Holly Jolly Christmas!

I absolutely LOVE Christmas. I love the decorations, the parties, the gifts, the smell of Christmas trees, Christmas songs, and everything that comes with it. On Christmas Eve we had dinner with Brad's family and opened our gifts with them. We both got clothes, gift cards, I got an awesome canvas print, Brad got cologne, and a few other things. Brad's mom is the best at picking out clothes for me. Everything always fits and is always sooo cute!! As i'm finishing gifts Brad says "Hunny, the rest of your present from mom and dad is at home".....So I try to stay focused, but naturally all I wanna do is get home and tear into "the rest" of my gifts. Eventually we wrap up the evening and head home. I was so excited to give Brad his gifts! I got him a Florida Gators tag and license plate & a new pair of Costa Del Mar Sunglasses! He LOVED everything. Then...It was my turn YAY!! Brad & his parents went in together and got me the Nikon camera that I had been drooling over for months! I was SOOO excited! Life is gooooood :)

The only thing I wasn't so thrilled about this year is that Brad had to work AGAIN. So when I got up at 4:00am to make his lunch I decided to go on out to Momma & Daddy's house. There's just something about waking up Christmas morning in the house you grew up in...I mean i'm not sure how Beka felt about me raiding her bed at 4:30 in the morning, but it was necessary. We eventually woke up, read about the birth of Jesus from Luke 2, and then opened gifts. Beka & I had asked for money. We're going on a road trip out west in June, and we need some dolla dolla bills ya'll ;) So when I opened my gift and found a book I was kinda confused, but hey....I love to read! Then as i'm skimming through the book i find something scattered between the pages....You guessed it....GREEN, BABY!! So we got our money and the book was sooo good. It was called "Shades of Blue" by Karen Kingsbury. Go read it....although there probably won't be money in your copy so don't get your hopes up...and don't be tryin to steal my Momma & Daddy ;) After gifts we had pancakes and bacon...mm...mm...good. After Breakfast I kinda waited around on Brad to get off work. When he got off we made his family rounds and then called it a very exhausting day. Hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas as well!! Thanks for everything guys!!! We love ya'll!!

Christmas on the Square & A Book Signing!

This past weekend was one of the best weekends I do believe i've ever had. Saturday morning we went down to the town square for "Christmas on the Square". There are always a million vendors selling the same thing pretty much every year. However....when you are only there to eat funnel cakes the repetition of the event doesn't effect your day in the least :)

Blush Dance Company's debut was scheduled for 12:15pm....and we were sooooo nervous!!! Beka completely pulled it off! She did an amazing job, my cloggers did an amazing job, and we had a really good crowd cheering us on. The studio has only been open since September, and Bex has been working her hiney off. I'm so proud of you Beka!!

After Christmas on the square it was time for the parade, football game, and bonfire. It was a perfect day.

Now this is where it gets good! January's Christmas present from me was a cookbook...I know that seems odd, but just bare with me for a minute. 2008-ish January discovered and introduced me to an amazing blog that has literally changed my life...."thepioneerwoman.com". (I posted about Pioneer Woman a whiiiiiiile ago if you wanna go catch up) PW's real name is Ree Drummond and all jokes aside....I want to be her when I grow up :) A couple months ago Ree's cookbook was released and she announced her book tour. When I saw ATLANTA on the the list I literally screamed....out loud. Brad just ignores my outbursts when it's related to PW. He know's I want to be her....and I think Brad secretly wants to be her cowboy husband "Marlboro Man" when he grows up ;) Anyhow, so I scream and decide that a road trip to the book signing would be the rest of January's gift!!!!! So now you should be caught up....Sunday afternoon we loaded up the truck and headed to ATL. Trips to Atlanta are always a treat because we get to hang out with Cody and Katie! They are amazing, and hilarious, and we miss them crazy bad when we aren't with them. So we arrived at their house sometime Sunday night, stayed up until...some ridiculous hour discussing iphones, twitter, facebook, and the controversy over Tim Tebow crying....and eventually we made it to bed. The next day was shopping, delicious food, and PW!!! WOOOHOOOO!! January and I arrived at the book store around 5:00pm. I'm so glad the signing didn't start until 7:00 because we got there super early and we were the 250th & 251st PEOPLE IN LINE!!!! Seriously!! I am clearly not the only person that wants to be reincarnated as Ree Drummond. It was CRAZY! We waited, and waited, and drank root beer, and waited, and read about our signs, (i'm a Leo by the way) and waited, and finally......It was time to get in a different line! Yippee...so we waited some more, and sometime after midnight WE MET REE! We had our cookbooks signed, posed for a picture, chatted for a split second, got our t-shirts, met Betsy (Ree's sister), met Hyacinth (Ree's creative friend), and then drove home! I had the most amazing time & enjoyed the company of the most amazing people! Can't wait to do it again :)

As previously discussed...this picture was taken well after midnight...excuse the sleepy smiles ;)

