, ate on the patio, enjoyed live music and had such a good night getting to know these couples even deeper.
Saturday Mike woke up early to golf while I hit the gym and did a little shopping. I was out shopping when Mike called and said Erica & Alan had 2 extra tickets if we wanted to come to the UT game. We jumped at the chance, got ready and headed downtown to meet at their tailgate.

An SEC tailgate was new to me so I wasn't sure what to expect....but boy was I blown away. These people know how to tailgate!!! Erica & Alan had the best tailgate spot right next to the stadium, TV's and satellites in the back of cars, gourmet food, millions of fans and everyone looked amazing in their orange outfits.
It was great hanging out with this sweet couple before heading in to experience our first UT game! 107,000 fans was new to me, but quite an adrenaline rush! We're looking forward to our next UT game when they play Georgia! Thanks Alan & Erica for the tickets and a great weekend getting to hang out!

Hawaii part II

2011-09-09T18:00:00.001-04:00

Since I know you have all been on pins and needles, here's the rest of our little vacation...

We woke up early Tuesday morning to hike the Kalalau Trail along the Napoli Coast. One word- GORGEOUS!! Everyone told us it was a pretty strenuous hike and to be very careful of the mud and wet rocks. They were all right! When we were done, I had slipped around a few times, my shoes were completely covered in mud, along with most of my clothes, we were drenched in sweat but it was well worth it!
After the hike, we rewarded ourselves with some famous Bubba Burgers and fries (yes, I ate one as well). We spent the rest of the day relaxing at the beautiful Tunnels Beach. We cleaned up later that evening and enjoyed a night out on the town!

Wednesday was a very lazy day for us as we were a little sore from the long hike. We slept in, had the best brunch of my entire life, snorkeled and relaxed by the hotel pool and beach for the rest of the day. There's some amazing snorkeling at our hotel so we decided to take full advantage. Mike had never been snorkeling before so I was in charge of "teaching" him. Let's just say that I'm not the best teacher and we didn't snorkel together for very long! I really wanted to take a picture of us in our snorkeling attire, but decided it might break the camera. That evening we got ready and headed out to the patio bar. Every Wednesday they have a champagne ceremony and toast right before sunset. We snagged some great seats, met some new friends and enjoyed watching the sunset. We ended the day with a yummy dinner right by the Kilauea Lighthouse.Thursday was the day I was looking forward to the entire trip...helicopter day! We worked out then headed to the airport for our helicopter tour. We arrived early (of course), got weighed in (hated it) and were told we could drive around until our tour left. We drove down to the old harbor on the edge of the island to explore and take a few pictures. We made it back just in time to make friends with our tour-mates and pilot. The pilot seated everyone in the helicopter based on our weight and I scored the best seat!!! I wish I could say it was because I was the lightest, but I think that God just knew how many pictures I was about to take. For an hour, we flew over every inch of the island while hearing the island facts and history. I snapped as many pictures as I could and this is one memory I won't soon forget.
We explored a few more towns, ate the biggest burrito of my life before heading back to hotel beach for the rest of the afternoon. That evening we ate our last dinner in Hanalei and bought a few souvenirs to remember the trip.

Friday was D day...or this is what I called it because the depression started creeping in. We woke up, had another delicious breakfast, then headed to the pool to lay out and drink away our sorrows for the rest of the day. In the late afternoon, we showered, checked out and said goodbye to the hotel. We stopped for dinner in Kappa before consuming the largest shaved ice known to man. After we stuffed ourselves silly, headed to the airport to begin the long journey home.We made it back to TN late Saturday night and were both exhausted. Sunday was spent unpacking, doing laundry and grocery shopping. Sleep has been a bit of a struggle this week and our bodies have not adjusted yet. I have become a night owl and can't fall asleep until after midnight...TERRIBLE!!!

This week at work has been stressful for both of us but it has made us that much more thankful for the opportunity to get away for a long vacation together!! We're now ready for the work craziness to begin again!

Hawaiian Lessons

2011-09-08T10:00:00.000-04:00

Since I learned a lot of new things in Kauai, I thought it would be nice to give each of you some Hawaiian education...

1) Everyone drives REALLY slow (like 30 miles per hr) on the island. It was hard to slow down at first, but we picked up on the slow pace of life quickly.2) Friendly- everyone on the island is so nice and open. If your lunch/dinner table has extra seats, you might just find some random people seated at your table. More friends!!
3) Roosters are all over the island! You hear them before you seem then and they are in the most random locations. BUT, they are not the state bird :)
4) Most locals choose to ride bikes instead of use their car. They tend to put as much as they can (including their furry friends) on their bikes. Dogs like bike rides too!5) Portion control- their idea is a little different than mine. Maybe because everyone there has a rockin' tan body and they don't care about portions. this was my small burrito...
6) Shaved ice is the dessert of choice and very good. They make EVERY flavor known to man, so don't be grossed out. I only took a picture of 1/6 of the flavors.7) Potato chip &chocolate candy bar is a favorite treat...and actually pretty good.The biggest lesson we learned from Hawaii...we need to slow down and just relax! We are always on the go and don't spend enough time together. Obviously, that made our "2nd year of marriage" goal list!

Hawaii Part I

2011-09-07T05:00:00.001-04:00

We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Hawaii where we had the perfect mix of adventure and relaxation. I took a ton of pictures, so be prepared for an annoying amount below! I'm going to recap our trip in 2 posts so I don't leave out any details for our memory book.

Friday morning, we woke up bright and early to begin our journey to Hawaii. After 11+hours of flying, we land in Kauai, picked up our wrangler (Mike was in heaven) and drove the 40 minutes to our hotel in Princeville. When we pulled into the hotel, we were greeted with champagne, lei's, bottled water and escorted to registration. The bellhop gave us a tutorial about the hotel and led us to our room. I was blown away when we walked in...the room was huge and gorgeous! Mike had arranged for fresh flowers, chocolate covered strawberries and a bottle of wine. The wine was from 2007 which Mike reminded me was the year we met for the first time- so sweet!! After a few pictures, I was ready to crawl in bed and get some sleep.The morning came quickly and I was awake at 5:30am asking Mike if we could go watch the sunrise. We got dressed, made coffee and walked along the beach enjoying the quiet morning.
We then put on our hiking clothes and headed to Queens Bath which a few friends recommended. After exploring Queens Bath and trying not to get pulled out to sea, we headed into the town of Hanalei to experience the local Farmer's Market. We sampled lots of local fruits & favorites and managed to buy some treats of our own. By that time, we were ready to head back to the hotel, eat lunch and relax on the beach for the day.

Sunday we were up before the birds again so we could start officially celebrating our ONE year anniversary! We thought about running in our "race to the altar" shirts, but decided we were lazy and went for a bike ride instead. We rocked those beach cruisers for a good 6 miles before I decided it was time for coffee. The rest of the day was spent soaking up the sun and making friends by the pool. We got dolled up that evening to head to dinner at a local favorite, The Hanalei Dolphin Restaurant. We spent the evening reminiscing about our wedding, the past year and making new goals for this next year of marriage.

Monday morning we decided to see the whole island and boy did we ever! We rode with the top down on the jeep and I could not wipe the smile off Mike's face the entire day. (I have a feeling we might be the proud owners of another wrangler very soon) We explored the Waimea Canyon (the grand canyon of the pacific), ate lunch and shopped around Koloa, explored a few different beaches on the south and east shores, then headed back to the hotel for the evening. Since we are such an exciting couple, we decided to order pizza and a movie! As a side note- we met a couple at the Waimea Canyon and they were celebrating their 48th wedding anniversary. We shared the same anniversary and they were gracious enough to give us some great marriage advice. They were so fun and full of life...we were tempted to jump in their car and spend the rest of the trip together.Stay tuned for part II soon...and another obnoxious amount of pictures!

Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese (healthy)

2011-09-06T06:45:00.002-04:00

I'm back...the Hawaii post will be coming soon but I'm still trying to get all of our pictures organized.
In the mean time, I have a yummy recipe to share with everyone.

Anything "buffalo" is a huge hit in our house so when I saw this recipe, I knew I had to try it (but with a few healthy tweaks).
I made this last night and it was the perfect rainy day recipe. I will definitely be making this again and my husband would like for it to make an appearance at an App tailgate this season.

