Life in a Small Town

Thanksgiving Part 1 (I know I'm late)

2011-12-18T05:46:00.000-08:00

I am WAY behind on posting so I am just now getting to Thanksgiving. Just bear with me please.

This was the second year in a row that we spent Thanksgiving at the beach. It is a new tradition that I plan on keeping for a little while.

The picture above is me with my receipt from CVS on Thanksgiving morning. I spent $32 and got $30 back in Extra Bucks. Same thing at Walgreens too. (It makes me sick to share this but I had looked at the date on my Walgreens bucks back wrong and let them all expire. It was $29 worth of free money to use there and I lost it all. UGH!)

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at K&W Cafeteria (for the 2nd year) and it was so yummy. It's really nice because everyone gets to pick exactly what they want.

A family picture minus my younger brother Jeff. He went on a cruise over Thanksgiving.

My aunt and uncle and cousin Amanda. Their younger son was at home because his best friend came in from Minnesota where he goes to college.

The girls... before changing to clothes to go out for Black Friday shopping.

The first place we hit up was Target. We stood in line for 2 hours before they opened but we were able to get 3 tv's, a hairdryer, a couple of movies, and the Christmas shirt I wanted.

We also went to the Tanger Outlets, the mall, and then back to the outlets.

We were able to make it to the beach just in time for the sunrise. I love these pictures that I was able to capture with my phone. I finally got in bed at 7am.

Girls Dinner Out

2011-12-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

Michelle is my high school friend that now lives in Florida and is a professional comedian. So anytime that she comes to town we always try to get the girls together for a dinner out.

This time only 4 of us were able to go since one girl got put on bed rest earlier in the day (she has since had her precious little girl) and another girl couldn't find a sitter for her children.

Still, we had a blast!

It is so much fun to catch up with old friends.

Discount Tree

2011-12-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

To me there aren't many things better then a beautiful, real Christmas tree.

Unless its a really cheap fake one.

Chris and I purchased this artificial Christmas tree two years ago for just $20. This was the first year that we put it up. And while I still love real ones, this tree is almost as good. It was a lot bigger then expected and already pre-lit which was great since World World III usually takes place when its time to put the lights on.

One of Santa's special reindeer's.

I'm Still Here

2011-11-28T09:23:00.001-08:00

Sorry girls. I'm still alive. With the holidays and all things just got extra busy. My last post was about me going to the beach. Btw, I had a great time. I've already been again since I posted that one (we went for Thanksgiving weekend). I did not want to come back to work today! Grades are due today so I have been working on that all morning. I promise I'll post again soon.

Beach Bound

2011-11-10T09:03:00.000-08:00

My bag is packed with books and a Huge bottle of wine. I am so ready for some girl time at the beach with my mom, aunts, and grandma. Lots of shopping, eating, and relaxing are on the agenda.

The teacher in me cringes...

2011-11-08T05:21:00.000-08:00

This is a sign that I saw on my way home from work last week.

Walk a mile in...

2011-11-06T09:13:00.000-08:00

Love the new shoes I just got from Old Navy! Besides flip flops, I have never bought any shoes from there. These gray flats are great though! I don't think they will last very long since they don't seem to be made that great but for the price I will definitely get my wear out of them. They are actually really comfortable too. Old Navy also has them in brown and black and I think they even have some shiny metallic ones online now. (They do show quite a bit of toe cleavage so if your not a fan of that then these may not be the shoes for you)

Do you see a trend?

2011-11-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

I have seen a lot of people doing the weekly wardrobe posts so I decided to start taking a pic with my phone before I head to work each morning. I wasn't sure I would start doing the weekly posts but when I was uploading them to my computer I noticed a recurring theme.

I am obviously in love with cardigans and scarfs.

purple and olive green (which is my new favorite color to wear) . The tank was on clearance at Old Navy

I got this cardigan for less than $8.00 at NY & Company. I love the ruffles on the front.

Animal print scarf on clearance at JCPenney's

I wear this scarf more than any other one I have ever owned.

Since I love scarfs and cardigans so much lets put them together.

ASU Homecoming 2011

2011-11-02T05:54:00.000-07:00

Chris and I made the trek up the mountain for our college's homecoming.

First we stopped by to carve pumpkins with our niece and nephew.

Chris has always been the official pumpkin carver but this year I helped Eli. He told me that he wanted to draw the face of his pumpkin and then I would cut it out for him.

I had to persuade him to give his pumpkin 2 eyebrows.

After a quick lunch at McDonald's (we also ate breakfast there) we headed to Boone for some tailgating and the game.

We went straight to Duck Pond and met up with some of our college buddies at Chris's fraternities tailgate.

It was really warm when the game started but as soon as the sun went down it got very cold.

Lanie expressed it perfectly when she said, "It was 99 degrees when we got here and now its 30 degrees."

We had such a great time and cherish any time we get to spend with our favorite little kids in the world. Plus App got another win.

Homecoming Week 2011: Sports Day

2011-11-01T05:07:00.000-07:00

Thursday during Homecoming Week was Sports Day.

Of course I supported my South Carolina Gamecocks.

Everyone showing their team spirit.

Friends divided.

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T06:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Sunday Funday

2011-10-30T08:36:00.000-07:00

Chris and I spent a beautiful Sunday afternoon at South Mountain.

We took Cheyenne and hiked up the mountain. The scenery was perfect.

Homecoming Week 2011: Blast from the Past

2011-10-28T09:12:00.000-07:00

The 3rd day of Homecoming Festivities was Blast From the Past Day which happens to be my personal favorite.

Can you guess which decade I did?

Ms. Oliver, one of my co-workers, did my hair. She said that I have the perfect 80's hair.

A few of my students

My 1st baseman

Love my sweet students.

Homecoming Week 2011: Country Day

2011-10-27T06:00:00.000-07:00

The second theme for Homecoming Week was Country Day which at our school is pretty much everyday.