Turkey Day

Thanksgiving was insanely busy this year! Brad had to work :( I was kinda bummed about that, but the fact that he still has a job is the one thing i'm most thankful for this year. The night before Thanksgiving we sat around a fire with our closest friends. I love that. The holidays are always so focused on family. Don't get me wrong....Brad & I are VERY close to our families, but I love that we have genuine friends. We all want to involove each other in our holiday festivities because it just feels like that's the way it should be. Thanksgiving morning Brad got up at 4;15 to go to work, and I got up to start cooking. I made pumpkin pies, a strawberry trifle, & sausage wrapped in bacon. It literally took me all morning! I made it to Brad's Grandma's at 11:00 to see his family & then left there to go eat with my family. My family functions are always a treat ;) You never know who's gonna say what. It's very entertaining. When Brad got off work we went out to his Aunt's house to eat again. Basically all I did was eat ALL day. I would post a picture (not of me eating...a picture of Brad & I), but I don't even think we had pictures taken. That's pretty much our day...busy but uneventful. Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving :)

A double shot....amd i'm not talkin espresso ;)

Ok so I'm FULLY aware that in my last post it was clearly stated that i'm not a "redneck" i'm "southern". That is in fact true...however I may have a bigger argument on my hands now. Don't judge me too harshly....

These are my roots, and this is what I LOVE...

Do you ever think about things you wanted as a child? When I was a little girl I wanted to work at Dairy Queen. I mean what could be better than working in an ice cream shop? By fourteen I had decided that I would go into the fashion industry. I wanted to walk runways, wear the most incredible clothing, & eventually design the clothing that was on those runways. I was a year into modeling school, up to my neck in etiquette classes, and one runway walk away from going to New York to hopefully be picked up by an agency. At that moment a rail thin model from Bulgaria walked up to me and handed me a copy of her "nutrition plan". She advised that we follow it exactly. After skimming through and not finding pizza anywhere on it....I took my last walk on the runway, packed up my etiquette book, drove home, and ate pizza. I didn't think I could truly be happy with that lifestyle. I mean...I like food, I enjoy the flexibility of skipping a workout every now and again, and I don't know if you've seen the VS Angels lately, but i'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to do either of those things. By the time high school graduation rolled around I had no specific plans....so I got a real job. I'm still here almost 10 years later at my "real job" and I honestly have no regrets. At 27 years old I am finally figuring out my life. I live in a small town, i'm married to a country boy, and my sister calls us rednecks. For the record...i've seen real rednecks, and we aren't anything like those people so I just call us "southern". I can see why she says that. We own a truck with mud grapplers, we spend 90% of our weekends at the river or around a fire, we hunt, and when I have babies they'll own camo & cowboy boots, but i'm alright with that. We love life here in our small town. Besides...we might wear jeans, but I can promise you one thing...they're designer jeans. My True Religions look fine with my boots :) ...and January - you cant argue with your "Redneck" sister about that! Looking back makes me laugh...The things I wanted so badly led me to this life I have now, and even though it's not quite what I planned for myself...I love it.

All Hallows Eve

Halloween was sooo much fun this year!! We always get together at Patrick & January's house, pass out lots of candy, & eat tons of good food! Since everyone was already at the house we celebrated Jonas' November 3rd birthday that night too! He LOVED his costume, but was a little confused by the 8 million kids running up to the house to get candy. You should also know that the punkins we carved were used for decoration, and they were definitely a crowd pleaser :) Here are a few pictures...

I was a cowgirl...Brad had worked all day so he was a PCS workin' man...

Beka was a Masquerade girl...

January was a Princess...

Jona-bear was a leopard or something??? :)

Patrick was a guy with a straw hat...

There were others, but I guess some people just aren't "into" the whole dress-up thing.. ;) ;)

We get the biggest thrill out of it though...I mean there's one day out of the year when you can be ANYTHING you wanna be. I'm probably going to take advantage of that until I embarrass my own children ;)

Girls Night!

I know some of you are gonna argue with this....but I have the best friends a girl could have. Here are introductions in no particular order.

First there are these two...All the time I hear people say how they wish they were as close to their sisters as we are to each other. So if you "people" ever get a fairy god-mother don't forget that wish! I'd hate to know what life would be like without my sisters.

Then there's this one...on the right..

She's my long time bestie. You know...the one you get in trouble with. We've been through police encounters, community college, horrible boyfriends, stealing boyfriends, flattening tires, angry parents, restraining orders, party crashing, crazy ex-girlfriends, road trips, & just about everything else together. Today we're both married, responsible, she keeps trying to make me have kids, & apparently the only parties we now crash are baby showers.

Next up....My surprise bestie!!

Years ago I would never have guessed that this girl & I would be soooo close. We saw each other every Sunday in church (i'm not sure we even spoke), and our families always knew each other. One Sunday we left our normal Sunday School classes both looking for something different...and thankfully we ended up in the same class. God knew exactly what he was doing. We now call her our adopted sister! She's the Skipper to my Barbie!!

