Showing posts with label Nephew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nephew. Show all posts

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

It's time to begin, isn't it?



Happy new year, dear readers.  I am writing to you from my brand new MacBook Air my husband gifted to me for Christmas (lucky gal, I know :-))!  After spending the last 7 days in 4 different homes and 4 different beds, I am grateful for a quiet moment to collect my thoughts on the new year ahead of me.

2012 will always have a special place in my heart because it is the year I was lucky enough to marry my best friend.  I know that sounds utterly cliche, but at the end of the day, despite the struggles, the fallouts, the tears, and even all the joyous moments that occurred this past year, I will first think about my wedding and the happiness I felt on that day when I reflect on 2012.



Maybe you noticed, and maybe you did not, but I took a little blogger break for most of December.  It was a tough month for me, personally.  I believe a lot in timing, and I think God knew that I needed the break to really be grateful this Christmas - so that's what I focused my time and energy on.  And I am....truly grateful.

I am grateful for this man who I get to wake up next to everyday...and incidentally enough, I love more each day I wake up with him.
On Christmas Morning :)

I am grateful for my parents who want great things for me and for my mom who will drop everything and come take care of me when I'm sick.

Holding their gift from my sister and me on Christmas morning.

I am grateful for hard work and budgeting that allowed me to buy my first new car EVER a few days after Christmas!  (and most definitely happy that my husband can fit comfortably in this car!)
Getting ready to drive off the lot with my 2013 Mazda CX-5!


I am blessed beyond belief to have this little guy in my life this past year, and to celebrate as he turned 1-year-old on December 28!


Mason loves his Uncle Keith...he's like a giant pillow!

Even though we had planned to come home from Atlanta on Monday night, we ended up staying for New Years Eve and I am so happy I got to spend a quiet evening with my sister and our husbands reading on my Kindle and watching Jenny McCarthy act like and idiot on New Year's Rockin' Eve.  When the ball dropped, my husband gave me a kiss and we went to bed.  It was just as it should be.

I have had many moments in the last few weeks of reflection on my life and how blessed I am.  No matter what I allow myself to think in my moments of weakness and my moments of selfishness, I always come back to that.  I am ready for 2013.  I am ready to drive my new car and blog on this computer.  I am ready to put away my Christmas decorations and watch the snow fall.  I am ready to try out recipes from my new cookbooks and FaceTime with my nephews.  I am ready for new episodes of all my shows and for NFL Playoffs!  I am ready to celebrate my last birthday in my 20's (in March) and long for summer.  Mostly I am ready for a new year and a fresh start, and a chance to be a better person, better wife, better daughter, better sister and better co-worker than last year.

It's time to begin, isn't it?


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

What I'm Loving Today

Good morning readers!  I'm just sitting here tonight smelling yummy smells in my house and watching Taylor Swift Storytellers on DVR and waiting for my husband to get home, and I am smiling because I am blessed.  What a great day for a link up for WILW, don't you think?



To begin, I am loving that Thanksgiving is in 8 days.  My aunts and uncles and cousins and my sweet nephews will all be in one place, and that is my favorite thing on earth.  It doesn't happen often.  Plus, this is the first Thanksgiving I will get to spend with my man, so that's a double bonus.  Here's a look at Thanksgivings past and our "girls photo"...

2008

2009

2010

2011



Secondly, I am loving that I got to have brunch with two of my best friends on Sunday.  I hate when life gets in the way of making time for those we love.  That's the big huge bummer about getting older (that and all the bills...I hate those).  I love being able to catch up and just do a pulse check to make sure we are all still alive.  Sorry no pics from brunch...sometimes it's just not the time and place :-)


I am loving kind of sort of figuring out what I am getting everyone for Christmas!  I have been making a list for about a month, and figuring out what to get everyone is frankly the hardest part.  I really feel like I've got a jump on the game this year!  Cross your fingers that I will be halfway done by the end of November (that's my goal).


Also loving that my Pottery Barn stockings came in yesterday and they match our living room and decor perfectly.  I can't wait to hang them and decorate!



I'm loving that I get to kiss all over these guys in just over a week.  They melt my heart.




I'm loving that after a year of living together, my dogs within the last month have become total cuddle buddies.  Although, I find this completely bizarre that for  11 months they slept on their own dog beds and now they just sleep on the one....






Lastly...and this is the best one...I am LOVING that my husband starts a new job on Monday. It's very gratifying to see him so happy and excited about new opportunities that have come his way. More importantly, I am excited that for the first time in our relationship, we will have the same work schedule. Huge bonus. I just like hanging out with him... :-)


Happy Wednesday Y'all!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Music Midtown - Undeniable proof that I'm Uncool

Jello, ladies and gents!  And by "gents" I mean, my husband and my dad since I'm confident they're they only males that read my blog. 