I decided to wear my cousins full camo budy suit which was insultated and it just so happened to be 80 degress outside and just as warm in my classroom. Needless to say I was pretty darn hot!

There are some days that I just don't think I would make it through work without these to to vent too.

Once again these are my students that participated in Country Day.

Homecoming Week 2011: Nerd Day

2011-10-25T03:47:00.000-07:00

Let me first apologize for my lack of blogging recently. Theres really no excuse.

The last week of September was our school's Homecoming Week.

Can you guess what Monday was?

NERD DAY!!!!

Or you could do Tacky Day; but who wouldn't want to be a nerd?

Each day I took a picture with my students that had participated in that days dress. Here are my tacky/nerds.

The Addams Family

2011-10-10T14:02:00.000-07:00

I am so stinking excited about going to see The Addams Family musical tomorrow night!

Finally Friday

2011-10-07T10:19:00.000-07:00

And better yet the county fair is in town.

So ready for a funnel cake..

The fair is one of my favorite things about fall.

Monograms: A Southern Staple

2011-10-04T06:50:00.000-07:00

Does everyone love monograms as much as Southern people?

Both of these necklaces are adorable. I love the pearl detail on the second one.

This will be on my Christmas list.

Takes me back to my sorority days. Except all the monograms then were done with paint pens. Oh, how I loved paint pens.

I want one of these now.

Love this above the bed.

and of course a simple monogram wreath for any and every season

(all of these can be found on Pinterest)

Pre-Occupied

2011-10-03T08:46:00.000-07:00

Sorry Ive been missing in action for a while now.

These have been keeping my attention. I just started the second book but I am highly addicted. Dare I say that these are even better then Twilight?

So Long, Insecurity

2011-09-19T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight I am beginning a new Bible study with a women's small group. I am very excited about it. My church had done Beth Moore's Breaking Free last year but then just stopped in the middle of it. I woud love to find the DVD's to finish it without having to pay the over $200.00 that it costs at Lifeway.

The following is taken from amazon.com-

Prolific Bible teacher and women's ministry leader Moore (Get Out of That Pit) moves away from her characteristic dead-on expositions of scriptural principles in her newest; the topic is insecurity, and the content, she admits, is close to an autobiography. Moore, always transparent with her own personal struggles, is refreshingly so throughout this text. Readers will be chortling in laughter one moment and sucking air the next as Moore exposes the many faces of female insecurity. The author names and claims each one, then defuses every bit of power these nonsensical inner voices possess by countering their lies with God's truth. Women, no matter what their age, battle against advertising's siren call for unattainable physical perfection; the habit of making a man's love the ultimate validation; and the worldly definition of success as money, power, and status. Moore uses personal essays, women's true confessions, expressive prayers, and lots of commonsense suggestions to jar women out of their insecure rut. Readers will delve into this work and find themselves comfortably uncomfortable, and this is a very good thing.

Funny Friend

2011-09-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that one of my best friends from jr. high and high school is coming to visit this weekend. Michelle moved to Florida a couple of years ago where she is a professional comedian.

This is Michelle and I at her show last year in Charlotte.

We have having dinner together tonight and then she has a performance tomorrow night. I am so stinking excited about seeing her. This will be the third time that I have seen her perform. Tomorrow night will be great because its in the town we're from so there will be a lot of our high school friends there.

Look at this forcast! I am so excited about cooler weather. Today I have on jeans and a new olive green sweater. I do believe that olive green is going to be my favorite color this fall.

~Also I wanted to take the time to thank everyone for you prayers this week. Each day is getting a little better although no where near good. I know that I have a very long and rough road a head of me but I pray that everything will work out the way its supposed to. I have a lot of wrongs to make right and I know that its going to take time. Please continue to pray for me.

Rock Bottom

2011-09-14T10:18:00.001-07:00

I have truly hit rock bottom in my life. I don't care to go in to all the details but I will tell you that I have thrown away all that mattered to me. And all that still matters.

Please keep me in your prayers. You cannot imagine how much I need them.

My life is already vastly different then the plans I had. I'm willing to let go of those plans in hopes that what God has in store for me is even better. I am changing the person that I am with the intention of being the woman that I can and need to be.

Vegas: Chocolate and Coke

2011-09-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Our last full day in Vegas we decided to do some more sightseeing.

And some of those sights were very nice looking...

Bally's was such a nice hotel and very reasonably priced. I would certainly recommend it.

Momma and I also took some time to visit M&M World and Coca-Cola World.

Look at all the M&M's.

We did a taste of Coke's from around the world and most of them were very gross. Especially the mint soda from Israel.

I really enjoyed our time in Vegas but after being gone for so long already we were excited about beginning our journey home.

Remembering 9-11

2011-09-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that it has been 10 years. I was a freshman in college and had an 8 o'clock class. I remember someone walking by in the hallway and saying that a plane had crashed. By the time I had made it back to my dorm and turned the tv on the second plane had just hit. A bunch of us gathered in one dorm room and watched the news all day. I remember wanting to go home and be with my family but had to stay for class. Even though most of them were canceled for several days.

I can't imagine what it would have been like to have had someone you love in one of the towers. My heart goes out to all the people that lost loved ones on that fateful day.

Road Trip Vegas: Jersey Boys and Crepes

2011-09-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I am really quite embarrassed that I am still having to do picture posts from my cross country trip. I've been back since the first of July. I think that is a pretty good example of how lazy a blogger I've become. Here is another Vegas post.

This is the inside of the buffet dining room at Paris.

I found a new love affair with crepes during my Vegas trip.

We went to a couple piano bars (which btw are my favorite nightlife setting, besides the honky tonk bar at home)

My cousin, Donovan, and I waiting to be seated for Jersey Boys.

Jersey Boys was so good! I loved every minute of it. It's coming to Charlotte next March and I am planning on going again.

The inside of the walkway at Bally's. This leads you from the hotel to the strip.

