Lemon Ice Cream & a New Kitty

Well, well, well look who's back again! MONDAY. While it may be the first day of a new work week, I'm still reminiscing about what a great weekend we had. Here's a recap:

 

Friday night we met Tanner's family at Cracker Barrel for dinner. So good to see them, especially our sweet little nephew, Carter. He'll be ONE this Saturday!  

 

 

Saturday afternoon we went to see one of my best friends' singing debut at Howell's Mercantile in Belhaven. There was good food, great music and rocking chairs. We couldn't have asked for a better summer afternoon.

 

 

The rest of the weekend was spent playing with our newest addition, Palmer. We got him about a week ago and he is so playful. Jaz has even decided that she likes him. I'm so glad they are playing together. Tanner is just glad to have another male in the house.

 

What did your weekend consist of?

Happies for the Week

Just a list of things that made me happy this week:

 

 

 

We are not getting a hurricane this weekend!

 

Cool nights

 

Planning for the Trunk or Treat at church

 

Casual day at work

 

Dinner with my bff

 

October, in general

 

My umbrella

 

Taco Tuesday with Tanner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Better Half

Better Half

Hopefully, through reading my blog you'll get to know a lot about me, but the story wouldn't be complete without my better half. I could probably spend hours gushing over who I think is the most perfect man in the world but I'll spare you all from that mushy, lovey-dovey stuff.

Tanner and I went to high school together, but we didn't actually meet until my senior year. I was friends with his girlfriend at the time, so we all went to my senior prom together. Tanner was quiet, and if I knew anything about him it was just that he drove a turquoise jeep and wore camouflage. Not really my thing back then.

We didn't really hang out with the same groups of people so after I graduated I didn't see him again for a while. Then one night I happened to run into him at a restaurant and a few hours later I got a message on Facebook. (How cheesy, right?!) Anyways, long story short I gave him my number and we started "talking"...or at least I think that's what the young people still call it. Our first date was at Carolina Ale House and while it was nice, it was a little awkward. I couldn't help but notice how genuinely sweet he was. I could tell he was nervous and I was flattered by that. I hadn't dated anyone that nice in a long time.

Fast forward to exactly 2 years later and I'm walking down the aisle to him. Our wedding was small, simple and very casual, and I wouldn't have had it any other way. We've been married a year and a half now and Tanner shows me every day that he is still that genuine, kind guy that I fell in love with. He's selfless, hard-working and so silly. He plays the guitar like it was made for him, loves golf and nothing makes me more proud than to see him serving the Lord at church or wherever else we go. I'll be the first to admit that at times I've wandered pretty far from the path of God,  but the Lord knew just what he was doing when he sent me the best trail guide and partner in the world.

Changes in September

Time is flying, y'all! I'm not sure I even remember July, or August, for that matter. I am really trying to "stop and smell the roses" but I am just too excited for the best season ever. When it comes to fall, I'm your typical girl. I'm ready for bonfires, crunchy leaves, salted caramel lattes, anything pumpkin flavored or themed, fall décor, Howl-O-Scream at Busch Gardens, football and Homecoming at church. Seriously, my favorite time of year.

With all that said, the leaves aren't the only thing changing 'round here. A few months ago I found out my company is moving our offices to Greenville, NC; a town about 20 miles west of Washington. Unfortunately for us, we moved in the opposite direction, about 10 miles east of Washington. So, starting in mid-October my commute will go from 15 to 45 minutes. There is a plus side, though. Greenville is where we do most of our shopping, so on my lunch break I'm hoping to make it TJ Maxx quite a bit. I'm excited but super nervous, as I'll be working with all new people. Scared!

Last Sunday our interim minister spent his last worship service with us. He and his wife have been such a blessing to our church as we continue the search for a new minister. It's been pretty challenging, but I really feel like we're growing spiritually, and Bob and Denise had a huge part in that. I can't say how awesome they were with their words of encouragement and steady perseverance. It was really hard to see them go, but we wish them well in the future and hope we can find a full time minister quickly.