Now this girl....She's super special ;)

She tried to get away from us one time, but we got her back. Melba started out being Beka's enemy, then best friend, then ex-best friend, and now best friend forever! Since she's stolen the hearts of the WHOLE family....she & Beka don't really have an option to not be friends. They just have to be. Besides...Beka can only do things when "Melba says so"....So i'm not really worried ;)

Now that you know everyone...we can move on. We all try to get together at least once a month for girl's night. Sometimes we go out, sometimes we have pizza night, once we did fondue, & no matter what we always try to include Edward Cullen. Is any girl's night complete without him?? Just sayin'. Last Thursday night I hosted the girls for pumpkin carving! First we had snacks. The menu included....mini pizzas, pumpkin cream cheese spread, snickerdoodles, spinach quiche, cherry dump cake, ice cream, & lots of Coca-cola!! Once we were good & hyper we covered the floor with newspaper and carved away. Who knew how much of a chore this was?? Oh you did?? Thanks for telling me!!

We had a blast...(except Beka :( her punkin was rotten)

Time for a picture!!

January carved tiny holes all over hers...looked like stars...beautiful!

Mine was casper or maybe the scary brother...either way it was a ghost

Melba carved a happy pumpkin face

Jenn J. did a kitty cat with cool green eyes

Jenn B. did a traditional face...with star shaped ear holes..kinda odd, but typical ;)
Beka carved a new pumpkin the next day...I don't have a picture but it was an owl on a tree branch...sooooo cute!! Maybe she'll post it on her blog.

AND JUST SO EVERYONE KNOWS...NEXT GIRL'S NIGHT WILL TAKE PLACE NOVEMBER 20TH AT 12:01AM. WE WILL ALL BE WITH EDWARD AT THE PREMIER OF NEW MOON!!!!! ARE YOU CRAZY JEALOUS???? YOU SHOULD BE ;)

Cook this! Right now...go cook it!

So thankfully things have gotten a little better since last time I blogged. Brad is still hanging on at work. I've been a little more layed back about the house. Overall things are good! After an extremely busy weekend, and a busy start to my week...things slowed down a bit. Last night I finally got to cook dinner. Now I cook pretty much every night, but busy nights usually go like this....open freezer, read the back of the box, cut slits in the plastic, and throw it in the oven. I love that convenience, but I despise that I can't REALLY cook every night. I love fresh garlic, I love mincing and chopping, and I love trying new things. I don't love when Brad is looking over my shoulder because he's starving. I can't cook under pressure....something burns or I get measurements wrong...it's torcher. Last night was perfect....it was full of the things that I love and free of the things that I don't love so much. Cheese Ravioli was on the menu! YUM!

Here's whatcha do...
pour some olive oil (a tbsp or 2) into a large skillet...let it heat up..about 1 minute
finely chop 1 jalapeno pepper...if you want it really spicy leave in the seeds. If you want it spicy free gut it (that sounds gross I know) scrape out the seeds..better? :)
Throw the jalapeno into the olive oil and cook it until it's tender - 1 or 2 minutes
Next press 3 or 4 cloves of garlic into the skillet....let it cook...now sniff really big...do you LOVE that smell?!! So good! ok give that about 20 or 30 seconds
Now you're ready for the tomatoes...I used 2 cans of undrained diced tomatoes w/oregano & onions...Dump'em in.
Get that good and hot...let it simmer for a few minutes....
While it's simmering you could put some garlic bread in the oven...just remember bread goes straight to your butt...clearly I don't mind that so much!
When it's good and bubbly pour in a bag of frozen cheese ravioli. I had 2 12oz bags so i just used both of those...It was a good amount.
Let that cook for 4 or 5 minutes..until the ravioli is soft
then stir in 1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream....it just thickens things up a bit.
I threw in some fresh spinach leaves which I liked & Brad picked out...to each his own I guess..cover the skillet and let them wilt
Remove from the heat....dump in some cheese (I used grated provolone) put the lid back on and let it melt all over.
Don't forget you have BREAD IN THE OVEN!!...Otherwise it will burn, and even though you just slaved over the stove to make the world's best ravioli you will suffer a few smart remarks.
Now make your family eat it (maybe not the black bread)...and if they pick out the spinach just throw it on your plate. It's good for you!

You're probably a bit exhausted from all of my babbling...just say this after me...
"If Beth Davis can cook this..I can certainly cook this" have fun!!

Cleaning out my closet! My "thought closet" that is...

I have the worst history of worrying about things. I make myself physically sick. On a few occasions i've found myself sitting in a doctor's office waiting for an answer....all I get is that I must be stressed. Over the years i've learned to recognize some of the things that get me all worked up. Other times i'm already covered in hives, and nauseated before I even realize anything was on my mind. Last week was one of those weeks.

Recap....

Sunday - I got pulled over by a state trooper and got a $101.00 ticket for my expired tag. (I won't go into all of this, but this has a long infuriating story to go along with it).

Monday - Layoffs were annouced at PCS (For those of you that don't know..Brad works at PCS) We would find out about his job in 2 to 3 days.

Tuesday - Before the layoff announcement I had planned to meet a realtor to look at a home. I have been home searching by myself for several months now. I looked at the house and fell in love with the potential it holds.