Enjoy the goodness!
Adapted from Food Network

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons butter (I used Smart Balance)

8 oz whole wheat elbow or shell macaroni

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

1 stalks celery, finely chopped (optional)

2 cups shredded chicken, cooked

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons hot sauce (preferably Frank’s Buffalo Wing Sauce)

1 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoons dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 1/4 cups 1 % milk

1 1/2 cups reduced fat Sharp cheddar shredded cheese

1/2 cup reduced fat hot pepper cheese (or another of your choice)

1/3 cup light sour cream

1/4 cup light ranch dressing

a few tortilla chips crushed

INGREDIENTS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add the pasta and cook until done, Drain.

2. Meanwhile, melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 1 minutes, then add 1/4 cup hot sauce and simmer, about 1 more minute.

3. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the flour and mustard with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in the milk, then add the remaining 3 tablespoons hot sauce and stir until thick, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the sharp cheddar cheese, then whisk in the sour cream and ranch until smooth. Sprinkle in pepper if desired.

4. Mix the noodles and chicken then pour into the baking dish. Pour the cheese sauce evenly on top (mix if desired). Sprinkle the hot pepper cheese and crushed tortilla chips on top.

6. Bake until bubbly, 30 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings (1 cup each)
*about 300 calories, 10 grams of fat and 17 grams of protein per serving

Happy ONE YEAR Anniversary

2011-08-28T08:00:00.010-04:00

Today marks ONE YEAR of being married to the most amazing man, and I am so thankful that God chose him for me! I say my husband is "amazing" not only for putting up with me, which I know can be very trying at times, but also for being who God called him to be.

This year has definitely been a new experience for both of us. We were learning how to be married while living in a new city and never seeing each other. But through every situation (good or bad), Mike has blown me away with who he is to the core. He is so patient, thoughtful, faithful and giving in every situation.
Our minister, Nathan, challenged us to live by the 3 C's and Mike has held us to it.
1. Never stop COMMUNICATING with each other. Even after long days and when we are angry.
2. Never stop CONFIDING in each other. Remain best friends with Jesus first and then each other, keeping the freedom to confide fully & without shame.
3. Never stop COURTING each other. Your family & job are demanding but continue to date each other.

We have been so BLESSED with such a full year of memories, laughter, love and growth. I love my husband more today than I did on our wedding day. Here's to many more years and a lot more memories!

beauty

2011-08-24T05:00:00.001-04:00

I'm happy to report that we had a wonderful time at the Lodge! The house was gorgeous and the views were breathtaking.
It was great weekend getting to know some of our friends on a deeper level. Friday night we stayed up into the wee hours of the morning playing games. I was happy to see that others were just as competitive while playing games as me! The couple that owns the house cooked us a huge breakfast on Saturday morning and we just hung out for the rest of the day.

We left TN bright and early Sunday morning to head to NC to meet my dad. My parents are keeping O'Malley for the next several months since Mike & I will be traveling a lot. I miss him already but know he loves being at poppy & nanny's house. (Dad- PLEASE do not feed him too many cheese nips or cookies. I don't want to send him to fat camp when we get him back!!)

We are heading to Hawaii later this week and I AM SO EXCITED!! I'm ready to spend 12 days straight with my husband celebrating our 1 year anniversary!

Lodge time

2011-08-19T07:00:00.000-04:00

We're heading to the mountains this afternoon for a quick getaway with a few friends! I am bursting at the seams because 1)this is our first "sleepover" with Knoxville friends 2) the house is AMAZING and 3) it gets me pumped up for the App Family homecoming weekend!!

One of the couples that leads our Sunday school class owns a bunch of cabin rentals all over TN. They graciously gave us one of their houses for the weekend, and are coming to cook us a big ol' country breakfast one morning. Seriously, aren't they the sweetest?! We're looking forward to lots of corn hole, hiking, building relationships and some nice cold beer on the side.

This house would be perfect for the App family (sleeps 28 people), if only it was not located in TN :(

Celebration

2011-08-18T07:30:00.001-04:00

Mike sent me beautiful flowers on Monday which was a very nice surprise. I asked him why he sent flowers, and he said "to celebrate both of us being in Knoxville for 2 weeks straight". Yes, I'm serious. It's important to celebrate the small victories in life, folks!

NYC

2011-08-17T07:00:00.001-04:00

I got to spend 2 weeks in the city that never sleeps...comical, I know. Actually, I had a great time, got enough sleep and was a little sad to leave.Let's recap- After a fabulous time in Boston, we flew from Boston to Charlotte, I changed suitcases, said bye to my husband, and walked right back into the airport to head to NYC! Are you still with me?!
Our hotel/event was in Time Square so I was a little over stimulated and actually missed the slow pace life in Knoxville (just for a second though). We had a great 1st week onboarding all the new hires in our campus program. Even though we worked a lot of hours, we mixed in some fun events. Week 1 included a boat/dinner cruise, my first Cuban dinner, cupcake tour of NYC, and a lovefest with Kat & Masser! I haven't seen Masser since App homecoming weekend a few (maybe 4) years ago. Needless to say, I practically peed my pants when she walked in the restaurant. Masser hasn't changed a bit, and I loved catching up on life, hearing about her next adventure options (CLT please) and laughing about so many college memories. Kat, Masser and I ate and drank the night away and they made me stay out way too late...but it was totally worth every minute!
I flew home for the weekend because it was Mike's actual 30th birthday. My parents were staying at our house while they watched my niece and nephew. Sis was moving to Bama, so nanny and poppy were on babysitting duty. Yes, Mike spent his actual birthday with 2 kids and his in-laws...he was a trooper!!! We had a busy weekend celebrating Mike's birthday and playing with the kiddos. I took an obnoxious amount of pictures, as usual-go Em's blog to see them!

I headed back to NYC and was ready for another full week of work & fun! Week 2 included a dinner/tour of the NBC studios which was amazing, bowling and some night time fun.
I had to travel around NYC for different events that week so I got to see much more of the city. The "cab highlight" of week 2 was when the taxi driver didn't know the location of where I was trying to go (I was going to a well known financial district location and was baffled that he didn't know where to go) . He pulled over and asked 2 different taxi drivers and still didn't really know where to go. I needed to take control of the situation, got out my iphone and let him look at the map while driving. Thank you technology!

All in all, I had a great time working with my teammates (WHO I LOVE) and having fun in the city. Kat did try to convince me that I could live in NYC, which is quite a compliment, but we all know that isn't true. I'm not that flexible/easy going/non controlling person...wish I was though! Have you seen how well Knoxville's going?!?! :) It's a wonderful city with so much to offer and I cant' wait to go back in a few months.

Boston surprise

2011-08-01T08:30:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, I surprised Mike with a trip to Boston for his 30th birthday!! I have been planning this trip for months and I was so relived to spill the beans. It was so hard keeping that a secret for such a long time!

We headed to Charlotte on Wednesday night and spent the night with Kel & Robby. When we were getting ready to head to the airport, I let Mike open his presents so he would know where we were going. He opened a Boston Red Sox shirt and 2 baseball tickets...I have NEVER seen him so excited! Boston was on his bucket list and so was going to a Red Sox game.

We arrived in Boston on Thursday afternoon, checked in the hotel and started walking around downtown. I decided to "live on the edge" and agreed to a pub crawl. We had a blast, but I needed a little extra help getting back to our hotel that evening.Friday morning we woke up and headed to our Duck Boat Tour. Our driver, MC History, was hilarious and made the 2 hour tour so much fun. We got to see the city by land and water and enjoyed every second. We spent the rest of the HOT day walking the freedom trail, trying a few restaurants, drinking a TON of water and exploring the city. That evening we had a nice dinner on the water and enjoyed a stroll around the city.
Saturday we woke up and walked to brunch right near our hotel. When we arrived, Kelly & Robby were waiting to surprise Mike. We had a great brunch, made BFF with the waiter and ate/drank way too much. After brunch, we took the subway to Harvard and walked around the campus and did a little shopping. I have to admit, I felt myself getting smarter just by walking around...seriously!
Saturday late afternoon, we headed to the Red Sox game. We were lucky enough to get 11th row seats right behind home plate. Mike was in heaven and enjoyed consuming lots of "stadium" food!

All in all, it was the perfect weekend! Exploring new cities together has become one of our favorite things to do. If you have never been to Boston, you should plan a trip. We can't wait to go back and see more of the city.

Happy Birthday Mike

2011-07-31T19:19:00.000-04:00

Today my sweet husband turns the big 30!!! This is weekend #2 of celebrating his birthday, and I think he is soaking it all in.
Happy Birthday Michael Paul, I can't wait for many more years of birthday celebrations!

