I feel like a broken record here, but life couldn't get much busier than it is now! I had a regional meeting in Ocala, FL on Monday. Had to meet the bosses at the office at 7:30 am and didn't get home until 9 pm. LONG day needless to say. And today wasn't much easier. Had to help train another office in our region on a few things so I went 80 mph ALL day....looked at my watch and it was 5:30. No lie.

I could have stayed another 3 hours AT LEAST but I opted to spend some special time with a cute boy at home :) .

We headed over to an old favorite of ours:

Ted's Mondana Grill! It was DELICIOUS!! Best hamburger I've ever had!!

And now i'm parked on the couch, in a trance listening to Eddie Ross's podcast with The Skirted Roundtable. Something very intoxicating about this guy...probably because he was once a Martha Stewart man. And we all know how I love Martha's style (despite her ethical problems).

Whatever, all that aside, its pretty interesting and I've become an even BIGGER fan!!

Speaking of being a big fan...

How awesome would it be to look out your breakfast room window and see that?? I mean seriously!! Its hot here and I could make great use of that space. I'm just saying.

And I'll say one more thing. I saw this picture on some decorating blog (surprise surprise) and fell in love. It will be years before the dream home becomes mine, but I can tell you this: when that day comes, I'm going to have LOTS and LOTS of ideas ready to put in action!!

That being said, I'm tired and I've got two little puppies begging for attention. See you soon:)

Hey its gonna be a random one!! Hold on tightly because I've got a few thoughts to share!!

So I have somewhat of a confession to make: I have become slightly obsessed with Decorating Blogs. I'm talking wake up in the morning, sign in and kinda get a rush to see if there's more goodness I can find-obsession. Yall its not healthy because, quite honestly, it just gives me a really bad case of the "I want's." I could list a thousand things that I want right now: a home like this...

A family to live in it. A lifestyle that comes with having a home this nice. A job that pays enough to provide this lifestyle (sidenote: I LOVE my job despite its pay). As I said, I could go on and on and on. But the truth is, for now, I'm learning to be content with what I DO have. My health, the freedom to pick up and go wherever I want, the future ahead of me, a rewarding job, an incredibly cute and sweet boyfriend :) , and the fact that I know that one day, my lists of dreams will be achieved. I'm sure one day, I'll live in a beautiful home just like this one and have one of those moments where I look around and see kids playing, phones ringing, tv's blasting, dogs barking, babies crying, dinner cooking, laundry going and at that point, I'll remember back to days like today when things were so much simpler. When life wasn't complex. And I'm sure I'ld for a split moment think to myself, "ahhh I wish I could go back." But isn't that what human nature does? Always wants what it can't have?

So there's my deep thought for the month. I try to keep it light on here, because lets all be honest, blogs aren't really the place to share your heartaches and disappointments. However, its been on my mind for quite a while, so there...I said it.

On a MUCH sillier note, look what else I found while in the blogosphere!!


Dear Audrey Hepburn and a sweet little yorkie!! I may have to email Ryan's sister and tell her if she wants me on a bike, it will be like this!! I could have little Hudson sitting up front and Maddie girl runnin on a leash beside me. :)

And if this post weren't random enough for you, look what I found!!!



Ok, so its 104 today and I don't foresee me needing these guys for a while, but my heart did a little pitter patter when I saw these on www.nordstrom.com. I believe this will be on my Christmas wish list. I'll email it to mom and they'll probably arrive in Montgomery next week. No joke, she is in PURE Christmas shopping mode. Seriously. Its July and she's half done!

Feast your eyes on these little beauties!!

I saw this on another blog I stop by every now and then and it was love at first site. PLUS I found a new blog to follow: http://smittenkitchen.com/

INGREDIENTS

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

3 cups all-purpose flour1 cup cold butter

(2 sticks or 8 ounces)

1 egg1/4 teaspoon salt

Zest and juice of one lemon

4 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the blueberries. Sprinkle the blueberry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares.

Looks like a trip to the grocery store is on the Weekend TO DO list now :)

To say that I've had a long week would be an understatement. While I'll spare you the details, I'll wrap it up pretty quick! VERY successful Fundraiser!!! (probably what the rest of the world refers to as a miracle!!! Lots and lots and lots of hard work and time spent raising $112,000. And now, I'm kicking back and enjoying one of these.