Wednesday - We found out that it may be the middle of November before we know anything about the security of Brad's job. I had hives in my mouth and had been sick for 2 days.

Wednesday night - I was completely broken. I soaked in the tub with pumpkin scented candles surrounding me. I met with God and I sobbed.

Thursday, Friday, & Saturday were filled with prayer....otherwise uneventful with no change.

Last night (Sunday) I was reading my Bible. I pulled out my summer bible study..Our small group had completed the study, but I had missed a few days so I went back through to see what I had missed. I'm so glad I did!!!

The whole lesson was based on how we fill our "thought closet" with worry. Worry is focusing on the "what if" instead of the "what is".

The entire week I had filled my mind with worry. What if Brad gets layed off? What if we have financial hardships? What if this sets us back and we can't get a house? What if? What if?

Right then I grabbed a pen and wrote a list of WHAT IS....

We have the money to pay my ticket.

Brad currently still has his job.

My job is secure.
We have a nice place to live with a roof over our heads.

God will provide.

That's the bottom line...GOD WILL PROVIDE

There were a few verses that really stuck out to me...I study with The Message Bible, and I love the way it states this...

Psalm 94:9 - Do you think Ear-Maker doesn't hear, Eye-Shaper doesn't see?

Phil 4:6-7 - Don't fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God's wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It's wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.

God knows my thoughts, and he hears my prayers. I still don't know the plan, but I am trusting God. I am waiting & listening for his answers. I'm learning slowly but surely to give my worries to him.

No. 1 Gators Take Down Tennessee, 23-13, to Open SEC Play

Gainesville Sun - Sept. 18, 2009

After months of rhetoric, reprimands and apologies, it's finally here on Saturday — top-ranked Florida vs. Lane Kiffin. Of course, it's more than that. Kiffin, the Tennessee coach, will have no carries or tackles in Saturday's game, but he will be the focus of a Gator Nation licking its chops for the opportunity to quiet the controversial coach.


Gainesville Sun - Sept. 19, 2009

After looking like he should have been sacked for about a 10-yard loss, Tebow broke free from multiple would-be tacklers in the middle of the field and began running toward the Florida bench. Once there, he was in danger of stepping out of bounds, but tiptoed down the sidelines, culminating the 4-yard run with a dive for the first down.
That set up a 7-yard touchdown run by flu-ridden Jeff Demps that gave the Gators a 23-6 lead with seven seconds left in the quarter.
Tebow's coaches, teammates and Volunteer coaches were in awe of the play.
"That was vintage Tebow," Meyer said. "He had a helluva day. You take away a couple of (errant) throws (and) he had a helluva day. He kind of took the game over on that drive and pounded on it."


Tennessee coach Lane Kiffin no doubt is happy he won't have to see UF's senior quarterback again.



GO GATORS!!!!

Quick visit to Destin

Earlier this year I posted about our Memorial Day weekend in Destin...I think the blog title was "Livin' like the locals"..just in case you missed it. If you couldn't tell from reading that i'll enlighten you now...we love Destin! Our friends Cole & Jess just got a new home so we decided to take a super quick trip to go see it and of course cruise Crab Island. I am never ever disappointed with our trips out there. We got there around 6:00 Friday evening and went to Mitchell's for dinner! So gooooood! Brad & I both had the shrimp and lobster pasta..mm mmm mm...delish! After dinner we met up with the rest of our crew and went down to the beach...I love the beach at night...however I don't think people on the beach at night necessarily loved us. A bunch of hyper girls who haven't seen each other in at least 3 months...we were being slightly obnoxious, but we had a blast. Saturday was boat day, but it rained. BOO! So we went and had breakfast at Another Broken Egg...Katie Deese - if I haven't told you that I love you for introducing to this place let me just tell you now....I LOVE YOU FOR INTRODUCING ME TO THIS PLACE!!! Oh my sweet heavens- It's really a blessing that we don't have one of these in Live Oak... I would weigh 300 lbs. It's so good....after breakfast...naps - after naps a lot more obnoxious laughing...then dinner. (Has anyone noticed that the theme of my vacation is food? Always) ok just checking. We ate at Baby J's. All the guys love Baby J's. It's a bar & grill that was built on a two story houseboat...So it's huge, it's open, you can smell the salty sea air, and it sits right on the water obviously...where else is a houseboat gonna sit?? They always have live bands...our personal fave is a guy named Catfish and he plays the saw....yes a saw!...yes the kind of saw you saw things with!...entertaining to say the least ;) After we left Baby J's we went to Aqua which wasn't much to talk about except that they had music we could dance to, and boy did we dance?. Beka and I LOVE to dance...Sunday morning we woke up and the weather was gorgeous! We went and rented a pontoon boat & headed to Crab Island where we spent ALL day. To me...nothing beats hot sun, a boat, and a body of water! Life was good that day :) Can't wait to go back.

B-E-A-utiful Crab Island :)

FYI - Kodak Gallery is stupid and on my nerves right now....I'm doing a great job actually taking pictures (see new year's resolution blog). The problem now is getting them transferred from computer to computer to here...grrrrr....I'll post the pics as I get the kinks worked out, and you guys will just have to forgive me for the delay.