O'Malley wasn't very excited about celebrating

Monday smiles

2011-07-18T19:45:00.000-04:00

It's a known reality that I rarely see my husband these days and it makes me a little crazy. I am a planner by blood and clearly this isn't how I planned our 1st year of marriage (cry a river, I know). I will say that this time is teaching me A LOT and sometimes the lessons aren't ones that I'm ready to hear. But we are making it through this season and are thankful for the blessings and the lessons the Lord has given us.

With all that to say, I got a much needed and sweet surprise today. Our wedding photographer let me know that we were featured on Wedding Row Charlotte today. Looking at those pictures made me so happy! We loved, I mean LOVED, our wedding weekend (especially the early morning 5k race) and it was great to see all the pictures again. Thank you Jeremie for capturing all the love we felt during our wedding weekend. It's hard to believe it's almost been a year!!

Spiderman rocks!

2011-07-17T20:00:00.001-04:00

We spent our Saturday celebrating Nate's 4th birthday (a month early since they are moving to Tuscaloosa in 2 weeks). Em rented a great place called Jumpy's and it was so much fun...every kids dream! The party was a huge success and I think we successfully wore out every child so they would take a great afternoon nap.
The spiderman cupcakes were my personal favorite, but a close second was seeing Nate in his pirate costume. Nate now owns every spiderman toy sold in the state of Tennessee and boy is he a happy kid.
It was a great way to spend Nate's last birthday in Murfreesboro. Enjoy just a few pictures...I'm sure Em will have a much better birthday recap.

Charlotte fun

2011-07-06T07:00:00.001-04:00

I think I'm finally recovered from a L.O.N.G work week in Charlotte. My company had 500+ recent college grads start last week into one of our many development programs. It was 5 days filled with presentations, suits, talking, schmoozing, no sleep, time with my teammates and trying not to scare my new hires. Even though it was an exhausting week, I really had a good time getting to know the new hires and spending some quality time with my teammates.

team building activity with some of the new hires

The highlight of the week was a team dinner at my manager's house. We ate, drank, painted mugs for each other, laughed and cried together...it was one great evening. My friend, Kara, has been waiting to adopt for 10+ months and just found out they are going to be parents to a baby boy! She shared the news with with the team and the ugly cry began. So many people have been praying for their journey, and I was so happy to hear their prayers had been answered.

celebrating some team birthdays

CUTE Emerson at Kelly's house

Family dinner at Kelly & Robby's new house

Friday morning, Mike flew into Charlotte so we could spend the weekend with the Staton Family. His brother, Tim, was home for a few days before he gets deployed for another tour. He is leaving later this week for a year in Afghanistan and we were soaking up as much quality time as we could. PLEASE say a prayer for Tim and the 100+ men he will be leading in Afghanistan over the next year.

Mike, granddaddy & Tim

After a weekend full of family and friends, we were excited to head back to Knoxville AND our own bed. I'm flying solo this week because Mike is traveling (again) and O'Malley is living with my parents for a while.

Family Beach Trip recap

2011-07-05T20:00:00.000-04:00

Better late than never...
This was the 27th year that my family has gone on our annual beach trip...can you see why I love traditions so much?!?!

Our first day on the beach, I was talking to mom as we watched Abby Reece & Nate play in the ocean. Mom reminded me of our first trip to our family's beach house when I was 2.5 years old. It went a little something like this...
"The house was finished being built when you were around 2.5 years old and we took our first family beach trip to Litchfield, SC. You were wearing your favorite seersucker dress and you and your sisters were so excited about going to the beach with Aunt Betty. The minute your feet hit the sand, you began running to the water. You ran all the way into the ocean and the waves took your feet out from under you and you tumbled in the waves. You popped back up, wet and sandy, but could not stop laughing".
Seeing Abby Reece have no fear and walk right into the ocean, made my heart so happy!!

We had a great time...ran around the beach, jumped waves, splashed around, looked for fish, built sand castles and buried the kiddos in the sand. We also had our usual "theme night dinners", read lots of books, played cards, celebrated mom & dad's 40th wedding anniversary, had sister time and just enjoyed hanging out together.
I was sad to see the beach trip end, but I felt better knowing there will be many more years of memories to come.

My sister, Em, did a great job blogging about our annual family beach trip so read her post for more details and pics.

Car Etiquette 101

2011-06-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

I feel it is my responsibility to make sure everyone knows the "rules of the road" because apparently not everyone has learned.
Here are just a few items that should be considered if you have a drivers license (in no particular order)...

1) If you want to drive slow, then you have every right to do it. Just PLEASE be considerate of others and make sure you spend your time in the right lane
2) Having your turn signal on does not mean the Red Sea will part for you. You are welcome to change lanes when there isn't a car beside you. Turn signal on does not equal changing lanes immediately.
3) Cars are not Christmas trees therefore should not be decorated.
4) If you own a white car, it is meant to look white. Spend $5 dollars and go through the car wash once every few months.
5) Unless I have a sign on my car that says "every trucker please honk as I pass", then don't honk at me. It's annoying and I panic that there might be someone in my backseat getting ready to strangle me (yes, I watched too many Lifetime movies growing up)
6) Cruise control is your friend

As an additional tip that I know daddy Gibbs would want me to include- invest in a AAA membership. Not only will it save your butt on the road (and your friends), you get hotel and shopping coupon/discounts. DO IT!

Obviously I have been on the road a lot lately...
Happy driving :)

The BIG 4-0

2011-06-19T07:00:00.001-04:00

HAPPY 40th ANNIVERSARY mom & dad!!
Today you have been married for 40 years...holy cow! We have so many fun memories thanks to you and dad!! Thank you for teaching us about family, commitment and loving each other through the good and bad times.
Just wait for the celebration we have in store for you today!
WE LOVE YOU BOTH!
Here's to 40 more year of marriage....

Gibbs Family Beach Trip

2011-06-17T07:00:00.000-04:00

I look forward to this trip EVERY YEAR! For the past 20+ (I really think 24) years, my parents have made it a priority to have a family beach trip. We all look forward to the multiple stops at the produce stands, walks on the beach, family runs and walks, relaxing on the beach, theme dinner nights, wine time (once we turned 21) and just constant time hanging out and laughing as a family.

We are off for our 2011 Gibbs family beach trip and there are many memories to be made. First stop, my favorite peach stand before we get to the house!

Paper

2011-06-16T06:00:00.000-04:00

Mike and I finally decided what to do for our 1 year anniversary! Since the traditional 1 year anniversary gift is paper, we bought each other plane tickets!! We had been throwing around locations and looking at prices for the last few months, and I thought we had the destination nailed down. A few weeks ago, we made a "spontaneous" decision (can you call it spontaneous if the trip is 3 months away), threw out all of our previous options and booked the trip to HAWAII. Truth be told, I am a sucker for a good deal and we got a steal...and we have both always wanted to go to Hawaii.
We haven't gotten to spend a lot of time together the last few months, so we are very excited about spending 10 straight days together!

We are ready for some adventure with a little relaxation on the side. I know many of you have gone to Hawaii before and we would love suggestions about things to do, don't do and/or places to eat on those islands (Kauai & Oahu). Comment or email away!

Thanks Jenny & Kelly for letting me use your pictures.

lately

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

Why am I always behind on the blog and playing catch up?!?! After I played "single aunt", I enjoyed a relaxing weekend with my husband before heading to Charlotte for work. We had 380+ summer interns start last week and it was a busy one! I'm back in Knoxville for a few days before more summer travel begins.

Here are a few pictures as of late...

This is what happens when a truck tire hits your car

I was obsessed with watching AR on the video monitor

teaching Nate some dance moves

Aunt of the year-let the kids watch cartoons during breakfastAbby Reece workin it

Bible study girls dinner in Charlotte

Must Read Story

2011-06-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

My sweet friend and co-worker, Kara, is a fabulous writer and faithful blogger (go check her out and become a follower too).
Kara blogged about her best friend, Tonya, last week and it has been on my heart ever since. Tonya just found out she has an inoperable brain tumor and had a 'biopsy' yesterday. I have seen her story floating around facebook and it is AMAZING to see it spreading so quickly. I can't begin to understand the fear of getting that diagnosis, but Tonya has been using this platform share the gospel. She is praising the Lord for everything and so many people are hearing about JESUS!!! How cool is that?!? Ask yourself...would you have that same faithfulness?!

Kara posted another updated yesterday and you can read it here. They are in need of help, prayer and money to help with their sky rocketing medical bills. If you feel lead to be apart of their journey, you can visit their Helping Hands website here.

Guest Blogger

2011-06-04T07:00:00.001-04:00

I had my first "guest blog" experience yesterday! Since Em is in NYC, she asked if I would do her weekly "Friday Funnies" installment. Of course I jumped at the chance because I knew Nate would say some hilarious things while I was babysitting.