Yummy food!

Can you see the flamingos? Guess which hotel this was at. The Flamningo of course.

I was really wanting to try an In-N -Out burger while we were out west. I hate to say it but I was extremly dissapointed. It was horrible!

I think I'm going to build a Cook-Out out there. They have no idea what their missing.

Another Vegas shot at night.

I still have another Vegas day and then the trip home. I am going to try to get them up asap.

Poker Party Food

2011-09-07T07:00:00.000-07:00

This weekend Hubs had some of his guy friends over to play Poker. They set up two tables outside on the deck and had a great time. I provided the food.

These 2 ingredients were mixed together to make Cookie and Cream Bars but they just never set up right. They were a big sticky mess. But they were certainly yummy. I forgot to get a picture of the finished product. I wouldn't have been able to pick up the camera anyways for all the oreos stuck on my fingers.

I also made Buffalo Chicken Dip. I used the Frank's Red Hot recipe.

and tried a brand new recipe called Mississippi Sin Dip. I wasn't sure about using the bread bowl but I think it really added to the presentation. Plus it separated it from the Buffalo Chicken Dip.

All of these recipes were found on Pinterest.com.

Run Kelly Run

2011-09-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

This is funny but true. I am not a runner. I've always been very athletic and active. I grew up playing three sports in high school. I coach. I love to walk and the elliptical and I have a love/hate relationship. But running has never been something I've tried. Until now...

This afternoon I will start the first workout of the popular Couch to 5K program.

I'm really excited about it. After looking at the specifics for today's workout I don't think I should have any problems with it but I'm still a little apprehensive. It's only going to get harder.

My Fall Closet

2011-09-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Love the vest but would lose the belt. Love the sweater but would pair with darker jeans.

This outfit is simple and clean. Minus the bag.

I can't wait to wear my boots again this year. I think I slept with those things on last fall.

I need these shoes. Now.

I love this purple and green combo. And anytime I can pair my leopard flats with something its a good day.

Love the purple and gray together. Not a fan of the silver bag though.

I need me some Toms. Or at least a good pair of knock offs.

I adore these mustard flats. And who would have thought to wear them with gray.

Brown and orange. Is there anything that screams Fall more then this outfit? I think not.

~WHAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT STYLES FOR FALL 2011 FROM PINTEREST~

1) Wear a cardigan with everything. I mean everything.

2) Thankfully animal prints are in again.

3) Same goes for scarves. Which I love btw.

4) Gray is the new black. Actually it's better then black.

5) Belts around the middle are still in. I love this trend. It's very slimming to us big-hipped ladies.

6) Invest in a cute pair of flats. I am on the lookout for the yellow ones.

7) It looks like necklaces are big this fall too. I have a ton of cute jewerly but I never think to wear any of it.

Can't I Stay?

2011-09-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

I blogged last week about my amazing college town and how much I miss those days. After going and visiting my cousin for her birthday last Tuesday night I was so ready to pack up and move back.

These are the apartments that both Hubs and I lived in, although not at the same time. He lived there before I did. I think it's funny that we also lived in the same dorm but not at the same time.

We went to dinner at a delicious bar-b-que place but ended up waiting over an hour for our food and when it finally did come out it wasn't even warm. The owner was super nice though and gave us our meal for 10 for free. I've been there many many times before and would definitely go back. I think it was just the new cooks in the back and us having a big party.

Me and the birthday girl.

Now, I just need to decide what I'm going back to school for? Something that takes a while so that I can enjoy the cool weather.

Missing Puppy

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-07:00

Sunday afternoon I was pumping gas when I looked down and seen these eyes staring back at me...

She had a collar on but no tag. I took her in the store and asked if anyone knew who's dog this precious puppy was and no one knew anything. There aren't any houses around and its on a pretty heavily traveled road so I took her home with me. And she took my heart after only 2 days. Which is when her owners were found. After work today I took her back to the store to return her to her original family. I miss her so much already. I cried at work today several times knowing that I was going to have to give her back. And lets just say I balled like a baby pulling out of the store after returning her. Her owners were ecstatic to have her back safely though.

Can't Believe It's Been 10 Years

2011-08-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday night was my 10 year high school reunion. I graduated from a very small rural school. Its the same high school that I teach at. There were 83 people in my graduating class.

Our reunion was pretty small. There were about 30 people that graduated with us there and then add in spouses and dates.

My BFF for life. I can't imagine jr high, high school, or college without her.

It was so nice to see people that I haven't seen in a very long time. Including a few that I haven't seen since the day we graduated.

We had a dinner and then a dj. The dj was confused on the music from our time so we danced to a lot of late 80's tunes.

Its so hard to believe that its been 10 years. Hopefully 20 years won't sneak up as fast.

Monday Randomness

2011-08-29T06:27:00.001-07:00

~ I cannot wait for college football to start this week. My Gamecocks play ECU on Saturday~

~I bought OPI's Espresso nail color this weekend and LOVE it! I will be wearing this all fall. ~

10 Years...

2011-08-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

My 10 year high school reunion is tonight! Its crazy to think that its been that long since I was in high school. Maybe because I feel like I am still in school every day since I teach at the high school that I graduated from. Which isn't always a good thing.

Michele: Remember the prom? You got so thin by then.

Romy: Oh, I know. I was so lucky getting mono. That was like the best diet ever.

1st Day of School

2011-08-26T08:07:00.000-07:00

In honor of the first day of school (which was yesterday for me) I thought I would do a Pintrest post of some of my favorite teaching related things...

So simple yet so cute.

I plan on doing this for my students during final exams.

I love this wreath.

These cupcakes are adorable.

Love this for the first day.

Fall Nail Colors

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Last fall I wore a lot of purples ranging from lavender to almost black. For this fall season I am really liking all the gray and brown colors.