Not too sure if you guys have these, but us Floridians do and I'm LOVING it! I saw this a few weeks ago and couldnt help but be skeptical. Well, its TO DIE FOR!! Go get you one!!

Talked to a man at the Weather Center yesterday for work and had a nice little chit chat about how STINKIN HOT it is here!! No lie, we're in triple digits by around 9:30 am every day down here! Guess that's what I get for moving to swampland!! I don't even want to know what my power bill will be like the next few months. SHOOT ME!

All this heat has me dreaming of a nice vacation home. Key word: Dreaming! Thinking of a home with INCREDIBLE airconditioning. So cool you want to wrap up in soft blankets while curled up on the couch. Where everything feels fresh and clean and there's a constant breeze outside. Alright...time to wake up now! But seriously, this morning, as I was doing my usual morning routine (coffee and blogs), I stumbled across this goldmine: http://cotedetexas.blogspot.com/. And oh did she deliver the good stuff!!

Master bedroom with a bed you just want to run and jump on!!

Could this guest bathroom be anymore inviting? I think not.

And the guest bedroom is awesome too! I really like that table with the 2 lamps.

Totally diging this setup. Love the seagrass rug, love the color of that distressed dresser and LOVE LOVE LOVE those lamps!

So, I'll keep dreaming.

UPDATE FROM LAST NIGHT: After dinner, Ryan turned on the tv when I was in the other room cleaning. I came back to the beginning of The Devil Wears Prada on the TV. Yall, I don't know how to say this better, but....I'm pretty much sold on this one:)

So today has been H-E-C-T-I-C!! But I have to say that I am truly blessed to have a VERY patient boyfriend who is more than helpful whenever I need him. We are short-staffed at the office and about to have one of our biggest fundraisers of the year this Thursday. Needless to say, its CRAZY around there and we need every spare hand we can find! Well, sweet Ryan decided to volunteer his time off today with MDA and went to WORK for us. Doing all kinds of things: computer work, moving heavy boxes, etc. It was nice to have him there. Every now and then, I'ld peak my head out and check on him and the diligence in his eyes was TO DIE FOR!!

I'm pooped, of course, so the thought of cooking just repulsed me. He left a few minutes early and I came home to this...

Ladies, he's off the market!!! He cooks, he cleans AND he is happy to help out an office of 6 SUPER stressed, hormonal, tired woman out for the afternoon!

Please be jealous! :)

Now he's enjoying his mega taco he made and zoned out to ESPN. Hey, I gotta give it to him...he earned it!!

I just whipped out my camera to upload some new pictures. And then I quickly realized my pictures are all under one of 3 categories: work, ryan, or dogs. Seriously! I've gotta learn to allow myself in the shots sometimes. Im a camera phob...dont like to see the end result of pictures since I am oh-so-unphotogenic!!

Anyway. I'll leave you with two that make me smile BIG TIME!

You know, before we got Hudson, Ryan was very anti-little dog. Madison was about as small as he would go. He would say, "I don't know what to do with a little dog." But as you can see, the little man has melted his heart. But don't be fooled, he and Madison are best of buds. They stick together most of the time and little man stays with me. It works.

And this one just makes me laugh. Basically this is just an excuse for Ryan to get to be a little boy and play with fire. One night last week, he randomly decided to burn some leftover wood from work. The night went something like this: cook dinner, cleanup, Ryan: "I think I want to go burn something." Seriously!

Trying to gear up for one SUPER BUSY week!! So, I'm doing my usual morning routine (coffee, bagel, and blogs) to get me going. There's something really therapeutic about waking up in the morning and checking out all the blogs I follow and occasionally E! Online while I sip my morning coffee. Hey, I never claimed to be profound. I know its a vain ritual. But it feels oh-so-good!