Summer

I know I haven't blogged in FOREVER!! I was horrible at that over the summer. Basically we've been really busy, and haven't wasted a bit of daylight. We've either been at the river, the lake, out of town, working, or hanging out with our besties. I've decided to do something a little different just to catch you up on things....I'll post pictures with descriptions to take you through our summer...Let's get started....

Lake Louise - I wish I was there now!

Beka & I with Lo Cash Cowboys at the JAM

4th of July in St. George - Jess, Hill, KT, and me

Me & My Love - St George

KT - posing with "Sharky" - catch of the day

Wakeboarding at the river - my heaven on earth

Policeman's Ball

Policeman's Ball - Hunt, Bradley, Wy, & Jason
Brad always looks sunburnt...??? so strange

I think that's the quick version of our summer. I didn't include pictures of work. I know you are all so upset ;) ...also Beka NEVER gets her pictures off of her camera so my Birthday Luau pictures will come later as well as Bekas birthday pictures at Dragonfly. I don't think i've even seen any pictures of Dad's or Mom's birthdays, but if they exist i'll post them too! I'm sure i'll remember random things along the way so i'll surprise you here and there :)

Anda's Graduation!

Today Anda graduated from high school!!! If you don't know Anda, trust me, you are missing out on a blessing. She is incredible :) Anda & her two brothers were adopted a few years ago by my boss and his family. Before being adopted they lived in Latvia. Anda has an amazing story! She is a strong, compassionate, humble, intelligent, beautiful girl, and she's on fire for God! He has done so much in her life, and i'm smiling now just thinking about things she will accomplish in life. If you ever get time...sit down with her. Perhaps she'll tell you her story....maybe she won't, but no matter what, it will be a blessing just getting to know her. Her graduation ceremony was a little different than most. She was homeschooled & was the only graduate, so all the attention was on her :) ...which makes her a nervous wreck. She did an awesome job on her speech, her dad spoke, her mom sang, and we all cried like babies!!! It was sooo good! There's a tradition in Latvia where everyone brings flowers for the graduate. They incorporated that tradition into the ceremony. All of Anda's friends and family brought beautiful bouquets of flowers, and in a single file line presented them to her! It was the coolest thing ever!! I want to start that tradition here ;) I mean, how could you not love being surrounded by a million flowers?? Here's a picture of Anda...I bet you can't look at it without smiling!

Livin' like the locals :D

This past weekend was SO much fun!! We went to Destin with a group of friends to see our OTHER friends who moved away from Live Oak several years ago. Let me just say that I LOVE Live Oak. I love living here, being close to my family, and I don't ever want to move....unless I get a chance to move to Destin!! We always vacation in Destin with my family so I knew it was amazing, but this time we got to hang out with "the locals", and now we know all the secrets! ;) We ate the BEST seafood, heard the best local bands, shopped at the hidden boutiques, and relaxed at the "non-tourist" beaches. It was heaven I tell you! Seaside was my absolute favorite! It's the coolest little town...It's full of gorgeous beach homes, people ride their bikes around everywhere, everyone is happy....It's a dream!! We ate the most scruptious raspberry macaroons from a little French restaurant....and i'm now a lover of those little things...they don't even have to be raspberry. Brad also let me splurge a little on a freshwater pearl bracelet....Envy me!! It's AMAZING! If you haven't read the "Savannah" books then go get them right now and sit down and READ THEM!! The author explains Seaside so much better than I possibly could...,perhaps because she has a whole novel to fill with details, but even so...it's worth it! If you don't want to go now, i'm 100% sure after you finish the read you will pack your bikini and be on your way! You won't regret it! Here are a few pictures :) Enjoy.....I sure did!

French Cafe - They had the macaroons!!

MMMMMacaroon!!!

Tommy Bahama's - Me, Jess, & Hannah

My name is Beth Davis & i'm addicted to Twitter!

Ok- Do any of you use twitter? If not you might want to click the little "x" now and leave my blog. I'm seriously addicted. I love myspace and facebook, but twitter seems so much more immediate. Through the frequent change of status updates I can communicate with everyone instantly. The fun part is that you can also follow whoever you want, and stay updated on what they're doing as well. For instance...Beka & I both follow Gulianna Rancic...(if you don't watch E! you most likely don't know this woman)...because we follow her we get in on her status updates. It's so cool for some reason to see into the lives of others. The sick part is....we find ourselves talking to each other about these people like we personally know them. We're probably gonna need therapy after this trend, but hey we all survived scrunchie socks & high top Reebok's right??

If you're curious follow me! My twitter user name is "Sarabethdavis"

Happy Tweeting!