You can read the blog HERE.

More on my single aunt experience later!

Single Aunt

2011-06-01T06:30:00.000-04:00

Who could resist these two cuties?!?!

I get to play "single aunt" this week while Em and Greg head to NYC! It's really only 24+ hours I will be solo with the kiddos until Nana and Poppy arrive. I have gotten 1:1 time with Nate before but never had both kids to myself...I CANNOT WAIT!!! I'm heading down this afternoon and then will head back to Knoxville on Friday when mom & dad arrive. I believe my, extremely organized and on top of everything, sister has written 6+ pages of instructions for me and warned her friends to be on call! I think I should be good :)
There's lots of fun to be had and many pictures to capture!

BHI

2011-05-23T07:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a little behind due to working from Charlotte last week and having a packed schedule. Not complaining though...had a great time with my teammates, got to see some of my Charlotte ladies and was able to do the final walk through of Kelly & Robby's new house (which means it was my last stay at their townhouse...so many memories)!!! I even got to meet little Anne Rankin who is SO CUTE!! But I had to blog about my fabulous beach weekend...

I headed to Wilmington two weekends ago for some quality time with friends. The Hines were sweet enough to pick me up from the airport and hang out for a few hours. I got to see their beautiful home, meet their cute dog and enjoy dinner on the water. I have been friends with these 2 since college and cherish their friendship! It's refreshing that we can pick up where we left off and have lots of meaningful and 'real' conversations. Love you both!

Friday morning (bright and early), we left Tara's house to catch the ferry to Bald Head Island. BHI was gorgeous and lived up to all my expectations. A family friend was nice enough let us use their house for the weekend. The house came with a mac-daddy golf cart and lots of fun bikes! Tara, Abs, Mel, little Maggie Lynne (newest West girl) and I enjoyed every minute of the weekend. We rode tandem bikes, went for walks, stayed up late talking but made sure to get our fill of the pool, beach and lots of reading. Megs grandpa passed away a few days before our trip so she wasn't able to come this year. We really missed her but made sure to text lots of pictures throughout the weekend.
For the past 10 years, we have been on an annual West Girls trip and made so many fun memories. Well, we decided in 2012 we were going to start including our husbands and children. We are going to give it a trial run next year and see how it goes.
I say it all the time, but my heart smiles when I think about these girls and our friendship over the last 15+ years.

Some R&R

2011-05-12T08:00:00.001-04:00

I'm leaving on a jet plane and heading to the beach for my annual West girls trip!! I'm flying into Wilmington and get to hang out with BFF and her hubs for a few hours before we head to Bald Head Island. I am beyond excited to get to the beach and have some girl time. My husband has a big weekend planned too! Mike & Phil are heading to Memphis in May BBQ contest Thursday morning and will be spending the weekend with Scot & Courtney. The flood waters will not keep these men away from this BBQ festival. They will literally be in hog heaven this weekend. Phil & Mike have a dream to leave corporate America and open a BBQ restaurant one day. Being the loving and supportive wife that I am, I have encouraged him to stay in corporate America- j/k!!
Phil & Mike are a great team and make some delicious bbq...we'll see what the future holds.

Here's to making great memories this weekend!

Cinco Knoxville Style

2011-05-10T20:00:00.002-04:00

Cinco de Mayo 2011 was spent having dinner and game night with our Sunday school class. I love playing games and sometimes get a bit too competitive (surprising, I know). Mike warned me that these are still considered "new" friends so let's not scare them yet. It was a fun night of food, games and laughter...and we ended the night with the same number of friends!

James & Jenny talked us into a late cinco celebration on Friday night and we can't say no to Mexican food. It was "First Friday" in downtown Knoxville where all the shops and galleries stay open late and serve wine/dessert. After we ate ourselves silly, we walked around downtown enjoying live music and going through all the galleries.I was excited about the free wine, but this is what was in EVERY gallery-fail! It actually made me smile and think about my Charlotte bible study ladies (NYC bible study girls too)!
We ended the night at a fun bar with a great wine selection, free roses, a crazy DJ and lots of people watching...and I stayed out way past my bedtime. It was a great start to the weekend.

It's that time again

2011-05-06T07:00:00.000-04:00

I have been waiting for this day to arrive since November and Saturday is the day! The FARMERS MARKET OPENS!!
On Fridays, they have a Farmer's Market at a local church that is a bit small but has a great selection. I usually come away with flowers, fruits, veggies, cheese and an occasional sweet treat.

When we are in town, Mike and I do the same thing each Saturday morning...get coffee and take O'Malley for a 3.5 mile walk along the river. I love our little family ritual and I'm a sucker for a good routine!! When it's "farmer's market time", we usually head to the Market Square Farmer's Market after our walk and see what other goodies we can purchase. Oh how I love this time of year!
The farmer's market makes dinner menu planning a little more fun.

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend.

Always learning

2011-05-05T06:00:00.000-04:00

I love technology...whether it's texting, emailing, facebook, skype or surfing the internet...I love it all!
Since moving to Knoxville, we have missed Elevation and hearing Pastor Furtick's messages. Elevation is a little too "rock and roll" for some people, but I think we can agree that everyone leaves hearing an amazing, truth filled message. We are thankful for a new church home in Knoxville, but we can't help but miss Elevation (I might have a slight obsession with one of the worship leaders too).
This is where technology comes in. Elevation posts their sermons online and we get to watch them from the comfort of our couch!!

Pastor Furtick has a series every year on relationships. Back in 2008, I had been dating Mike for about 5 months and decided to break up with him (crazy girl moment). Long story, but clearly we got through it. After about 3 weeks apart, Elevation started a relationship series called Visionary Love, Dream Sex. Mike and I agreed to go through the series and continue to pray about our relationship. We both grew so much from that series as individuals and as a couple. I'm not saying the series made us get back together, but it opened a lot of dialogue and helped us work through our issues. Since that series, we always get excited about books and sermons on relationships (nerd alert)!
Elevation has started a new one called, "Mr. & Mrs. Betterhalf". We watched the first sermon on Monday night and really enjoyed it.
I would encourage anyone to click HERE and hear all the sermons in this relationship series. I guarantee everyone will learn something...or get a swift kick of the butt like me!

Happy Cinco de Mayo too!

Truckin along

2011-05-04T08:00:00.001-04:00

We're still here, just traveling for work most of the time.
We did get to spend Easter weekend in Knoxville and had a grand time! The weather could not have been better so we spent a lot of time outside and I got my first burn of the season...I need to remember sunscreen from now on. My husband played 36 holes of golf and thought he had died and gone to heaven.
On Sunday, our church had a beautiful service then we were able to meet some friends for a yummy Easter brunch.

We were not ready when Monday rolled around because we both hit the road...again. I had a packed work week but was so excited about all the face time with my teammates. (side note- I have to say that I have been blessed with amazing teammates. I cannot say enough great things about each person and how much I enjoy them!)
A trip to Charlotte is not complete unless I see the Bruce Family and especially little Emerson. She did not disappoint and showed off all her new tricks!
Kelly, Robby and I celebrated Cinco de Mayo a week early at our normal spot and it made me so happy!!!
Friday afternoon, my hubs flew in from Nashville to spend the weekend in Charlotte. We took his parents to dinner Friday night for an early Mother's Day celebration. Mike got introduced to Cowfish on Saturday and he fell in love (just not with sushi).
Saturday night was the big event. We were able to get the BofA suite for the Usher & Akon concert for the program I manage. We all had a blast but I was appalled at how many kids were at the concert. Kids under the age of 15 do no need to be hearing and/or seeing what was happening on stage. (I wonder what these 6-10 year olds were thinking as they were watching it-so sad!)
Sunday we headed to my parents house to have an early Mother's Day brunch, pick up O'Malley and head back to Knoxville.
The hubs is traveling right now so I'm holding down the fort and nursing an injured pup! Is it Friday yet?!?!

BEST turkey burger EVER...from Cowfish

love that man!

No that is not Jesus, it's Usher

Did you write that down?

2011-04-20T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, the Gibbs girls hit Asheville for a little fun and relaxation. It is slightly embarrassing how much we drank and ate, but we did manage to get in some good reading, shopping, a workout and some relaxation at the spa.

Our family scrapbooker, Emily, created a scrapbook for my mom that has all of our girls trips in it. There are a few pages for each trip and they contain pictures, quotes from the weekend and little memories from each person. We bring it on each trip to look through and laugh at all the fun memories. It was hilarious to look back through the years and remember all the funny things that came out of our (mostly mom's) mouths.