Being that I'll have a longer commute, Tanner and I are in talks about our current vehicle situation. My car is...fine, I think I just might need something a little more dependable. It's definitely not a clunker, but it has definitely seen better days. And since we don't have kids yet I think it would be better to go ahead and bite the bullet so to speak so that hopefully, by the time we do have little ones, at least one of our vehicles will be paid off. That being said, I'm looking for a mid-size SUV. I was sold on something like a Chevrolet Equinox, but then realized they didn't have third row seating. So now I'm considering a Kia Sorento. Do you guys have any suggestions? I'm not exactly looking for something as big as a Tahoe, but something larger than a Ford Escape. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

What changes are going on your world? Do you have any goals or plans for the upcoming months?

Feeling the Burn (literally) with Colton Dixon

Hi guys, do I have a story for you today! Last Saturday my best friend, Lyndsay and I, spent our day volunteering at a Colton Dixon concert. Lyndsay is a cosmetologist and one of her clients owns an event planning business. This particular business does a lot of work for the Christian radio station in our town, which is called The Bridge FM. Lyndsay’s client asked us last week if we’d help with Colton’s concert and we said we’d love to. We were instructed to be at the theatre at 11:30am Saturday morning and plan on being there until after the concert was over that night. We were so excited we even went shopping Friday night to find new outfits to wear. We had no idea what we were in for…..

Upon our arrival, we were told to steam tablecloths for the merchandise table and start setting up the items on the Colton’s rider. A rider is a list of requests an artist makes for his performance. We headed to the green room to start setting it all up. Lyndsay filled the steamer and I started putting their snacks in buckets on their table. Within several minutes more volunteers were showing up and more jobs were being handed out. Things got a little crazy and just when I could feel the sweat starting to trickle down my forehead (RIP my foundation) I made the most embarrassing mistake ever. I walked over to the steamer to see if it was hot and it was, finally, so I grabbed the handle off of the hook and pulled it over to a tablecloth. I thought the cord was longer than it actually was, so when I pulled steamer over to me, the entire thing fell over. I dropped the handle to catch it, but as I did that the boiling water started pouring out of the handle and onto my left foot (and my new Jack Rogers L). Ya’ll, I have never experienced so much pain. Not to mention as I’m jumping around like a maniac trying desperately not to cry or say an ugly word, the director of the event walks in just in time to see the boiling water bubbling over my foot onto the ground and the tablecloth being soaked. I could have curled up in a ball and died. I decided right then and there that I was not cut out for this type of work.

Lyndsay and I picked up the steamer and tablecloth and she started to steam desperately. By this time Colton and his crew were arriving and we were under a lot of pressure to get things finished for their green room and get lunch set up. My foot was still on fire and I’m pretty sure I know what it feels like to have someone trying to cut your leg off with a chainsaw. Seriously, if childbirth is worse than boiling water on your skin, Count. Me. Out.

After that, we hung the tablecloths over a couch in the lobby and started to set up lunch. Colton and his band came in and ate, then headed into the auditorium for sound check. Lyndsay and I ate and I ranted to her about how embarrassed I was. The director came in and asked to take a look at my foot (she used to be an EMT) and said she thought they were 2^nd degree burns. She told us we could go home for a little while but to be back by 3pm. The break was much needed, as we were sweaty, shiny, ill and hungry. We went back to Lyndsay’s and took a quick 15 minute rest, touched up our hair and makeup, then went to my mom’s house to get some cream for my burns. Luckily, she had something to put on my foot and once she did the pain went away almost immediately. We decided to head back to the theatre and tough out the rest of the afternoon and night.

 