OPI's So Many Clowns So Much Time

Essie's Glamour Purse

Sally Hansen's Commander in Chic

OPI in My Private Jet

OPI in Roll Down the Window

Essie in Chinchilly

What are some of your favorite nail colors for fall?

When Life Was Easy...

2011-08-23T07:40:00.000-07:00

I spent four (ok, closer to five) years of my life at this school. Those were some of the best years of my life. Most importantly, because its where I met Hubs.

Boone, NC is one of the most beautiful places and the campus is one of the best that I've been to.

Everything has that small town feel but is definitely a college town through and through. We love our football!

The weather is always freezing and it rains A LOT but in the fall the leaves are gorgeous and if you like snow then come visit in March or April.

I am so excited to be going back to Boone this afternoon. My cousin just started school there (in fact she just moved in this weekend) so a bunch of the women in our family are going up there tonight to surprise her for her birthday. I cannot wait to be back in the town that holds so many great memories for me. I know she is going to love her time in Boone.

Weekend Review

2011-08-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

This weekend was very low key which was exactly what I needed after our horrible workdays last week. I am not looking forward to going back to work at all.

Friday night I met my parents for dinner at a local Mexican resteraunt (my fav) and then did a quick WalMart run. I also finally got to watch Something Borrowed. It was so cute!

Saturday morning I went to the gym to get that out of the way and then spent the rest of the day by the pool. I was the palest I can ever remember being at this time of the year so I really needed to work on my tan. Saturday night I colored my hair. Its now just a medium brown. Much closer to my natural color than the blonde I had been sporting.

Sunday was church and then more pool time. Now it's back to work. I have three workdays this week and then school starts on Thursday. Not excited this year!

....

2011-08-21T16:22:00.000-07:00

UGH!

2011-08-19T05:29:00.000-07:00

I feel like this cartoon is a very accurate depiction of the way I feel right now. Work has started back (or at least workdays have) and I am not ready. I am usually very excited about going back to work after a relaxing summer but not this year. Yesterday we had our first work day and it was meetings all day long. Well, actually one really long meeting. The only good that came of it was that we get to wear jeans on Friday's now.

I plan on doing as little as possible this weekend. I am definitely needing some vitamin D (laying out by the pool) tomorrow.

Road Trip: Family Day in Vegas

2011-08-18T10:00:00.000-07:00

Our main reason for this cross country trip was to visit my cousin in California and then to also visit my cousin and her family in Las Vegas.

My cousin Mandy moved with her husband to Las Vegas from NC when he got a job out there as a police officer.

After years of fertiltiy issues they had beautiful twin girls last August.

They are the sweetest babies I have ever seen.

I am not lying when I say that these little girls never cried or fussed. They love the pool and love splashing each other.

After dinner and visiting with Mandy and her family we headed back to our hotel.

These are just a few more night time pictures of Las Vegas.

Weekend Recap- A little behind

2011-08-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a big 50th birthday party for one of my aunts. Sandra is my mom's youngest sister and the last to turn 50.

Three of the amazing men in my life.

My grandma with her 5 children.

This picture was taken at the very end of the night so almost everyone had already left. My family is huge and this is just a small sample of them.

My wonderful daddy and momma.

End of Summer

2011-08-17T08:37:00.000-07:00

I am so not ready to go back to work tomorrow!

Road Trip: Vegas... Day 2

2011-08-11T10:16:00.000-07:00

We started our first full day in Vegas with the amazing views from the top of the Stratosphere Tower.

We were really high up and it was pretty scary being outside that far off the ground.

We decided to go to the famous Peppermill for breakfast/lunch.

The decor inside was so funky and very Las Vegas.

This is colored sugar.

The portions were HUGE! I ordered a mushroom swiss burger with curly fries.

Donovan's omelet took up the entire plate.

Momma ordered a rueben with potato salad.

Afterwards we rode around so that I could see everything in the daylight. I was the only one that hadn't been to Vegas before.

We stayed at Bally's and our room was extremely nice. And it was not expensive at all.

Bally's is hooked to the Paris.

The front entrance to Bally's from the strip.

The thing I liked the most about Bally's was that it is right in the middle of Vegas. We could walk to just about everything.

Serendipity. Momma and I tried to go one night but the hostess told us there was super long wait when almost all the tables were empty. We walked out a long with the large party in front of us.

Road Trip: Viva Las Vegas

2011-08-10T09:24:00.000-07:00

After leaving Yosemite we stopped to eat before leaving California and then drove the 6 hours on to Las Vegas.

My first view of Vegas was at night with it all lit up. It was beautiful.

I love all the lights.

Everything is so BIG!

After driving so much we weren't up for any sight seeing that night.

Old Navy Loves

2011-08-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

Old Navy has always been one of my favorite stores. They have the best sweater collections. After a little online window shopping here are a few of my favorites from Old Navy...

This cute sweater vest would be perfect with a brown undershirt, jeans, and my cowboy boots.

Love the color of this sweater! Doesn't it look so comfy?

Green is one of my favorite colors to wear. I love how this top looks baggy and I'm a big fan of 3/4 sleeves.

Perfect flats for fall.

Yes, please. Gotta support the local team.

I was just telling Hubs about when I was little my favorite part of school shopping was picking out my new lunch box. This would be the one I would pick this year.

Summer Movie Reviews

2011-08-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

I have really been watching a lot of movies this summer. Usually I am not a huge fan of sitting still for two hours but I seem to have gotten lazy in my old age.

The Adjustment Bureau was actually pretty good. It has a nice little love story to it.

I wanted to see Captain America so Chris and I went and saw the 3D version last weekend. It was a little too action packed for my taste.

Source Code was another renter and it was weird and hard to keep up with but it wasn't a total waste. I wouldn't have wanted to pay theater prices to see it though.

Have ya'll seen any good movies lately? I am so excited that Something Borrowed is coming out on dvd soon since I never made it to the theater to see it. I also really want to see Soul Surfer which actually came out on dvd yesterday. If I do happen to go to the theater again any time soon I wouldn't mind watching Crazy Stupid Love.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-08-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that I am loving this week...