I love these trips with my mom and sisters to reconnect and catch up on life. As usual, we started planning our next girls trip-woot! Here are a few of the many pictures I took.

This is what happens when mom holds the camera

It's the small things in life

2011-04-17T21:00:00.000-04:00

This is how I feel when I eat cookies too...

I love that little cheese ball!!

Road Trippin'

2011-04-14T20:00:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow cannot come soon enough. Em & I are hitting the road to meet Lora & mom for our annual Gibbs girls weekend!! We pick a new city/state every year and the destination this year will be good ol' Asheville, NC. We will be enjoying some of our favorite local restaurants (my mouth is watering just thinking about Tupelo Honey), partaking in a wine crawl and who knows what else we will get into. I'm just excited about spending some quality time with my mom and sisters. Happy weekend!

I miss my long hair...and having a tan

Weekend of Champions

2011-04-11T20:00:00.001-04:00

I think I would rate this past weekend one of the best since we have moved to Knoxville. It might have something to do with the beautiful weather and us being outside every second. In true Charlotte fashion, we hosted a "Build Your Own" party on Friday night. Apparently this is a new idea for the Knoxville crowd but they LOVED IT!!! We also introduced them to Firefly...to say that it was a hit would be an understatement. We got dough from Brixx and bought way too many toppings and let every have at it. The night was a success and I think we already have a BYO party lined up.

Chris won for the most amount of cheese
Sweet flowers from the hubs

Saturday morning started with our usual walk along with river.
We decided to let O'Malley go for a swim since it was starting to get warm. He raced to the water and jumped right in. We played fetch for a little while and then dragged him out so we could finish our walk. He was one happy dog!We then headed to the courts to see if we still remembered how to play tennis. The rest of the day was spent shopping, washing cars, reading outside, friends and grilling out!

Sunday was the big day...after church and a walk, we got ready for the big golf tournament. Yes, you read that correctly. Mike & I "played" in a new members golf tournament Sunday afternoon and boy was it a gorgeous day. We got paired up with a really fun group so I had a blast getting to know everyone. I did actually swing the club a few times, but mainly just drank and socialized. But let's be honest, my favorite part was riding around looking at all the beautiful homes. At the end of the evening, I found myself signed up for a women's golf league- comical, I know! They have promised me that it's mainly a social time with some golf lessons involved. I'm all for meeting new people and making my hubs think I might play golf with him one day. I don't think I have the patience to be a golfer but we will see. It was a great end to the weekend. I finally feel like solid friendships have been made and we continue to be blessed with new ones. Hopefully this weekend was an indication of the great spring and summer ahead! Feel free to visit us anytime in Knoxville...and play some golf with my hubs.

Extreme Couponing

2011-04-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

Has anyone heard of this new show?!?

The new series will premiere tonight at 9pm on TLC. Prepare yourself-this show will be intense! I love couponing but I don't think I could ever be that extreme (I hope). I saw a preview a month ago and these people are spending 30+ hours a week finding/researching coupons-WOW! I am going to watch the 1st episode and see if I can handle it. I hope I can learn a few things from these extreme couponers.

My only hang up thus far (since seeing the preview episode), is the stuff they buy JUST to use a coupon. I am not going to buy over 100 candy bars and/or 200 cans of beanie weenies b/c I know I can get them for free. I like a good deal, but not that much.

I'll let you know how the first episode goes...I might get hooked!

Here's the link to read more: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing

Rollercoaster

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

Boy, it has been a rollercoaster the past few weeks.
The biggest craziness has come from trying to buy a cute, old house. We were so excited when our offer was accepted and we were going to be able to completely renovate the kitchen, bathrooms and redo the floors. Picking out whatever (within reason) I wanted in a kitchen was a dream come true.
Then the inspection report came back and I was not prepared for the 25+ page report. We met with our realtor to walk through the house & report to figure out the "must fix now list". After a lot of talk and prayer, Mike and I felt like this wasn't a good decision and said we wanted to pull out of the deal. The owner offered us even more money for renovations, but we still didn't have a good "gut feeling". After more talk and prayer, we officially walked away. It was so hard b/c that house was a gem and we could see ourselves loving it. But in the end, we thought it was best to trust our gut and knew the Lord had a another plan.

But, I feel like I'm actually getting a new house without having to pay the mortgage! How you ask, well Robby & Kel are buying a SWEET house in Charlotte. Since I live with them a few times a month, it's like I'm getting a new house too. haha! If only Kel would let me decorate my own room...I'm working on it though.

In between all the house drama, we have had a good few weeks with Knoxville and Charlotte friends. Got to experience some new bars/restaurants in Knoxville, celebrate a 30th birthday, play time with Emerson & wine with Ellen, and a great trip to the Given's house to celebrate mom's birthday. I LOVE playing with my sister's kiddos and want them to stop growing up. Nate and Abby are hysterical and you never know what they will do or say next. Hopefully we will get in lots of playtime before they move to AL.
Enjoy some pictures from the past few weeks.

Miss Hollywood walking with Em & Nanny

Sister time

Sword fight time

This girl seriously loves her jewelry

I could just eat her up!

Our crazy dog enjoys spooning my husband

You know I love free samples...even if it's beer

Happy Birthday Nanny!

2011-04-03T17:00:00.002-04:00

I cannot stop laughing at Abby and Nate's reaction to Nanny's birthday cake.
She doesn't know what to think of this amazing birthday cake that we just brought out...or maybe she was scare of our singing. You would think these kids have never had dessert. But don't worry, these two kiddos enjoyed every bite of their cake.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

If you click on the pic to make it larger, you can really see Abby's reaction

Sweet Story

2011-04-01T08:17:00.002-04:00

I love a good proposal story...warms my heart. My friend, Patrick, proposed to his girlfriend last weekend in Wilmington. He hired a photographer to capture every moment-LOVE IT! What a special memory they will have for years to come. Their story was featured in the Charlotte Observer this morning- you can read it HERE. In other news- I have lots of updates to share. More to come later this weekend. The SUN is out so it's going to be a great Friday!

SOLD

2011-03-15T21:30:00.001-04:00

Remember my pity party last week...what a difference a week makes. We put an offer on a house Monday night and they ACCEPTED it!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! The house has lots of charm, fantastic yard, right by the greenway/river and in our favorite neighborhood. We feel so blessed that we might be able to own this home...we will really celebrate after the appraisal and inspection come back.
I'm looking forward to starting this home-ownership journey with my husband. There will no doubt be some crazy stories as we tackle a few renovations in the next few months. Please note that I'm not handy, have no decorating sense and maybe even style...I can make a mean "to do" list though! Feel free to offer any suggestions or ideas!
Here's to praying everything goes well with the house.

Fatty Alert

2011-03-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, we finally tried a new wine bar & bistro (Cru) with some friends. The food and wine were fabulous and a new favorite.

We all ordered a few items to share and made sure to get a variety. Mike gave into peer pressure and ordered chicken & waffles. I thought it would be disgusting...but I was def wrong. I tried a bite of his and it was actually pretty good. I couldn't handle more than one bite though. He probably just took a few years off of his life, but he said it was worth it.

He's back

2011-03-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

My parents were nice enough to keep O'Malley for the past 10 weeks. We missed him terribly but knew he was better off living with them while we traveled.
This past weekend we went to Clemmons to pick him up...and thankfully he still remembered us :)
He is back to his old self...laying around and snoring while I work all day long! He has such a tough life.

PS- thanks for the texts and emails yesterday while I had a pity party for myself. I'm feeling much better about the house today and we got a lead last night for another one. YAY!

Disappointment #1

2011-03-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Mike and I have been house hunting for a while now and haven't had much luck (the selection in Knoxville is much different than Charlotte and we are probably too picky). We feel in love with a house right around the corner from our Charlotte friends, but it needed more renovations than I was willing to endure.

At the end of last week, we FEEL IN LOVE with a house that just went on the market. We actually knew the Realtor and he was kind enough to give us the first showing.
The house won us over- great neighborhood, old house with lots of charm, JUST completely renovated and we could close quickly.
We toured the house yesterday and then made an offer on the spot. There were 5 other showings yesterday but we still felt hopeful. We got a call last night that there was a full price offer-BOO. Going above the list price was out of our "comfort zone" seeing that we have 2 other mortgages. Thankfully we have wonderful renters right now but you never know what the future holds.

I am being "Debbie Downer" right now and plan to mope around all day. I know this happens all the time but I have never experienced the ups and downs of house hunting...guess I will get used to it!
I will put on my big girls pants tomorrow (maybe) and continue the house hunt.