1 Down, Forever to go...

Sweet Goodness!!! (sigh)

On March 15th Brad & I celebrated 1 year of marriage! It's hard to believe that it's been that long already. I must admit - I was convinced that we weren't gonna do much becuase we had just gone on vacation, and agreed that would be our anniversary gift. So when we woke up I gave Brad his card & I was shocked when he said he was taking me to....are you ready??.....THE MELTING POT!!! I love that place so much! This was a huge sacrifice for Brad because he's not so big on the whole cook your food yourself idea....plus he doesn't like waiting between each course. I, on the other hand, use every single one of the 12 sauces they bring, and savor every passing moment! So....we laid around the house all day. We watched TV, ate lunch, I took a nap, and then it was FINALLY time to get ready and go to Gainesville. I wore my new "Gladiator" high heels,....(no they weren't an anniversary present...they were more of a "make me feel better" splurge...not that i felt bad...oh you know, sometimes a girl just needs high heels!) and my favorite jeans that are kinda "roomy" ...next stop - Melting Pot! It was everything I wanted it to be! We filled up on Sam Adams Aged Cheddar Cheese & bread, Mushroom Spinach Salad, Salmon, Shrimp, Ravioli, and of course Milk Chocolate for dessert. It was so yummy...I'm kinda hungry just talking about it. We had a great day, a wonderful year, and the best part is...I have the rest of my life to spend with this guy that I love dearly! It's amazing! Bradley - My life would suck without you ;) xoxo

A lesson in pronunciation...

ok so this struck me as HILARIOUS for some reason...maybe i'm just giddy because it's Friday, but just hear me out. Everyone around here pronounces "on" as "own". I was reading my earlier post about "rollin' on the river"...and I just want all of you to know that you need to pronounce it "rollin' OWN the river" to get the whole effect...Is that not insanely redneck or what?

Come on and roll with me...

When you live in Live Oak, and it hits 75 or 80 degrees , you head to the river. I could live at the river...forever! So last weekend when the first sign of summer hit, and it was a fabulous 82 degrees...I grabbed my tanning oil, big sunglasses, breakfast, and was on the water by 10AM with my bestie & partner in crime, Beka. Seriously...those are the BEST days ever!! (Brad was at work just in case you are wondering) It's supposed to be a smokin' 80 this weekend so you know where to find me. We'll be rollin' on the river!!...P.S. bring us a cold beverage....cause baby it's HOT out here! ;)

Quick Trip

As soon as Brad and I got home from vacation on Tuesday- Beka & I left to go to the beach on Saturday. I love the panhandle beaches! The water is sooo blue. We did the usual...shopping, eating, eating, eating....It was short and sweet, but it's worsened my longing for summer. Here is my favorite picture from the beach. See, I am making better use of my camera ;) (see earlier post about New Year's commitments)

I Heart Vacation!

Well hello all! I'm finally sitting down to blog about our recent vacation. Brad & I NEVER leave Florida. We go to the beach, Nascar races, the river, & Gator Football games, but we are always a hop, skip, & a jump away from Live Oak. This year, over Valentine's Day weekend, we decided to go to the mountains. We rented a cabin in Maggie Valley, North Carolina & embarked on our adventure as soon as we got off work. We drove to Madison, GA and stayed the night there. The next morning, after a healthy breakfast from McDonald's, we headed to our destination. We arrived in Maggie Valley around 1:00, but check-in wasn't until 2:00 so we decided to get some lunch. Brad immediately discovered a little sports bar & grill so of course that's where we went. Leave it to a man to scope out the only restaraunt in a 60 mile radius that has 200 hundred TV's, and not one of them is on E!....BOO! So after that display of rediculous-ness (don't think that's a word) we headed to our cute little cabin.

How incredibly quaint is this???

So we get in our cabin & I run through and check everything out while Brad is carrying luggage. It's perfect! Absolutely perfect! We get all settled in and decide to look through our travel book to find some good things to do. Suddenly there's a knock at the door. Now let me just say that we were told to expect the Chimney guy. He was supposed to come clean the everything so we could build a fire. Upon hearing a knock Brad yells "Come in". A skinnier, trucker hat wearing version of this guy steps into our cabin. Sunglasses included. This was NOT Chimney guy!

So as i'm thinking.."why did Brad just tell this guy to come on in???"..I'm also divising a plan as to how i'm gonna leap across the living room and grab my purse before long-haired hillbilly grabs it & takes off. So Hillbilly proceeds to tell us his many random thoughts (in an accent that can barely be deciphered...oh, and when people from Live Oak can't decipher an accent...trust me it's bad!) He tells us that he's friends with the owner of the cabin, and if we need fire wood just find his house....he's "got a rebel flag in the yard"...yes, really...and then Hillbilly offers to go get us McDonald's!! We were stunned into silence. I mean, I was so considering one of those perfect little cheeseburgers with the onions...omg sheer delight!, but then I remembered that if I ordered something then Hillbilly would be stopping back by to deliver it....ummm NO! So we decline his offer & he's on his way. Now here's the part where I start coming up with all these stories about him coming back to steal all of our stuff and kill us. I know it sound rediculous, but everything about the run-in was just strange.....way too strange for me. Brad was a little more sensible about things, and brought to my attention that he didn't think a mountain man serial killer would have offered us McDonald's. A hungry one might have! He was on his way to get food anyhow! GOSH! After I finally calmed down a bit we went out for dinner, watched some TV & crashed.