OPI's Feelin Hot Hot Hot nail polish. It is the best summer color. Its light enough for nails and toes.

My summer beauty go-to has been Burt Bee's Tinted Lip Balm in Hibiscus. It feels like chapstick but has a little bit of color which is perfect.

Momma found these adorable Croc's at Belk's and knew I would love them. I have a solid black pair in the same style and love them. I haven't bought these yet but they are definitely on my wish list.

Road Trip: Yosemite National Park

2011-08-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our last day in California we stopped for breakfast at this great little southwestern restaurant.

I got eggs and corn and it was delicious. The homemade tortilla shells were amazing.

Momma had whole wheat pancakes. Perfection.

Donovan had an omelet.

After breakfast we headed a few hours to Yosemite National Park.

All the snow was melting and creating these amazing waterfalls.

There are a ton of beautiful pictures from the park so I'm not going to do a lot of writing.

It was so easy to enjoy the beauty of nature. You cannot look at these pictures and not believe in our amazing God that created all this.

There was still a ton of snow.

After leaving the park we drove the six hours to Vegas and checked in at the Stratosphere around midnight.

New York New York

2011-07-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't even gotten all the pictures from my last vacation posted and I'm already wanting to plan my next trip.

I really want to go to New York around Christmas.

And I'm dying to visit Serendipity.

and try a famous frozen hot chocolate

Momma and I tried to go to Serendipity while we were in Vegas but it was 11 pm and the girl told us it would be an hour wait but there wasn't hardly even anyone in the restaurant. Needless to say we didn't stay.

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2011-07-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

This week I'm loving...

Summer desserts

My Yellowbox flip flops. They are so comfortable.

I am also loving that we just got an Ulta near by. No more having to drive 45 mins for makeup.

Having a Ball in the Heat

2011-07-26T16:30:00.000-07:00

This weekend Chris had an all day softball tournament for our church league.

My brother also plays on his team.

They won the first 2 games and lost the next 2.

It was so hot outside and miserable sitting out there.

Chris's parents came and watched his first 2 games.

I kept score for the first 2 games but left after lunch. It was just way too hot to sit out there all day.

Road Trip: Would you like some cheese with that wine?

2011-07-24T14:52:00.000-07:00

One of our days in California was spent in Napa Valley.

Napa Valley was beautiful. And of course I loved all that wine. Especially since momma was driving us. ;)

Our first stop was a local bakery where we picked up this delicious mini-cake. It tasted as good as it looked too.

Black Stallion was the first winery we visited.

Donovan and I during our wine tasting.

Our second winery was really nice. I liked it better than Black Stallion. I just can't remember the name of it.

The next wineries were my choices. I wanted to visit ones that I frequently buy at the grocery store. So we were on to Sutter Home.

This is the Sutter home.

I don't remember the next wineries name either. I did do several tastings so that may have something to do with my loss of memory.

Look at this beautiful reception room.

Our last stop was Beringer Winery. This another brand that I buy a lot of.

The home was gorgeous.

We were tired by the end of this tour but wouldn't it be so nice to sit out at a table with some great wine and good company.

Napa Valley was one of my favorite parts of our California visit. It is beautiful.

Road Trip: Alcatraz

2011-07-22T10:48:00.000-07:00

I finally have all the Alcatraz pictures uploaded. There are a ton of them so I will do very little writing.

The view of San Fransisco from the ferry.

Alcatraz Island.

First room new prisoners would see... the shower room.

Inside a cell.

Recreation yard.

The library.

Control room.

Prisoners view.

Escape from Alcatraz... these are the cells that the three prisoners escaped from.

Dining hall

I loved Alcatraz and was so excited about the tour. If your ever in SF its a must do.

Can you Hear Me Now?

2011-07-21T17:15:00.001-07:00

I have had the worst luck with cell phones lately. I am currently on my 4th phone since Christmas. I bought a Samsung Fascinate in December and loved it but then in April it stopped working correctly after it did an update. I took it to the Verizon store and the guy told me that I needed to send it in a get another one. Well of course the one they sent me was a refurbished phone which was fine. Until the day I get it in the mail and it doesn't work. So I spend hours and hours having wonderfully civil and nice conversations with the lovely people at Verizon and finally they say they will send me a different model phone. Which was the Incredible 2. Which also didn't receive incoming calls. Perfect. After more lovely conversations I end up having to purchase another phone which is how I ended up with my current phone... an IPhone.
Except for when the IPhone comes this week (which it is a new one) it won't activate. So after another 3 hour conversation I am without a phone until I can go to the Verizon store the next day and have them activate it in the store. Which I do. And imagine my surprise when the salesman picks up the phone and calls the same number that I had the night before and gets my phone activated in five minutes. Ummm, why couldn't you have done that for me the night before? Ugh. At least for the moment I have a phone that works.

Road Trip: Chocolate and China Town

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was so excited about going to San Fransisco. We were told that its always cooler in SF but of course we were there when it was 93 degrees.

Yummy, chocolate

Fisherman's Wharf

I went on an Alcatraz tour while momma and Donovan walked around the wharf.

After my tour we rode though Chinatown.

At the recommendation of another blogger I went to Specialty's for chocolate chip cookies.

I got there right before they closed so the cookies were a little hard. I'm sure they are much better when they are fresh.

I'll post Alcatraz pictures soon.

Road Trip Day 5: Sacramento Sweets

2011-07-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to California!!!

As soon as we got to Sacramento and got unpacked we went and had dinner at an amazing sushi place and then headed to Hamburger Patties which is a local bar.

The next day we spent the day around Sacramento.

We visited See's Candies.

Donovan had sent momma some for Mother's Day and she wanted to get some more.

Look at all these delicious candies.

We had lunch at the another Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives... the Squeeze Inn.