Knoxville friends-If you know of any houses going on the market, let me know!

Breckenridge

2011-03-07T06:00:00.001-05:00

Well, vacation is over the the real world is setting in...boo! We headed out to Breckenridge for a little winter vacation and all of us were blown away with the beauty of Colorado. (the last time I was in CO was the summer of 99 at Young Life camp)
We tried to take full advantage of the great weather and all Breckenridge had to offer. We skied, went snowmobiling, shopped, ate some great food, tried a lot of local beers and even found time to get massages. AMAZING!

We had one heck of a trip and are so thankful for the opportunity.

Yummy cookies

2011-03-03T07:00:00.001-05:00

I have a bad sweet tooth and I blame it entirely on my dad. If you know my dad, he is always eating candy/cookies, buying them in bulk to store in the garage or mailing us sweets. Needless to say, my family has no shame eating desserts.

So it makes sense when I find a new sweet recipe, I have to try it immediately.
These cookies were a huge hit at a few parties we attended and we left with an empty plate.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 stick butter, softened/room-temp
1 tbsp sugar
1 egg (or flaxseed-egg)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chocolate chips or peanut butter chips

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda.
In a medium bowl, mix sugars and butter till creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix till combined.
Mix wet into the dry.
Gently fold chocolate chips into the dough, without over mixing.
Refrigerate dough for at least 20 minutes before using a small sorbet scoop to scoop out dough into small mounds. Roll each mound into a ball and spread evenly on a baking sheet.
Bake balls for 10-14 minutes, depending on how set you want your centers. (I baked mine about 11-12 minutes b/c I wanted them to be undercooked in the middle)

I like this recipe b/c it doesn't make a ton of cookies...maybe 15-20 cookies. ENJOY!

here is the original recipe.

Name

2011-03-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

I found this picture the other day and it made me laugh. If you look really closely at the "A" koozie, you will be able to see my old initials.
Ever since college, I label everything with my name. I think after the guys (who will remain nameless) borrowed a few of my kitchen things and forgot to return them, I stamped my name on everything...excluding clothes.
It is actually funny to go through all my kitchen stuff and see Gibbs or Staton on everything. Yes, it is probably tacky but I don't care. Just one of my many OCD tendencies. You should feel guilty if you are reading this and you have something that says "Gibbs or Staton".

Pet Peeves

2011-02-17T20:30:00.000-05:00

**warning- if you are easily offended, then don't read this post**

Everyone has a few pet peeves...some of mine might be considered OCD as opposed to pet peeves but that is a whole different post.
This one thing has bugged me for a while, but I can't hold it in any longer. This "thing" was popular in Charlotte but apparently people in Knoxville love it even more.

What am I talking about...FAMILY DECALS!!!!!

This is not just a staple for the family van, it has now become popular on any and every vehicle. They have names/pictures for every family member, grandparents, nannies, and any pet you could EVER imagine! I am really happy that people have a large family and want the world to know all their names and their pet names...and the sports they play. BUT I'm not sure your back windshield should display your family portrait.

What if the Duggar's decided to put their family decal on the back of their car?? It would probably take a few cars to fit everyone.

As my dad would probably say...you shouldn't do it b/c it might hurt your windshield or be a safety hazard.

If you have a family decal, I still love you...but it might go missing the next time I visit :)

LOVE

2011-02-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

In honor of Valentines Day, here are just a few things that make my heart so happy!

1. My HUBBY- I love this man for putting up with me ALL.THE.TIME and loving me so well!!
2. Texting and emailing daily with my sweet sisters. This might not be the "norm" for some, but I couldn't imagine not talking to them so often.

3. Winestore: Robby & Kelly introduced me to this fun wine store in Charlotte. Knoxville doesn't believe in wine store's so my hubby let's me stock up every time I go to Charlotte. If you have never been, go right now. The wine is amazing, the prices are even better AND they have a wine tasting machine. You can thank me later

4. Chattanooga Cupcakes: Everyone knows my obsession with cupcakes and I never pass up a chance to try a new place. Hands down, best cupcakes I have ever tasted. They will begin shipping in mid 2011 so watch out!!

Lots going on

2011-02-12T17:00:00.000-05:00

The past 4 weeks have been jam packed with work and personal travel. I am back in TN and settling in for at least the next 2 weeks!! Pictures are better than words so enjoy some highlights of the last month...

picnic and walk along the river

Tony's excited about his new bowling bag

SO PROUD

2011-02-11T08:36:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of posts...there's been a lot going on.
I will make up for it soon!

In the mean time, I wanted to share some big news in our family...
Read my sister's blog.
So excited for them and VERY PROUD of Greg!!!

Book Club

2011-01-13T20:00:00.001-05:00

Last night consisted of the following: girlfriends+wine+food+books...SO.MUCH.FUN!

We have been trying to meet for book club but it has been so hard with everyone's work schedule. There was finally a night everyone could meet and we all jumped at the opportunity. We braved the snow/ice and spent the night staying warm with wine and food. We each brought a bottle of wine, a fun appetizer and/or dessert to share and lots of book suggestions. When we got there, Paula had sent her husband out to get wine and he came back with 2 cases. HAHA...talk about a great husband!

It was so nice to sit with new girlfriends, laugh, drink and have some great conversation. I know it sounds silly to some, but I didn't fully appreciate what I had in Charlotte. I always had Kelly next door/in my house, or my Tuesday night bible study girls, or a short walk to the Bruce's or even a quick drive to my West Girls. New friendships are just what the doctor order and I'm so thankful for them.

I was excited to try a new recipe to bring to book club. My friend, Catherine, is all around AMAZING-friend, wife, mother, baker and cook. She has some great recipes so check out her blog and be prepared for a taste of heaven! Catherine has been blessed with the fastest metabolism known to man and doesn't use anything "light"...so I only can try her recipes every so often. :)

Hot Blue Cheese and Pecan Dip
2 8oz. packages of cream cheese, softened
8 oz. crumbled blue cheese
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 T. butter
3/4 c. soft bread crumbs
1/4 c. fresh parsley
1 T. butter

Toast pecans in 2 tablespoons of butter in a small skillet over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Keep stirring them so they don't burn. Remove them from the heat and allow to cool as you mix the cream cheese and blue cheese together with a mixer. Stir in pecans and spoon this mixture into a greased baking dish (pie plate, 8x8 or whatever you have around).

Combine the breadcrumbs, parsley and 1 tablespoon of butter and sprinkle it over the cheese dip. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes and serve with apple slices and crackers or pita chips.
(I thought the apples slices would be weird but they were amazing so you HAVE to try it...I also used reduced fat everything and it still tasted great!)

Another good one

2011-01-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

Can you tell I'm not traveling this week?!? I am actually in Knoxville for 10 straight days...YAY!!! We haven't made a major grocery run in a very long time so I have been itching to make one. I prepared Mike for the damage that was about to me made, created a list, gathered my coupons and headed to the store. Let's just say I did some MAJOR damage, but our fridge and pantry are stocked now.
Because of the travel free week AND the snow, I knew this would be a good week to try new recipes.

This week we enjoyed a healthy new one...Crock Pot Chic ken Taco Chili.
A friend sent me this website and Gina seems to have some good ones.
It was super easy to make, tasted great and made 10 servings. We have lots of individual containers in the freezer now. I have been doing this a ton so Mike will always have dinners when I'm traveling...yep, trying to be a good wife.
Here's the recipe with a few of my variations.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

1 onion, chopped
1 16-oz can black beans
1 16-oz can kidney beans
1 16-oz can chili beans
1 14-oz can tomato sauce
1 16-oz can sweet corn
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies (or chili ready diced tomatoes)
1 packet taco seasoning
1 tbsp cumin
1.5 tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on high for 4.5-5 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Top with fresh cilantro.
Servings: 10 • Size: 1 1/4 cups

*I added a little ff sour cream and shredded cheese on top. You can also enjoy the chili on top of some rice...haven't tried that one yet.

Southern Favorite

2011-01-11T07:00:00.000-05:00

Since one of my 2011 goals was to "try new recipes", I'm going to post more on my blog!
Over break, I found so many great recipes that I want to try this year. Organizing ALL my Cooking Light recipes and finally catching up on my favorite food blogs helped me uncover some great ones.
I also "warned" Mike that I am going to try some new ingredients when cooking...hopefully we will find some new favorites!
In the mean time, here was the crowd pleaser over Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Crock-pot Mac & Cheese

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups uncooked whole wheat elbow macaroni
4 tablespoons light butter, cut into pieces
2 cups 2% shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3/4 cup shredded Vermont white sharp cheddar
1/2 cup shredded Dubliner cheese
3 egg whites, beaten
1/2 cup light sour cream
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup skim milk
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions
Boil the macaroni in saucepan until tender. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese (save some of the cheddar, white vermont & Dubliner to sprinkle on top at the end of cooking). Stir until the cheese melts. In your crock-pot, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard, garlic and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Then sprinkle the remaining cheeses on top. Let cook for another 15-30 minutes then enjoy!