Saturday morning was the 14th..Valentine's Day of course! We had breakfast at Waffle House. It was pretty yummy. I had Strawberry Waffles...I wanted some color in there in honor of V-day. After breakfast we headed over the mountain & through the woods :) to Gatlinburg. The drive was beautiful. It was kinda misting rain & there was a little fog. I don't mind a bit when it's like that. It's like everything is asleep and quiet for the winter just waiting to burst with life in the spring. We went through Cherokee, and apparently the Indian that stands by the Teepee for pictures melts when it rains because he was nowhere to be found! I was so ready to get my picture with the chief!...didn't happen...Gatlinburg WAS INSANE! There were people everywhere, and I was kinda bummed because I had a few VERY specific things I wanted to do...like panning for gold...and get old timey pictures done...and the sky lift...but none of that happened because who wants to look for parking in madness like that? I think Brad was secretly happy. I don't think he wanted to dress up for pictures ;) We left Gatlinburg almost immediately upon arriving and went to Cades Cove. Very cool place...I'd been before, but it was Brad's first time. He's into that pioneer, no electricity, outhouse kinda stuff, so he enjoyed that as well. When we got back to Maggie Valley we went to J. Arthur's for Valentine dinner. I had been anticipating this dinner experience since we left Live Oak. IT WAS SOO GOOD. Brad & I both feasted on bread, salad, stuffed shrimp, & crab cakes...mm mmm mmm! The night only got better when the waitress told us that our Valentine meal had been paid for. Thanks momma & daddy!! Love you guys :)

Sunday was the laziest day i've ever had! We woke up, ate, went home, napped, watched TV, napped, went to dinner, came home, WATCHED IT SNOW!!...yes snow!! (I was assured there would be no snow on our vacation! nanny nanny boo boo! I know that was so obnoxious, but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do!) Then we went to bed :) It was fabulous! Really!...I mean, Hillbilly did come back by & we learned his name was "Smoky" (appropriate right? I mean we were in the Smoky Mountains..eye roll), but he mainly stood outside and talked Brad's head off so I was good with that. Brad?? Not so much - ha ha :)

Monday was AMAZING! We had plans to go to Biltmore. I had been there before when I was young, but the only good thing about adulthood, so far, is that you appreciate things SO much more. One of my BFF's Jennifer J. LOVES this place. I was always like "yeah yeah been there..whatever". So I had decided on this trip I would go back as a YOUNG adult, and see what all the fuss was about. I am ecstatic that I made that decision! The place is truly amazing! We got the little recorder things that take you on a tour through the house. They explain every little detail, and it's truly a great experience when you understand, in full, the history & reasoning behind all Biltmore holds. I am now a part of the Biltmore fanclub. Thanks for the inspiration BFF! After Biltmore we went to Cataloochee Valley to watch the Elk come in and feed. We didn't see as many as we expected. See, we were a little late for feeding time. Who knew it was like 25 miles into that place on a four wheeler trail...no seriously...and we were driving a trailblazer...it was a little risky! Need I say more?

Tuesday we were sadly homeward bound. It was a good trip and we had a blast! We didn't even get to fight about directions....I'm pretty good with a map thanks to my daddy ;) I was the official "Which-a-wayer" a time or two on our family roadtrips. So we're home and i'm ready for our next vacation ;)

Dear Summer,

I'm sad without you. Florida is no place for 19 degree temperatures! I hope to see you soon. Until then i'll be here waiting to thaw.

xoxo-

That's January on the left. She doesn't dig the sun like we do ;)

Finding my inner "Pioneer Woman"

"Pioneer Woman" & her adorable kids

Everyone has that "thing they do"....for Victoria Beckham, it's that she's fashionista extraordinaire...for Jennifer Anniston, it's consistently maintaining her rockin body...for Kristin Billerbeck, it's her style of writing that keeps you from putting down your book....I could go on and on, but i'll spare you. I've met a million people that have a talent or two, but never have I discovered someone that's as good at everything as Ree Drummond "Pioneer Woman".

I was introduced to her website by January, and sadly i'm now an addict. The woman does everything! She's beautiful, she cooks, she raises 4 kids, she takes care of her oh so handsome cowboy of a husband, she's a photographer, she writes, and yet she still has time to entertain me with her website :) Not only does she do all of this, but she does it on a gorgeous ranch in the middle of nowhere. Ladies, in my next life I want to BE her.....for now i'm settling for trying to BE LIKE her. So over the weekend (while Brad was losing a golf tournament-haha) I decided I was gonna channel my "inner Ree" ;) Beka and I went to the grocery store, two produce markets, & came home ready to destroy my kitchen. We diced, chopped, minced, scooped, and stirred for hours.....What was the outcome you ask.......well heaven of course!

I tried to take pictures, but my camera battery went dead. Here are some pictures from the "Pioneer Woman" website, and yes mine looked just as good as hers! The recipes are on her website as well, and let me encourage you to try them. They were a huge hit!