We got there around 3 and watched the end of Colton’s sound check. After that the director gave us a rundown of the ticket booth that we were in charge of and gave us a few more duties. We had a meeting at 4pm with all of the volunteers then ate a really quick, but delicious dinner. After dinner we headed back to the ticket booth and lines were already forming outside. People who bought VIP tickets were allowed to come in at 5:30pm for the meet and greet. After getting the VIPs sorted and in line to meet Colton, we opened the doors and let the rest of the concert goers in. There was a mad rush of tickets, cash, and children for about an hour then things quieted down. The opening band started at 7pm and we let the last people in at 7:05pm. Lyndsay and I headed upstairs to watch the concert from the volunteer section in the balcony. The opening band was the praise and worship team from Covenant Church, based out of Washington, NC and they did a great job. There was about a 10 minute intermission while Colton’s people set up then he started right at 7:50pm. He opened with a few rock-ish songs and he had a great energy. In about the middle of his set he did one of his singles on the radio right now “More of You”, and then he said a few words about faith and what it means to be the church verses going to church. He did a few songs on the piano, one of which was “Through It All”. I could feel the energy change in the crowd and I think everyone really enjoyed that time of worship. It was really wholesome and pure and I think God touched a lot of people during that. Lyndsay and I headed back down to the ticket booth to get ready to start selling tickets for the next event before all of the people came out of the show. We sold several tickets for October’s event, which is the “Time of My Life” tour featuring Chris August, The Afters, Unspoken, and Among the Thirsty. Colton came out to the merch table and signed a bunch of autographs and took a lot of pictures with the fans. He was kind and made lots of jokes, so he was an instant hit with the tween girls. Overall I think everyone really enjoyed the show and he seemed like he genuinely had a good time. After he went back to the green room, Lyndsay and I grabbed our things and headed home. I haven’t been that tired in a long time, but it was a great experience and although my foot still burns if I touch it, I’d definitely do it again.

 

 

 

 

1 Month Down

In an effort to make polite conversation at the grocery store or bank, people often ask me the same question, "So, how's married life?" I usually give a variation of this answer (sorry): "He plays golf a little more, but other than that it's pretty good." And I smile and continue to run errands. I guess, if you've asked me and genuinely would like to know, I'll give you a little insight to the past month of our sometimes crazy, yet mostly boring life together.

First and foremost, marriage is FUN. There is no one else on this Earth that can make me laugh like Tanner can and I whole-heartedly appreciate that he has no reservations about being completely stupid and silly with me. So far, marriage is pretty much like having a continuous sleepover with someone who is willing to do the guy part of the duet for whatever song you're singing at that moment, and occasionally adding in his own lyrics just to make you laugh, then cooking you pancakes and maybe even adding chocolate chips to yours because he knows you love anything and everything chocolate.

But marriage is also fun in the sense that you can both sit on the couch watching endless episodes of Cops Reloaded while eating Oreos and not say a word to each other for an hour and still being completely happy just because you know that person is there enjoying it just as much as you are.

Secondly, although we've only been married a month, I'm already learning the very, very, very, very hard lesson of compromise. Who knew there were so many other ways to do things than how your mom taught you (i.e. folding towels, washing dishes, etc)? And just as important as the time is that you spend together, is that you have some time apart. Tanner is a great golfer. He recently won his first tournament, and I couldn't be more proud. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't get a little jealous sometimes when he leaves on Saturday mornings. Sometimes I even feel like he's being selfish by leaving me alone all day, when the weekend is only 2 days long and he knows we won't see each other until Saturday evening. But then I have to think back to all of those marriage articles I've read, reminding me that marriage is not about me at all. And it isn't Tanner's job to make me happy. And that what really makes me happy is when he's happy, like last weekend when he won his first tournament. Seeing how proud and confident he was after winning was worth not seeing him until that night. Not to mention his trophy is making a great candy dish in our living room right now.

Thirdly, yes, we've had our first fight. It was really hard and I cried and he got mad. I'm not a person who believes a good relationship has no arguments, but I'm not someone who believes you have to argue to have a good relationship. I believe that there should be a healthy balance. I know we're going to argue and maybe get in an occasional fight, but as long as we have boundaries, like not insulting each other just to hurt that person, or going to bed angry, I think we'll be just fine.

 

 

 

 

Impromptu Fro Yo Date
 

How to Plan a Wedding in 2 Weeks (And not break the bank!)

Impossible, right? Think again, because it's totally possible.....IF (and that's a big one) you don't mind simple. 3 weeks ago, my lovely then-fiancé Tanner and I decided that a large, complicated, drawn out wedding with 150+ guests and engagement parties, bridal luncheons and the whole shebang just wasn't what we wanted. It wasn't us.


Now, before I continue, let me clarify that I love large weddings. I love all of the elaborate detail and decorating that goes into them, and the thoughtfulness of each event.  I love looking at the bridesmaids dresses and hair and jewelry and all of that. However, when it came to my own personal wedding, I just wanted it to be stress free and as easy as possible. I wanted it to be intimate, and I didn't want to have to worry about making sure that I spoke to each one of my 300 guests as well as lugging a big, white sack of tulle around. Although I may not seem like it, I'm actually pretty low-maintenance. Hard to believe, I know.