We all got a squeeze with cheese. Yes ladies, this is fried cheese around the burger. It was pretty good but wasn't worth the hour + wait that we had.

Next stop... Napa Valley.

Summer Reading Reviews

2011-07-14T06:20:00.000-07:00

I'm going to break up my vacation posts today with a few summer reading reviews.

I read this book on my road trip and I'm not sure if it was the heaviness of the content or the fact that I was only able to read short amounts at a time but this book took me a long time to get through. It was good don't get me wrong but it was not a fast read. Worth checking out from the library though.

I just finished this book early in the week and while it started out slow it really picked up at the end. This book has also been made into a Lifetime movie that I know is being played July 23rd at 7:oopm. I already have it on my dvr.

After reading two pretty heavy books I wanted something fun. And this book delivered. I loved it and cannot wait to read more from Beth Harbison. Super fast read and loved all the characters.

I also took this book on my road trip and could not finish it. The author obviously has some ties to Coca-Cola because it is mentioned a bijillion times in the few chapters that I read. Not that I don't like Coke but I don't care to read a book about it.

What books have you read this summer?

Road Trip Day 4: Beautiful Utah and A little Nevada

2011-07-13T06:38:00.000-07:00

On the third night we drove a little longer and made it to Park City, Utah before stopping for the night. It was dark when we got there so we couldn't really see anything.

But this is what we woke up to outside of our hotel room.

If you like to ski Park City, Utah is a before ski resort area.

Look like snow? Nope, it's slat. These are salt flats that are in Utah.

Welcome to Nevada!

We stopped at a gas station and there was a casino in it.

For lunch we stopped at a local Mexican place.

I love chips and salsa.

Yummy margarita.

Our food was delicious.

Now instead of flat spaces we were seeing rocks and more rocks.

I promise that we eventually make it to California. Just hang with me.

Road Trip Day 3: Where is the food?

2011-07-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

After leaving downtown Cheyenne we had decided to wait and eat a little later in the day. The only problem was that this is all we saw, for hours...

Finally thanks (or no thanks) to Yelp Mobile we found this little place in Rawlings, Wyoming.

We should have kept on driving.

The food was expensive. And horrible.

Do you see all the parmesean cheese covering my pasta?

Same with momma's. The pasta's may have been okay if you could have tasted anything other than the cheese.

So after wasting our money on the worst food I ever remember having we were back on the road and headed towards Utah.

Road Trip: Whoops I forgot Nebraska

2011-07-11T07:00:00.001-07:00

How in the world could I forget all the windmills and open, flat land?

We had to go through a detour because part of Hwy 29 was flooded. The detour took us over an hour out of the way.

We did make a slight detour towards Omaha so that we could try to get College World Series t-shirts. My parents went last year and my SC Gamecocks won. Since they were in it again this year we wanted to get shirts again. We were there on Wednesday night and since the games didn't start until Saturday we were a little too early for the vendors.

Rosenblatt was the old stadium. Last year was the last world series played there. Which btw, my Gamecocks won!

The new stadium is right downtown. And once again my Gamecocks won. Which means that they were the last National Champions at Rosenblatt Stadium and the first National Champions at Ameritrade Stadium.

We ate dinner at a local bar called Crescent Moon. I ordered a Nebraska beer.

Yummy nachos.

Instead of onion rings momma ordered fried green pepper rings. I LOVE green peppers and thought these were really good.

Sorry I forgot you Nebraska. The days really started running together after being on the road so much and seeing so many different places.

Road Trip Day 3: Cheyenne

2011-07-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

The evening of our third day was spent in Cheyenne, Wyoming. I'm going to start off by saying that I was very disappointed in Wyoming. It was one of the places that I was really looking forward to and I just didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Another picture overload...

Cheyenne was really heavy in train history.

There were several of these painted cowboy boots around downtown.

Inside an old train station.

Lots of wide open spaces.

Sorry for the lack of words but there are just so many pictures that I have to share that the posts are already so long.

Road Trip Day 2: Whats your favorite flavor?

2011-07-09T07:00:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of our trip was spent driving through several states. At the recommendation of my cousin we made a detour though Hastings, Nebraska to stop at the museum there.

Why stop at a museum in small town Hastings Nebraska? Because it is the town that Kool-Aid was invented in. Following is an overload of pictures.

I loved Kool-Aid Barbie.

Just a few of the Kool-Aid products.

Btw, heres a little piece of trivia... Tropical Punch is the most popular Kool-Aid flavor.

The Kool-Aid man

Do you remember when you could save points off the Kool-Aid packs and send them in and select the prize you wanted? My mom was the best about saving our points. I loved getting my Kool-Aid prizes in the mail. This is a display of many of the possible things that you could earn.

My first try at a lemonade stand. I grew up way back in the woods and there was never anyone on our dirt road to buy lemonade from me.

The musuem also had a really nice old buggy display.

Thought Daddy would like all the old bikes.

Old buggy hearst.

Does anyone else think this is scary looking?

After our detour to Hastings we were back on the road and headed toward Cheyenne, Wyoming.

An Early Father's Day posted way late

2011-07-08T16:21:00.000-07:00

Okay, I am extremely sorry for my horrible blogging skills. After getting back from our road trip the thought of uploading all those pictures was so overwhelming. And I had a beach trip scheduled. lol. But I'm back now and I promise that I'm going to be posting so much ya'll are going to be tired of seeing me in your Blog Reader List.

Since momma and I were going to be gone during Father's Day we celebrated with daddy early.

We got him a brand new bicycle. He loved it!

He also loved his new cutoff t-shirts (yes, we are slightly redneck).

Isn't he darling?

We even splurged and put him a horn on it.

I have the best dad in the world and it was so nice to get him something that he will actually use. He is always so hard to buy for.