Another weekend has come and gone, and Monday depression has settled in nicely already making a nice little space for the Tuesday slump in my psyche.  This past weekend marked out second year traveling to Atlanta for Music Midtown.  Thanks to my brother in law for snagging us awesome VIP tickets so we didn't have to pay $13 for a beer. 

The Friday night line-up included sets from Joan Jett, The Avett Brothers, and the headliner, Foo Fighters.  We stopped at the W Midtown across the street for appetizers and drinks before heading to the shows.  We made it to the park for the end of Avett Brothers and just in time for me to immediately drink a glass of Chardonnay and send my husband to wrangle up some chairs for all of us.  My sister took full advantage of the fact that wine was free, and she wasn't 6 months pregnant at this year's show, and before I could blink, the Foo were fighting, and Brynn was on her 4th Chardonnay.

We both watched the Blake Lively wannabe in front of us unknowingly drop her glowsticks and wasted no time snatching them off the ground for ourselves.  I decided mine would be a nice addition to my maxi-dress and Brynn decided it would be a nice prop for playing air drums on my boobs.  It was not long before she had moved from playing air drums on me to playing air drums on everyone else that dared to stand near or walk by us.  It was almost as entertaining as the band.  TJ agreed.  And if you don't know who TJ is, don't worry because I don't either.




Aside from an awesome show, I'd say one of the highlights of my evening was watching my sister give an unknowing Foo Fan a mind-blowing air drum up his leg followed by a high kick after he dared to turn to her and yell, "Rock and Roll!"  Either that or watching her stick her glowstick in unsuspecting peoples drinks and then flick it in their faces.  Yeah, she was totally that girl.

Not wanting to miss any of the fun, I tried to get in on the air drum action while my husband went to fetch more drinks.  I jammed out just long enough to drop my glowstick and have it returned to me by the strange man I was using as my drum set.  Instead of handing it back, he simply reached his hand down my dress and placed it in my cleavage.  Insert disapproving look from husband who had returned from drink fetching {here}.  And that was the end of that.



Just before the show ended, we befriended TJ and Ashley who had been enjoying not only the music, but the show my sister had been putting on.  Within 5 minutes, we were all walking back to the hotel together, Brynn and Ashley were best friends, and I was listening to a conversation about how Ashley's parents had divorced when she was young, and blah blah blah.  Not sure how, but we managed to make a 5 minute walk back to the hotel take 30 minutes, despite not stopping for a Greek gyro sandwich or a hotdog at any street vendors.  That's talent. 

Watching my sister make the trek across 14th street to the front of the W hotel doing high kicks the whole way across was definitely the cherry on top of my evening.  A fun night clearly had by all.

When we got home, per the usual, my brothers and my husband stayed out on the back porch and drank more beer while the rest of us went to bed.  The next morning was a perfect illustration of the difference between drinking when you're 30 and drinking when you're 24.  My brother, the 24-year old, got up and lounged on the couch with everyone, had breakfast, and went on a run with me and my sister.  My husband, the 30-year old, got up, pushed his breakfast around his plate, thought seriously about vomiting, and then did this until 11:30:



But don't worry, we got to do it all again on Saturday night for the second round of shows.  Due to hangovers and exhaustion, we sadly did not make it up to Piedmont Park in time for Ludacris like we had hoped, but I was bound and determined to get our party moving in time for Florence + the Machine.  She did not disappoint. 


As if I wasn't totally and 100% aware of how deeply unhip I am, Pearl Jam took the stage for the headlining set of the evening.  Mark my words when I say that there is nothing that will make you feel more out of place than finding yourself in a cotton sundress, jeweled flats, and a denim jacket in the middle of a Pearl Jam concert.  Nothing. 



Despite the constant reminders through the evening of how lame I am, I still had a great time along with everyone else.  Our evening was capped off by a run through the Taco Bell drive through where the boys all ordered enough food to feed me for an entire day.  If I wasn't sure before, I was definitely sure in this moment that I was, in fact, old as shit.  Not only did I not order any Taco Bell, I remember thinking, they really should not be consuming these calories so close to bed time

Sunday morning was spent soaking up precious time with my nephews who I probably wont see again until Thanksgiving which makes me sick.  Drew and I got hardcore with a Cars puzzle while Mason played with Grandpa Mike.




Almost as quick as we got to Atlanta, we were back on the road heading home.  I may or may not have had a little too much fun with the Cat Effects app on my phone to pass time on the way home.




 
 

How was your weekend??

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

August in Pictures

Yello lovers!  I have an entire list of things that I have been meaning to blog about, but time seems to have escaped me and now I'm left with all this cool stuff that I haven't told you about!  Okay, maybe not cool stuff...but stuff. 

Stuff like the boy's 30th birthday on August 9th.  Since it fell on a Thursday, we decided to have a low key dinner at an adorable little tapas restaurant in downtown Nicholasville (which we are still both amazed hasn't closed yet since it's our favorite little place).  I surprised him with a new iPad, which he has literally not put down since (no really, he freakin' sleeps with it). 