Speaking of bagels...last night after our weekly grocery shopping trip, Ryan and I went to the bagel shop to get bagels for the week. We LOVE them and know how bad they are for us, but whatever! So I went in around 6pm (they close at 7pm) and told the guy to get ready because I had quite the order for him. I ordered a bakers dozen (3 plain, 3 everything, 3 blueberry, 3 sesame seed and 1 Cinnamon sugar for kicks and giggles). I was expecting to pay the usual $7.50 when the oh-so-generous manager said, "You know what, its the end of the day and these have been sitting out all day, so you can have these for the price of a half dozen." Yall, I was pumped. Every time I snag a deal, whether its ALOT of money or just $3.25, I love it!! So I believe I will incorporate this little trick into my weekly routine. For any of you out there who stock your freezer with bagels like we do, you may want to try it. You never know!!!

So don't hate me, but my job sent me here yesterday!! No joke, I went to 3 different beaches yesterday for WORK! I won't bore you with details but LONG story short, we had to stop at 3 different Fire Stations along the way and "work." Got to talk to a few cute firemen (**with Ryan by my side:) **) and then ended the day with this!!

Had a nice seafood dinner **YUMMY!!** and then called it a day. We're back here in Tally now and I only wish I had more time to really enjoy the water!

I was on someone else's blog and saw this chain questionairre thing. I know I know, they're silly but hey I got nothing else. Plus this way, you might learn something about me that makes me look even more ridiculous!!

6 THINGS I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO
1. Fourth Of July Weekend at LAKE MARTIN!!
2.Grocery Shopping ... hey its the little things in life :)
3.The package Mom and Dad sent to me...kinda has me a little nervous because you never know what you're going to get with mom
4. This Lockup being a success :)
5. The Big ONE YEAR anniversary we've got coming up. K give me a break here. I'm not married I know, but this is all I got, so deal with it
6.The new BRAVO series about the priviledged kids in NY.

6 THINGS I DID YESTERDAY
1. Ate lunch at Ryan's parents' house.
2. Counted $5000 of bills and change
3. Walked on the beach
4. Had a nice seafood dinner
5. Enjoyed a yummy pina colada
6. fell asleep at 8:30 because I could

6 THINGS I WISH I COULD DO
1. Take a really nice vacation
2. See some of my friends I havent seen in forever
3. Spend a weekend in Atlanta
4. Buy a really nice camera and learn how to take cool pictures
5. Buy a HOUSE!
6. Go on a MAJOR furniture/home accessories shopping spree

6 SHOWS I WATCH
1. Real Housewives ( yall I could go on and on about how much I love that show. Its ridiculous how much I'm obsessed!)
2.Will & Grace
3. Gossip Girl
4.???
5.???
6.???
To be honest, I really don't watch tv anymore. Not really sure why I even have cable

6 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS
1. Chikfila
2. Hopkins' Chicken Tettrazini Salad (TO DIE FOR!)
3. Harbor Docks Sushi
4. Homemade Guacamole
5. Sesame Seed Bagels
6. Grouper Florentine from The Back Porch

6 PLACES I HAVE TRAVELED
1. Europe (England, France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg)
2. Caribbean (St. Croix, Aruba, Bahamas, Grand Cayman)
3. BIG CITIES (New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Minneapolis, Austin, San Antonio, Denver, Atlanta, Orlando, Nashville, Jacksonville, Baltimore)
K so 4-6 will have to be overlooked. I think I listed enough. You get the picture. What can I say, we like to travel in our family!!

6 PLACES I WOULD LIKE TO TRAVEL TO
1. Amsterdam
2. Austria
3. Los Angelos
4. Seattle
5. Back to Spain
6. Boston

K so that should do us for a while there.!! Happy Sunday kiddos!!

Well Happy Thursday Kiddos!! That's right...we're almost there...FRIDAY!! I came across this picture a few weeks ago and have been saving it for when I needed to share a pick-me-up. If this doesn't do it for you, I dont know what will. Besides, its only the BEST color combination invented to man!!



So I keep trying to tell myself to just go a few more days and it will be the weekend. But unfortunately, I won't be getting much R&R this time around. Early Saturday morning, Ryan and I are packing up the pups and heading over to Pensacola for work. I've gotta get there early in the morning (keep in mind its 3 hours from here:( ), and stay in the balmy heat all day long. We'll spend the night then head back Sunday. Probably stop in Ft. Walton to wish Mr. Nelson a Happy Father's Day.