Road Trip Day 2: Dessert and More Dessert

2011-06-22T08:17:00.000-07:00

Day two started out with continental breakfast from our hotel (they had a pancake machine!) and then we were back on the road. Our next stop was St. Louis, MO.

I got some really good pictures of the Arch.

A bridge beside the Arch.

The Saint Louis Cardinals stadium downtown.

We headed to Iron Barley for lunch. This was another Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives place and once again Guy Fiera did not dissapoint.

I ordered the beef and cheese and honestly I was a little concerned when it came out. All for no reason though. This sandwich was yummy!

Momma got the bean and ham soup.

A local guy suggested we try the PB&J Blaster pie for dessert. I don't even like jelly and this pie was scrumptious! (Btw, I'm running out of unique words to describe all the yummy food we've had). This pie is a peanut butter freezer pie with a strawberry cayenne jelly and habernaro sauce. It was a pie with a kick!

And just to let you know how nice the owners were... the guy that suggested the pie to us; they gave him a piece on the house.

Here are a few houses in St. Louis.
I was surprised that almost everything was a duplex.

Our next stop in St. Louis was Gooey Louie's.

How cute is that sign?

The sign that wasn't cute was the one on the door that said they were closed because they were sold out of cakes. This wasn't stopping us though. We got the attention of the guy mopping inside and told him that we had came all the way from North Carolina for a Gooey Louie butter cake. So he was extremly nice and let us in to buy one. The sign was posted because their oven had quit working the day before and they had closed the store to catch up on their cake orders.

The inside of the store was adorable.

The butter cake was very good. It has a cream cheese taste and was gooey on the top almost like it hadn't cooked long enough. It was worth the stop.

All in all, I was not impressed with St. Louis. The food was yummy but I enjoyed Nashville a lot more.

Happy Birthday BFF

2011-06-21T05:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my best friend in the whole world!

Road Trip Day 1: Driving and the best pizza ever

2011-06-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

We are still on our road trip but I have access to Internet while we are in California so I thought I would go ahead and share some of our road trip with ya'll. Tuesday was my last teacher workday (well, it was since I took Wednesday off) so momma picked me up from work and we were on our way!

We had already made plans to stop in Knoxville and eat at a place called Pizza Palace that was featured on Food Networks Diner's, Drive-ins, and Dives.

Pizza Palace was definitely a drive-in. There were about three stools inside but other than that there wasn't any sitting.
We ordered a everything pizza and added green olives (which thanks to Hubs are my favorite pizza topping).

Hands down this was the BEST pizza I've ever had! If you live anywhere near Knoxville run and get one. Now!

We ate in the car and kept driving. Our next stop was Nashville.

We went down Broadway on a Tuesday night at 8:30 and there were hundreds of people out. Country music was blaring from dozens of bars. I wished we could have stayed longer.

Nashville seems like such a fun place.

We also stopped and went in the Ryman Auditorium.

It was beautiful inside.

I loved the arches.

I was able to get a quick snap of the Tennessee Titan's stadium as we were leaving Nashville.

On day one we drove all the way to Illinois and spent the first night there.

Stay tune for much more...

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-19T07:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to my wonderful daddy!

Love me some Wine

2011-06-18T06:43:00.000-07:00

(taken from Google)

I am so excited about bringing home California wine!

Weekend Recap

2011-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday Hubs and I had a date night for our anniversary. We went to a local Italian restaurant for dinner and then watched The Rite.

I didn't like this movie. It was rated PG13 but should have been R. I have just never really been a fan of scary movies and this one was pretty scary.

Boone enjoyed it though.

Sunday was spent by the pool and later I watched Just Go With It.

I loved it! This movie was so funny and really cute. If you haven't seen it then you should soon.

Also on Sunday night my South Carolina Gamecocks beat UConn to advance to Omaha this weekend.

Summer Reading

2011-06-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Since ya'll already know what a bookworm I am you can only imagine how many books I thought I would need for a 3 week road trip.

Here is what I packed.

I think this should be enough.

(Momma did tell me that I could not read the entire time)

Destination: Cross Country

2011-06-14T05:20:00.000-07:00

This afternoon Momma and I will start our summer cross country adventure. Suitcase is packed and my camera is ready to take tons of pictures. I am taking my laptop so I will try to post in a few days.

First stop, Nashville.

Happy Anniversary

2011-06-10T05:16:00.000-07:00

(This is us last year. Hubs surprised me with an anniversary dinner at The Melting Pot)

Happy Anniversary Hubs!

What time is it?

2011-06-09T05:35:00.000-07:00

Loving my new watch

Introducing Hub's New Toy....

2011-06-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

and

I love this coffee maker!

It is the neatest thing and all of the flavors have been really good so far.

Current Biggest Peeves

2011-06-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

I know that ya'll are all dying to know the things that drive me crazy...

~ Mumbling. Maybe this is because I'm a high school teacher but it seems like no one talks were you can understand them. Speak up and speak clearly.

~ Checking in on Facebook. Who cares that you just checked into PF Changs with your BFF and then an hour later that you checked into the mall. I personally do not want my 450 facebook friends knowing where I am at all times. If your important enough to me to need to know where I am then I promise I will call you and let you know. Don't even get me started on tagging. Why do you care to let everyone know who your with. If their important enough to you that they know then why aren't they with you.

~ Have manners. Say thank you please.

~ When the light turns green go. A yellow blinking turn light means that you can turn when nothing is coming.

~Stand for the pledge. (Another teacher peeve)

~ Stop taking my monogramed coffee mug out of the teachers lounge. (I'm guessing that's none of ya'll though)

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-05T13:56:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend was spent at the beach.

We drove down Friday after Hubs got off work.

Saturday I sat out on the beach while Hubs played golf with a few of his customers and then we headed to the pool to cool off.

We had an early dinner at our favorite restaurant in the world. Its a authentic Italian place and the chicken parmigiana is so yummy. After dinner we rode up the strip in my parents convertible and people watched.