Anyway, so we'd planned to go to the beach this past weekend for Tanner's birthday. And we decided that it would be a perfect time for everyone to come down to Nags Head and watch us jump the broom, tie the knot, take the plunge, or whatever you wanna call it, provided that we could find a venue, get a caterer, hire a minister, invite everyone and hope they had no plans, get a dress, get flowers, centerpieces, a cake, hotel reservations, a DJ, photographer and transportation all in 14 days.




An accurate representation of how we felt the 2 weeks prior to the wedding...

Since the ceremony would be on the beach and would require little to no decorations, I decided to start with the venue for the reception. While browsing the web I stumbled upon a restaurant called Mulligan's, which is a raw oyster bar and grille, and also had a separate elevated covered porch for small receptions and dinner parties. PERFECT. I called and left a message, hoping and praying that they wouldn't be booked.  I heard back from Shannon, the catering director, the next day and she vowed to make it happen for us. Since it was off season for tourists, she gave me a major hook up, not charging me for the venue, but only for the food and tablecloths. She helped me pick out a menu, time, and anything else I had questions with.  As it grew closer to the time of the wedding, the weather forecast didn't look so great. On the day of, we made the call to hold the ceremony inside the same place as the reception and Shannon didn't even flinch when I told her. She is an angel and without her the wedding wouldn't have been possible.

An inside look at Mulligan's covered porch...

My favorite boys!
 

Next, we needed a minister. I thought it'd be much easier to get a minister from that area, because if we had any last minute changes they know the area and could adapt better than someone from out of town. This was not smart. Beach ministers are EXPENSIVE. We opted for a long time family friend who attends our church and is an ordained minister. It was much more personal that way.

 Cupcake Connoisseur....

And Ordained Minister

                                                      

Now, I needed a dress. After my family got over the shock of a wedding in what was now 13 days, we went into super wedding mode, especially my mom. SHE ROCKED. That Saturday we took a day trip to Raleigh with my grandma, aunt, and cousin and I bought the second dress I tried on. It was actually an Easter dress; short with lace sleeves. Perfect for a beach wedding, I thought. Dress? Check. And it was under $50.

As for the DJ, we had planned just to use Pandora, but Tanner's dad actually knew a DJ from the area. His name is Billy Rainey (sp?) and if you need someone in Eastern NC, I highly recommend him. He did a really great job, especially having never met any of us before. He even sang us a song! He had a great selection and range of music.

The only flowers we had were the ones in my bouquet, Tanner's boutonnière and my dad's boutonnière. Tanner's aunt, who can only be defined as FAB (her favorite word in the English-slang dictionary) really came through with those. They were simple, yet beautiful.

Calla lilies and Seashells

My mom's best friend, Tammy, had done some pictures of my brother and I for a surprise for my mom's birthday a few years ago, and since she was going to be at the wedding anyway I thought I'd offer her the chance to take pictures of the day also. As usual, she did an amazing job.  We also found these wooden props at Michael's Crafts for about $1.99 each. We painted them ourselves and I think they were a fun touch...I know of one little boy who really loved them.

Hotel rates were not too bad, because it was off-season. That cut a major expense. I would recommend asking for a block of rooms if you can estimate about how many you'll need. The hotel may give you a little discount.



Tanner's sister, Alli, recommended a cake decorator and boy, was she a hit. We opted for cupcakes and I sent her a picture of some that I found on Pinterest. They were delicious. And looked wonderful. I'm still thinking about them. Her name is Amy Sugg and she's based out of Winterville, NC. You can find her on Facebook.

Centerpieces - possibly the most time consuming part of the planning process. We chose some really simple ones (no surprise there), however trying to figure out how many tables we needed was a little tough. Luckily, we bought an extra of each thing, and it turned out that we had just enough for each table. Most of the supplies were purchased at Michaels craft store.



I'm sure there's something I left out, but I wanted to get this post up quickly so I wouldn't forget anything. I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to each and every person who helped, even in the smallest of ways. Everyone who came made our special day even more special and we wouldn't have changed anything.

For more pics you can visit my Facebook page by clicking HERE