The following Saturday, we celebrated with family and friends with a get together at our house, followed by a meteor shower in the backyard before bed.





 

The same weekend, we spent time at the farmer's market, eating crepes and buying local goat cheese and pesto.  I love mornings like that where the boy is off work and we get to just spend time together like a normal couple. 



We also spent time at the park, drinking wine, eating farmer's market goat cheese and pesto, and playing catch with our full-grown puppies.




Later in August, we went home to Louisville to celebrate my baby sister's 17th birthday...wow I feel old as shit.  I was just starting 6th grade when she was born. 


 

As you can see, her friends kept it classy with a "Happy f'ing birthday" sign...

This past weekend was the perfect end to the month of August with a visit from my sister and sweet nephews.  I took this video of my little nugget crawling around our bedroom.  I can't believe how big he is getting!!

Seriously...could you just die from cuteness?

That's pretty much all I got for now.  Can we all give it up for just a second for Jenn at Munchkinland Designs for my new blog layout?!  No seriously, she rocks.  Click on her little button to see her gallery and design services...you won't be disappointed!




Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wedding Week - Family Arrivals!

Our wedding week was quite a jam-packed event!  On Wednesday (4th of July) Keith and I headed home to my parents house in Louisville with our cars loaded up with all of our wedding clothes and necessities, along with our honeymoon luggage.  I gave the pups a few extra treats and some wuv time (love time) before sadly heading out and promising to be back in 12 days.

While I normally quite enjoy the 4th of July, I actually despised it this year because it stupidly prevented me from getting a ton of my wedding errands taken care of (like printing the guest list at Kinkos and picking up gifts for my bridal luncheon hostesses).  All was not lost though, because my sister and brother in law and my sweet little Mason arrived around 8pm and we poured some wine and relaxed with my Aunt Sherri, Uncle Ara, and cousin Summer who had flown in the day before from Cali.  We had a big time hanging out in my parents backyard while the boys smoked cigars and the gals chatted it up and watched the neighborhood fireworks. 






If you can't tell, this is my favorite way to sit...legs draped over the boy.  I do it at home, at the movies, and pretty much everywhere, including the gate at the airport while waiting for our flight to leave on Sunday, and on the plane.  Can't help myself!

On Thursday, the real festivities began!  I woke up early and went on a run with my sister before the boy and I headed down to the County Clerk to get our marriage license.  We thought it might be a time-consuming errand, but once we got there, it actually only took about 15 minutes, and I might add that despite some long-standing stereo-types about people from Kentucky....you cannot marry your cousin there (they verify if you are related when you apply). 


By Thursday evening, pretty much all of our out of town family had arrived in Kentucky, including a plane with 14 family members on it, flying in from various parts of California, and my aunt Patty & Uncle David from Georgia, Aunt Karen from Texas, and the boy's family from Georgia as well.  As has become the tradition, we welcomed everyone to my parents house for a cook-out, some adult beverages, and a little corn-hole.  We probably had about 40 people at the house, and with it hovering somewhere around 100 degrees, it was HOT, HOT, HOT inside and outside of the house.  Even though we were pretty much melting, spirits were high and we had a great time.  I will admit though, that seeing how miserably hot is was had me freaking out all week because our wedding and reception was outside.  It was hard to put that aside and try not to obsess about it (which I did anyways) but I tried to just enjoy the evening for what it was.

Cousins Jayme and Summer, and myself

A mix of my cousins, the boy's family, and members of the wedding party

mom and brother

Me and future husband


A little cornhole action

Aunt Kathy and Uncle Mike

Cousin Kevin and Uncle Mike

We found some hilarious pics of my aunts in the 80's while looking through my baby pics...we blew them up and made them into fans to use at the cook-out...it was really quite amusing, though somewhat less amusing to Aunt Patty and Karen

Me chatting it up with the boy's mom and looking like I have a baby bump (a just to be clear, I do not have one and won't for a long while!)

The point in the evening where Brynn started just holding her wine in everyone's face while she was talking to them...just for funzies

brothers, cousins, and mom being ridiculous
I will say that of all the great conversations and catching up I got to to with mine and the boy's family, the real highlight of my night was coming out to say goodnight to everyone after I had washed my face and put my glasses on, only to find my mom, dad, sister, brothers, fiance, and several members of the wedding party shotgunning beers in the backyard.  Apparently I just don't know how to party. 




It was a fun evening had by all, most especially my dad, who the next morning said, "The last time I felt like this after drinking was in college..."  And let's just make a round-about guess about how many years back that was, shall we?  Unfortunately for my Dad, he had been working on a golf scramble for the last month with about 25 of our friends/family members for Friday morning, and they had 9:30am tee time.  Did I mention that it was about 104 degrees on Friday?  I'll let you imagine how that went...

Next up will be a recap of Fridays events, starting with my bridesmaid luncheon!  Can't wait to share more!



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