I had a mint in my mouth and it was about to fall out.

Heres a much better one.

For any of you that are familiar with Myrtle Beach on Memorial Day Weekend you know that it is one of the bike weeks so this is my aunt and cousin in Wal-Mart showing how we participated in Bike Week 2011.

Sunday was another day at the ocean.

I bought these glasses for Hubs from Hobby Lobby after Easter for 18 cents. The first picture my parents ever saw of Hubs was in college and he had on a pair of green ones just like these. My mom looked at that picture and said "Kelly, he doesn't really look like your type."

My aunt and uncle.

After a lot of sun the girls headed to the outlets to shop before meeting the men at House of Blues for dinner. After we ate and watched some of the NASCAR race I talked Hubs into going to Cracker Barrel for dessert.

We ordered the apple dumplin with ice cream. YUMMY!!!!

and heres an after picture...

needless to say; he loved it too.

Monday morning we packed up and came home early since Hubs had a church softball game. I am already looking forward to the next beach trip.

Throw it on the Grill

2011-06-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things about spring and summer is grilling out.

Food always taste better when its cooked outside.

The other night Hubs threw some steak kabobs on the grill a long with some onions and green peppers. It was so simple and so delicious!

This grill pan is from Bed, Bath, and Beyond and it is such a great way to grill fresh veggies. Later in the week we used it to grill squash and zucchini and it was just as good.

Around the World in 80 Days

2011-06-02T06:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, not really around the world but I am going across the United States in 3 weeks (not 80 days). Momma and I will begin our journey in just 2 short weeks. Here is a list of our stops in the order we'll come to them.

NASHVILLE

ST. LOUIS

CHEYENNE

SALT LAKE CITY

SACRAMENTO

SAN FRANSISCO

LAS VEGAS

ALBUQUERQUE

OKLAHOMA CITY

LITTLE ROCK

MEMPHIS

I am so excited about our trip and can't wait to see so many beautiful places. If you know anything about any of these places that we are visiting (such as things to do or see, or places to eat) please feel free to share.

What I love Wednesday

2011-06-01T06:16:00.000-07:00

1) My Nook and the fact that it is great for outdoor reading.

2) My new ULTA nail polish... mint condition.

3) sugar free pink lemonade

Beachy Book Reviews

2011-05-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

The beach was perfect. I got tons of sun and knocked 2 books off my summer reading list. I'll share pictures from our vacation soon but I wanted to go ahead and do a couple of book reviews.

The first book I read on vacation was Sweet Valley Confidential. I grew up being a huge Sweet Valley fan. Maybe that will soften my next sentence. This book was the worst thing I have ever read. It was terrible. I had to make myself finish it.

These Things Hidden is the second book from Heather Gudenkauf. I read her debut novel last year and loved it. These Things Hidden is a definite must read. This book reads so fast due to the very short chapters and I love the way it is told from several view points.

Beach Bound

2011-05-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

(this is not me, image take from Google)

This afternoon we are beach bound!

I am so ready for a relaxing long weekend. I have packed my bikinis and books(and of course my Nook). Thats about all I'm going to need for this trip.

Cutest Kids on the Block

2011-05-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

I am the extremly proud aunt of the two most adorable kids in the world!

Seriously, is he not the most handsome little man you've ever seen?

Plus, he is the funniest thing in the world.

Lanie has turned into such a little lady.

She takes after her aunt when it comes to being a camara hog.

And she takes after her uncle when it comes to ruining pictures, lol

Weekend Review: Beach Music and Pool Days

2011-05-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

Friday night I went to Downtown Alive to hear the Chairmen of the Board which is a Carolina Beach Band. I love beach music and shagging. I do believe I will be signing up for shagging lessons very soon. It was a beautiful night to be outside. Sorry the picture is so small. It was taken with my phone and I have no idea how to get pics from my phone uploaded on here so this one was taken from facebook but I couldn't get it to be any larger.

Saturday I spent the day during one of my favorite things... laying out by the pool and reading. I also got burnt up. I actually tan very well so the red has already changed to brown. Saturday night I got some take out Japanese food and watched The Roommate.

Sunday I spent another day by the pool and then we grilled out. It was a wonderful and very relaxing weekend. I need another one of those soon. This coming weekend we are going to the beach for Memorial Day and I cannot wait. I am so excited to be sitting in the sand.

A day for awards

2011-05-21T17:19:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Awards Day at school. Its a 2 hour program for all the parents to come and watch their children get recognized for scholarships and awards that teachers and the community give out.

Madison (my shortstop) received the Female Athlete of the Year award. And she is only a freshman. I can't wait to see what all she accomplishes in the next three years.

Later that night we had our Spring athletic banquet.

Tori received the coaches award. She is my senior 2nd baseman and will be greatly missed next year.

and of course we never miss a photo opportunity

Prom Night 2011

2011-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

After a long day of setting everything up for Prom we then had to rush home and come back to chaperone. It was a very long day.

Some of our softball girls all dressed up.

Bryan and I. Bryan is one of my teacher assistants and a great friend.

Lindsey and her step-son Tyler.

Prom King and Queen.

Softball coaches.
Prom Advisors
Just a few of the great ladies I work with

the most handsome man at prom
There is nothing better then the chocolate fountain.

Enchanted Evening

2011-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned before that myself and 2 of my co-workers were placed in charge of the prom this year. I will start out by saying that this was not my cup of tea. At all. I am not creative or crafty. I do not like to decorate. But I like being in charge so I was basically the boss and did all the calls and planning and let them do all the creative things. Which btw, they did a wonderful job as you will see from the pictures below.

Enchanted Evening

This was in the entry way. It wasn't finished at this point so I'm not sure why I took a picture of it.

My favorite part... the food tables. Being in charge also means you pick the menu.

In the main ballroom there is always a spot for candid pictures so we tried creating a garden theme.

The main entry way.

Us after a loooonnnngggg days work.