(credit- I adapted this recipe from one Paula Dean originally created)

Kingpin

2011-01-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

We went bowling this weekend with some of our friends and had such a great night. Bowling in Knoxville is a bit different than Charlotte.

Example #1
Couches-yes, you get to lounge on couches while you wait for your turn to bowl!
Example #2
No pitchers of beer-only 16oz cans OR jello shots. Yes, random

We are all thinking a bowling league might be more our speed once the indoor soccer season is over...less injuries for sure. My knee is still swollen/black & blue from our game last week. Can't wait to see what kind of injuries occur this week :)

2011

2011-01-09T18:00:00.000-05:00

"A goal without a plan is just a wish"
A friend told me that quote back in college and I still remember it b/c I think it's very true!

Mike & I have been talking about our goals for the year over the last couple of weeks. I'm not a huge fan of "new years resolutions"...but I would rather call them "goals of the year".
I really agree with this quote though. If you want to achieve something, you need to put an action plan in place or it just becomes a wish you may never attain.

Here are just a few that showed up on our lists:
-try new recipes and foods
-run more races (we have already signed up for a few!)
-explore Knoxville
-embrace the budget (Mike made me agree to this one)

We have gotten off to a great start and are excited about 2011!

Under a Rock

2011-01-03T06:00:00.001-05:00

We spent a few days in the NC Mountains and rang in the New Year with friends. As usual, I enjoyed the fellowship, food and drinks...but I had the most fun playing new games. Apparently I have been living under a rock when it comes to the game department. I learned to play "Jenga" and I have to admit that it was more fun that I first thought. But my new addiction was called "Mexican Train Dominoes". We played this game for hours and had a blast! If you haven't played, go buy it...if you plan to hang out with me soon then expect to be forced to play.

I also spent lots of time reading. I started the new trilogy set that Mike bought me...Hunger Games. I was a little skeptical of these books but heard they are as popular as the Twilight books and really good. So far so good!!
Has anyone else ever read these books?

Kiddos

2010-12-31T12:00:00.001-05:00

I had so much fun playing with Nate & Abby Reece over Christmas...I just can't get enough of them! Abby loved her skyline chili so we thought the clothes should come off

Merry Christmas...a few days late

2010-12-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a recap of our break thus far...
We spent our first married Christmas in Fort Mill, SC at Mike's parents house. We had time with family and friends while we were in town. Mike's parents live about 1.5 miles from The Chidesters so it was a great excuse to get out for a walk. We walked over and got to meet little Madden and see their BEAUTIFUL new house!

We also got to have family dinner/white elephant exchange/game night at the Bruce's. Terry walked away with the best gift...the holy toast mold and 2 loafs of bread. Robby also got a great gift...a bacon maker. I would say my gift was pretty sweet too...underwear in a tin. Yes, you never know when you might need a pair.

We spent the rest of the time with the Staton family and enjoying way too much yummy food! Christmas morning we had a great breakfast, opened presents and hung out with the siblings. Mike's parents were very generous and spoiled each of us. We decided to pack up and head to Clemmons on Saturday night because of the snow. It took us almost 3 hours since everyone on the highway was going 25-30mph with all the snow.

But I enjoyed waking up on my birthday to the winter wonderland outside. Mom made heart shaped pancakes, I opened more wonderful gifts and then we took O'Malley to play in the snow. That evening my mom hosted a birthday dinner party and all the West girls and their men came over. BEST BIRTHDAY GIFT EVER!!!

We had the Gibbs "Christmas morning" on the 28th and the fun continues! Nate and Abby were so cute opening presents and again we got spoiled! We've had fun hanging out with the Gibbs clan but I do miss my own bed.

We are now heading to the NC Mountains with some friends. We're excited to ring in the New Year with friends and have a low key few days.

We need to rest up because 2011 is going to be an eventful year! :)

Good Weekend

2010-12-20T20:45:00.000-05:00

Mike & I had a wonderful and full weekend. Friday night was date night compliments of my sweet sisters! They gave us a very generous gift card to a restaurant in Knoxville. We were planning to wait and use it but just found out that after over 90+ years they are closing. It did not disappoint- the wine, food and dessert were yummy. They are known for their red velvet cake and I enjoying finding out why.
Saturday morning Mike drove to Greensboro to meet his brother and dad for the Tar Heels game. I opted to stay in TN and finish our Christmas shopping. I ended up shopping ALL.DAY.LONG!!! I was so tired by the time Mike got home at midnight.

Sunday morning we headed to Sunday School because they are doing a really good series on marriage. We met some new folks in the class and really enjoyed the lesson. After church, Mike hit the town to finish shopping for my Christmas and birthday presents. I was hard at work in the kitchen making my annual BUCKEYES! Mike bought be a double boiler so I didn't have to ghetto rig my pots like normal and it was amazing. Why did I wait all these years to get one?!?!
A few hours later we headed to our Sunday School Christmas Party. We had such a great time and met lots of new people. We ate great food (my buckeyes were the hit), played games, had an ornament exchange and walked away feeling good about this Sunday School class. We already got asked out on a "date"...so hopefully this means new friendships in 2011!My little elf is busy wrapping all of our presents while I'm packing! We are heading to NC tomorrow and won't be back here until January 2nd!

Happy Holidays and stay tuned for lots of stories :)

Snowy Sunday

2010-12-12T21:00:00.002-05:00

We woke up this morning to a winter wonderland in Ohio...more on that trip later. After dropping Lora at the airport, we headed back to Knoxville. As we crossed the TN boarder, the snow got heavier and the traffic came to a standstill. Two hours later, we finally MOVED for the 1st time. We didn't have a lot of gas left, so we turned the car off during the 2 hours to save gas. The snow kept coming down and we weren't sure how long we would be stuck on the road. I got lots accomplished though...finished our Christmas cards, made a grocery and meal list and finished some work!

We thought the snow would stop when we pulled into Knoxville but boy were we wrong. It has picked up over the past few hours and O'Malley could not be more excited. It is supposed to continue to snow through the night and all day tomorrow...and the high is only going to be 24 degrees!! The "plan" is for me to head to Charlotte in the morning. We'll see how that works out...

West side surprise

2010-12-12T18:00:00.001-05:00

Monday I headed to Charlotte (yet again) for a long work week. On my way into town, I made plans to stop at the Morrow's for dinner and to catch up with Mel.
Meg & Abs surprised Mel and the four of us had a great night eating dinner, playing with the kids and catching up on life. We missed you Tara!
Of course I had to take a few pictures of Maggie Lynne and Oliver...they are growing up too fast!

Maggie is proud of her double chin so don't judge

Addicted

2010-12-07T08:00:00.002-05:00

I have never really gotten into the "Apple addiction" and don't really understand it. (I do love my ipod and don't like to run without it) My husband loves all things that start with a little "i"...imac (or maybe its not called that but just go with it), iphone, ipod, itouch and now he has fallen victim to the ipad. He ordered one the other day and has been playing on it since it's arrival. He did downloaded a Euchre app so I would be a little more accepting of the ipad.

What is it with all you Apple followers???

Mike with his other wife...

The stockings were hung...

2010-12-06T07:00:00.001-05:00

on the buffet with care. Yes, we are ghetto and don't have a fireplace in our rental house. This seemed like the next best place to hang our stockings. You know Santa likes a good glass of wine...or at least this one does.

You are probably wondering why our stockings are so large. Well, we decided only to do stockings for each other this year. So that is one reason I opted for human size stockings...I have a lot of stuff to fit in there!!

In other news, our tree is back in an upright position and we haven't had another crashing incident!

Indoor Update

2010-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm sure all of my 5 readers (thanks family) have been patiently waiting for a soccer update. Here's a recap of the evening...

As I am going into the soccer complex, Em texts me and says..."please text me after the game so I know you are not in the hospital. Yes, I'm serious". Thanks for the confidence Em!!