Sometimes I really start wondering if my life is always going to be work focused. I came across these pictures and really started to panic.


Because I can TOTALLY see my life looking exactly like this! In fact, it already does, just minus the poopsters. I work 9-5 then usually stay up at the office till around 6 or 6:30 doing more work. Then, as if that weren't enough, I bring it home to do while watching TV with the Mister. These pictures are actually funny to me, although they've kinda got me scared!!




I can't imagine wearing heels that high, but you just never know!!! OK OK, so lets be honest, I'll never be Mila Jovovich (spelling??) and never have Chris Noth for a husband (hey a girl can dream right??), but still.

Keep going guys...we're almost to FRIDAY!!!

Bye Bye Granmama

Its been a wonderful weekend, and we are all officially pooped! I'm still sitting here waiting on my Washer to be delivered. Come on lowes, the pool is calling my name!! Mom left to go back home after church. We had an AMAZING breakfast at Broken Egg Cafe before Church...I'm still full!!

Thought I'ld leave you with a sweet picture of little man looking out the window saying bye to his new favorite lady... the treat source!!! Lexie wasn't his biggest fan, so mom didnt really get to love on him too much but it only takes a smidge for this little guy and he's hooked!

P.S. Thanks Aunt Sarah for my new Sailboat Collar! I look so cool in it! The chicks are digging it!!!

A little Saturday Recap for ya!!

Mom and I got an early start around 7 am and got up and ready. Headed over to Starbucks for some coffee and muffins and sat outside enjoying the nice weather (**before it was 98 degrees today). Had a nice conversation with a guy in grad school getting his MBA who was sitting outside with his maltese/shit tzu mix puppy, Buster...So Cute!!

Got on the road for a minute or so then stopped at one of my favorite stores, Loli & The Bean. Picked up a Baby Shower gift I had ordered for my friend, Jenny and mom bought a few things for Mr. John Wells when he makes his debut in a few months!!

Then really hit the road to go to this quaint little town...

Thomasville, Georgia. And don't think this picture is deceptive. It really does look like this in Thomasville!! Straight out of a magazine picturesque is the only way I could describe the downtown area. These days, its hard to find old historic downtown shopping areas that are restored and up and running!! We had a blast going from store to store browsing. LOTS AND LOTS of antiques to be seen and lots of fun gift shops. Definitely heading back here sometime soon!!

Had lunch at a cute little cafe and got the best dessert...coconut creme pie (**although its not nearly as good as the one Mary Kate used to make. As I recall, we'ld ask her to make it for us when we were studying in college and she would right then and there. Then we'ld all get spoons and eat it straight from the dish!!).

Then after shopping there, we came back to Tallahassee and stopped at Fresh Market where we picked up a BUNCH of food I would never purchase otherwise, but Mom was buying and I happily obliged!

Also stopped by Publix to get the remaining necessities to cook the most incredible spread for dinner. Mom and I had a good time in the kitchen while all 3 dogs played and chased each other. We made homemade guacamole (my favorite!!), Parmesan crusted Tilapia, Butter Beans, Boiled Shrimp, Pasta Salad, Olive Loaf Bread with a Butter and Herb dipping Sauce and Fruit. I gained 5 lbs just looking at the table!! But it sure was yummy.

I told Ryan dinner would be on the table at 6 and sure enough I heard that loud truck of his drive up right before!!

After we cleaned up from dinner, we headed over to the one and Only Lowes where Mom bought me a new WASHING MACHINE!!! WAHHOOO!!! I also loaded up on some plants to add to my collection. Came home and then potted everything.

Look what I found... Someone hanging out in the garden section :)

All in all... a fabulous day! Lots accomplished and lots of fun!!

And now we're winding down for the day. Mom's busy doing some paperwork and little Lexington is right next to her sleeping soundly!!

I'm up early this Saturday morning. Probably because we have 2 special guests here and the 2 kiddos couldn't sleep to save their lives...they're just too excited!! Gramama (mom) and Lexington are here for the weekend to visit !! Everyone's running around and its only 7:26. Its ok though...my days of sleeping in are long gone.