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies

Black Eyed Pea Salsa

25 & a National Championship

Just wanted to take a minute to wish my Bradley a Happy Birthday. He's 25 today! I think his favorite thing about his birthday weekend was watching his boys win the National Championship! We went to Gainesville and watched the game with Brad's old roomate and several other friends. Friday we went and bought his official birthday present...he's been playing more golf lately, and decided he needed a new driver. I think he finally settled on a Taylor Made Berner. Tonight we had dinner with some friends at the crabshack, and tomorrow we'll conclude his birthday weekend cooking steaks with his family. He says it's been good and I say he's getting old ;) Happy Birthday Bradley! I LOVE you so so much!....and Go Gators!!

Live, Click, & Organize - This is what it all comes down to!

New Year's Resolution - a commitment that an individual makes to a project, or the reforming of a habit, often a lifestyle change.

I absolutely love the idea of making a list of goals for the New Year. I don't however like to name that list "New Year's Resolutions". I mean of course thats what it is, but it's almost depressing that as i'm making my list, everyone in the United States is making the assumption that no one EVER keeps a New Year's Resolution. It's like giving up before you even try. So the top of my list simply states "Goals". I won't bore you with my WHOLE list, but here's the top 3. This way J & P can help keep me accountable ;)

1. Home is where the heart is - Brad & I want to have a home, or to have purchased land for our future home, by the end of the year. My small town-house has been great for us, but we are sooo ready to have a bigger place. We love to have people over, but when we all get together there's usually 10 or 12 of us, and....well let's just say I like my personal space. Mother & Mother-in-Law, read this very carefully....I am in NO way, shape, or form with child, BUT when we do decide to start a family (which may or may NOT be soon) we HAVE to be able to store our children somewhere. The moms get all giddy when we mention children so I had to clearly state that ;) So a homestead is definitely #1 on my list.

2. Take a picture it'll last longer! - I MUST make better use of my Kodak. I am the world's worst about taking pictures (which is a complete shock considering who my mother & sister are). I have a great camera, but I find myself without it constantly. For a while I carried it in my purse. That helped a little, but still i have so many memories etched into the wrinkles of my brain instead of on film. That drives me crazy! Our honeymoon- in the Islands, white sand, crystal blue water, tiki huts, bathing suits, sunshine, each other, and like 8 pictures!!! I'm getting sick right now thinking about it. I hope my mom doesn't read this...she'll be mad as fire ;) Maybe that'll be my first picture for the new year...don't worry i'll post it :)

3. I was born with an enormous need for fashion - I live and breathe fashion. I crave clothes, shoes, jewelry, & the perfect handbag....ok ok 15 perfect handbags....It's clearly not to the point of fashion rehab or anything, and no i'm not careless enough to endanger our bank account ...Therefore I did not see the need to make the goal to quit shopping. The "goal" is simply to organize my closet.....and keep it that way. Brad laughed out loud when I read this to him. I mean, I took over our spare bedroom to house my wardrobe (all accessories included)! He thought it was rediculous which is his typical thought for my brilliance. Girls....if you have a small closet and an empty spare bedroom....MAKE YOUR MOVE NOW!!! Preferably while your significant other is absent. It's the best thing I ever did....it's just a bit of a hot mess right now. It's gonna get better....Enter "New Year's Goal" #3.

So there....I've mapped out small part my journey for 2009. This should be a great adventure. I'm sure you'll get updates occasionally, and if you have any good tips on organization let me know.

Here's to 2009!

Let me give you a visual.....It's New Years Eve....Brad and I are at home waiting for our friends to come over. We decide while we're waiting we're gonna play Guitar Hero. I take my regular position on the drums while he straps on the guitar. We choose our song and break it down! After a concert or two Brad decides he wants to try singing and i'm gonna take a turn as soon as he's finished....no big deal right? WRONG....Brad sings his little tune and passes over the mic. I fail miserably (however take into consideration that he was playing the guitar so he could have been the one to CRASH my performance). He is so delighted with the fact that he out-sang me that he decides he's gonna brag A LOT! ;) So I get all worked up because he's not a very graceful winner & in return he claims that i'm a "sore loser"!! After a few sarcastic comments about Brad and his "golden microphone" I decide we better put the instruments down... I'm gonna get all practiced up while he's out playing golf, and we'll just see who the band leader is then ;) Shortly after our first "band fight" our friends arrived! We ate dinner and brought in the new year standing around a campfire. You all must realize that I know there's a pattern here with us and campfires, but that's just what you do in Live Oak. We were tired by 11:00, which is sad, but we managed to stick it out until 12:01 :) Seriously, I think we were at home and in bed by 12:30! Today we had dinner with Brad's family (where he continued to brag about his singing "skills"). The food was sooo yummy! We had the traditional stuff...Black eyed peas & greens, and in addition, rice and tomatoes & Jiffy cornbread. Later I went to mom and dad's and had some duck & mac n cheese. I finished the day playing the Wii while Bradley watched more football. It was a good day to start off our great year!! I'm currently working on my goals for 2009. I'll have to fill you in on those later....and yes we will try to keep the Guitar Hero drama to a minimum ;)

HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!