We began warming up on the practice field, and I realize I still knew how to make contact with the ball. I ran around, took a few shots, remembered how to pass and began to relax a little.
We were about to start the game and one of our team members pulled both his quads during warm up so he was out. My friend Tony pulled his groan muscle during warm up so he decided to play goalie. Yeah, we were not starting off so hot.
I was told I had to start and was playing forward....and the panic began to set in.

Not to bore you with details of the whole game but here are a few highlights:
1) 2 players got red cards and were ejected from the game
2) I got a "firm" warning from the ref b/c I slide tackled someone...apparently not allowed during indoor soccer- oops
3) 1 player broke his wrist
4) a fight broke out on the field
5) I fell and bruised my tailbone

Needless to say, this was NOT a "non competitive" league. We ended up losing in the last 3 minutes of the game so it was a bummer.
I flew in Friday afternoon and knew I needed to get my tailbone figured out. The doc determined it was not broken and only badly bruised. The remedy-carry around a blow up donut to sit on. Yeah, no thanks....I will deal with the pain.

I am traveling for work this week, so sadly I will miss our Tuesday night game. But I can't wait to see what injuries occur when I'm back in 2 weeks.

What was I thinking...

2010-11-30T17:30:00.001-05:00

...that is exactly what I have been saying to myself ALL DAY LONG! Well, we got talked into signing up for a coed indoor soccer league, and we thought it would a great way to meet new people and get a little exercise. We were told it was the "B" league (aka-beer league), 30+ year olds and most were beginners that were just out there to have a good time. WRONG!! Our first game was last week and we got killed! From what I have heard, the other team came straight from the US men's Olympic soccer team and were out for blood. One of our players, tore his MCL and ACL and is out for the season. I know most of you are picturing an old gym where we used to all play indoor soccer. No, this is a fancy complex with 2 or 3 turf fields so clearly these people are serious.

We have our 2nd game tonight at 10:15pm. I will probably wear my pj's to the game since it will be past my bedtime. My husband is traveling for work, so I be representing the family name...not lookin so good for us. Let's hope I can walk tomorrow since I'm supposed to catch a flight in the morning.

On a positive note-My friend, Jenny, is coming to support her husband and will be bringing the team capri suns and orange slices. That might be the highlight of my entire night!

Here goes nothing...

Nice while it lasted

2010-11-29T22:00:00.002-05:00

Since we live in TN now, I figured there would be numerous Christmas tree farms around. After Mike did a little research, we found out that most of the farms around here don't grow fraser firs-boo! As much as we have been traveling lately, the last thing I wanted to do was hop in the car and drive for hours to a fraser fir farm.
We decided to head down the road to a Christmas tree lot and pick out a tree that was just chopped down. We got a killer deal on a 10 foot tree (they marked the price wrong and I haggled with the old man to get a better deal...shameful, I know!)

Keeping with tradition, we ate chili for dinner and watched the Elf while decorating the tree. Poor Mike had to listen to me tell the same stories about each ornament as I pulled them out. I just love the history and stories that are represented with each of my ornaments. Earlier in the day, we went to Hallmark to pick out the Keepsake ornament series we are going to start collecting! The tree looked beautiful and I loved decorating it with my husband.
Well, we spoke too soon about the beautiful tree...
We were jolted awake at 4am Monday morning by the sound of a crashing tree. We ran out to the living room and I see that the tree narrowly missed O'Malley. He was still laying on his dog bed and was not too thrilled to be sharing it with the Christmas tree. Thankfully O'Malley and all the ornaments survived the fall. Let's hope the tree remains standing for the rest of the holiday season!

Stuffed

2010-11-29T16:00:00.000-05:00

I am still full from all we ate and drank over the holiday. We thoroughly enjoyed hosting Thanksgiving at our house...really, I loved it! It makes me even more ready to purchase a house so we can accommodate everyone for more holidays. My sister, Em, already did a great job blogging about "Fatfest 2010" so I will let you read her blog!
Here are just a few more pictures since we took so many as usual!

When dad's away

2010-11-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

The hubs is on business travel right now so its just me and O'Malley holding down the house. When Mike's gone, I give in and let O'Malley sleep in our bed. I put his sheet on the bed and he snuggles up on Mike's side of the bed.

How can I resist this cute snuggle partner?!?!

Tailgating with the Parents

2010-11-22T21:00:00.001-05:00

We hit the road again this past weekend and headed to Winston. O'Malley had been at "camp Nanny and Poppy" so we needed to pick him up. Mike was also supposed to go to the Carolina football game but those tickets fell through as we were heading home. Poor guy- he was so bummed. But at least he got to come with us!

My parents (or maybe just dad) are big Wake fans and have bought season tickets for football and basketball since we were little kids. I haven't been to a Wake game in over 10 years but thought it would be fun to go with my parents. My parents and their friends know how to tailgate! Mike & dad dominated in cornhole, the food was delish, enjoyed all the beer dad packed, got to know some Knoxville lovers and even surprised dad with a birthday cake!!

Mike & I had a great day with my parents and their friends-thanks for letting us hang!

TN Thanksgiving

2010-11-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

In just TWO days, my whole family will arrive in Knoxville for Thanksgiving!! Keeping with tradition, the family is running a 5k race the morning of Thanksgiving.The weather is not looking so "hot" for the race, but a warm krispy kreme donut will make any race better. Yes, it's tradition for us to get one after the race.
It's probably a good thing we are doing the race b/c there will be SO MUCH GOOD FOOD for Thanksgiving. We have been emailing, texting and planning this holiday for months now. (surprise surprise)

We also get to celebrate Dad and Em's birthdays while we are all together. Today is Dad's birthday...HAPPY BIRTHDAY POPPY-we LOVE you and your crazy self!!!

I'm excited for my family to see Knoxville, our "retirement community", and make crazy memories as usual.

In the mean time, I will be grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning.
Can't wait for Wednesday morning!!!!

I hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family

Next Stage

2010-11-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am currently on a business trip with the hubs and have a little extra time on my hands. What better use of time then to update the blog!

When this blog started in 2008, my prayer was to try to "live in the moment" daily. I haven't given up on this prayer but it has really turned into a life goal. Because of my crazy personality, I tend to forget to live in the moment and always plan ahead. I am still and will always be a crazy planner, but a lot of other things have changed since 2008...fell in love, became a wife and moved to a new state. Those seems like great reasons to create a new title. I also wanted to make it "our" blog because Mike says he might want to write a post or two.

"Our Tennessee Adventure" seemed like an appropriate title for this stage in our life. We have been married for a little under 3 months and are still learning about our new city and each other. I have no doubt there will be many more stories as we continue to navigate through our new life together in TN!!

XOXOXO

2010-11-16T12:00:00.000-05:00

We had such a great weekend with so many of our friends. We headed to Charlotte on Thursday morning and went straight to the mall! Since we are hosting Thanksgiving with the Gibbs clan in Knoxville, we needed to make sure we completed our registry. I thought my family would enjoy having silverware, plates and the ever important wine glasses! Crate & Barrel was very excited to take our money.
Thursday night was spent celebrating Caroline's upcoming wedding! We had a great dinner at AB's and enjoyed hearing all the wedding planning stories.

Friday we headed to Boone with the St. Louis' and Early's. We woke up early Saturday, got a tailgate spot, went back to the house to get ready, then spent the rest of the day in Boone! Our sweet friend, Ellen, turned 30 on Sunday so we had to celebrate!! We had lots of fun catching up with friends, LAUGHING, eating, drinking, cornhole and of course spending money at the bookstore.

We had a really fun weekend with friends and it was sad to pack up and leave Sunday morning. But I will say, being SOCON Champions was a great way to end the weekend!

My Happy Place

2010-11-12T10:19:00.005-05:00

This is my happy place and I can't wait to head up there in a few hours!

The Mountains, The Rock and tailgating with 18+ of my friends=one happy girl!! Let the FUN begin...

Tailgating with Kat is always delicious

Yes, we are ALL this excited for the big game

Birthday Girl

2010-11-10T07:29:00.003-05:00

My sweet niece, Abby Reece, turns ONE today! It seems like yesterday I was driving through the night to be there for her birth. It has been so fun to have a niece and I love that she is a little spitfire. I can't wait to watch you and your fun personality grow over the next year.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Great Weekend

2010-10-25T08:06:00.002-04:00

We had a fun filled weekend showing Kel & Robby around our new city. As usual, Kel & I annoyed Mike & Robby, ate/drank our way through the weekend, enjoyed the UT vs. Bama tailgate experience and laughed until it hurt. I was sad when the weekend was over because we had so much fun! But its okay b/c I'm off to the Hotel St. Louis as I work in Charlotte this week...YAY!!! Happy Monday :)