We've got a day planned!! Mom was a good house guest and came bearing gifts...a beautiful hibiscus plant for the deck, so we're going on a search for a pretty pot to put it in. While we're in Lowes, we're looking for a washing machine. Yes, I haven't had one all this time. Pretty sweet, I know! And then, we're heading up to Thomasville, GA to shop in all their quaint little stores. I was up there a few months ago with our last lockup and briefly got to pop in a few stores. I've been dying to get back and I know Mom will like them too!!

One last thing. Last night, Ryan surprised me and took me on the sweetest little date. We got sandwiches and loaded up the pupsters and headed over to Lake Ella Park for a picnic. So sweet. Madison chased EVERY duck there. Hudson just loved being noticed. I guess I forget how little he is (all 3.9 lbs of him) so when someone says, "oh he's so little and cute!!" I just dont really pay much attention.

I tried to take some pictures and only came up with these.

These just absolutely melt my heart!!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!

I'm afraid my life isn't too exciting and the only pictures I take are of my dogs. Its been brought to my attention, but until something more thrilling happens, you can count on a few snapshots of these cuties every now and then!!

Here's my little man who is just the cutest little guy in the world!!

And meet Paisley. Ryan and I went to get bagels at a local bagel shop and people always bring their dogs with them and eat outside. We took Madison and Hudson and made a new friend. Paisley is a Carin Terrier (the Toto Dog) and she was JUST like Madison!!!
Here they are trying to figure out each other.

After breakfast, we went to the FSU vs Arkansas baseball game. Can't say I enjoyed it too much. We were in the suffocating heat and I got one sweet tan line from it. But Ryan loved it so I just prayed for rain the whole time...didnt happen:(

This weekend flew by and I am definitely NOT ready for work again!!

Yesterday, Ryan and I took a little adventure to Home Depot where we bought some plants. Its amazing what a few plants can do to make a place feel like a home.

Mom's coming to stay this weekend, so I spent quite some time last night CLEANING!! Now, I just need to somehow keep it clean for the week. Ryan is a tosser, like most men. He comes over and just tosses his shoes here, his wallet there, leaves dishes everywhere, etc. So I'm constantly coming behind him and straightening up. Now I understand why mom was always frustrated with us kids!!

HAPPY MONDAY!

Another lazy Saturday morning here, doing nothing but sipping on my coffee and browsing my favorite blogs. I keep telling myself to get up and go to the bagel shop but I keep finding all these pretty things I'm dying to share with you!! That and I've also been working on the layout of my blog. Believe it or not, its actually complicated to make things exactly the way you want them. And so, I've been playing with the "edit HTML" section. Yes, you read correctly, I'm editing HTML. Next step: figure out how to enlarge pictures. I read about it this morning, which sparked my curiosity. So bare with me, hopefully soon I'll get things the way I want!

Anywho, I've got the balcony door open and the pups are running in and out. Its pretty outside, and I just cant help but be glad its SUMMER!!! So, with that in mind, I'll leave you with some bright and cheery rooms to drool over. Happy Weekend!!

And I cant help but salivate over this room. I like the his and her aspect. This is definitely something that we will need in a house one day. "This is mine and this is yours" usually works best for us!! Basically, you keep your junk over there and mine stays here!!

WARNING: this one is gonna be somewhat about the dogs for your poo-poo'ers out there who have their comments :)

So, Tuesday and Wednesday, I was down in Orlando for a divisional meeting. Don't be jealous, all I saw was the airport...literally. We stayed in the Hyatt INSIDE the airport (not too shabby) and didnt go outside the whole time. So no Disney fun for me, at least this time! But all the while, Ryan helped and took care of the two pupsters. Yesterday, he was also keeping his sister's dog, Wyatt, and so when I came to pick up Madison and Hudson, I took a few shots at the zoo aka Ryan's house.

All three kids hanging out in Wyatt's portable crate. This thing is AWESOME...hint hint!!!

Little man gets jealous of any other dog getting attention from his daddy!

And look, its Ceasar Milan. (Yes, from here on till probably December, most pictures of Ryan will be of him shirtless. Not to my liking of course. But the kid is a sweat-er so in the summertime, I just give up that battle!)