Currently, I am...

I have a bit of a writer's block today. While going through my Google Reader, I saw this post on Something to Cheer About and decided to follow suit!

Eating: I just finished an Amy's Kitchen Southwestern Burrito. Have you had these burritos? I love them! They're fairly healthy, keep me full and are now available cheap at Kroger for $2.14 (They used to be $3+)!

Reading: Nothing...can you believe it? I just finished the fifth "Pretty Little Liars" book. I have a new book on hold at the library.


Wishing: I was home with my pup instead of at work. Yes, he owns us both now.

Patiently Waiting For: The weekend

Freaking Out About: Our sweet pup is somewhat over our apartment's weight limit. Let's hope we don't get in trouble!

Annoyed By: The fact that I don't have a lot to work on at work.

On My Nails: Nothing! I really need to paint them this weekend.

Obsessed With: Pretty Little Liars. I'm reading the series and watching Season 1. I promise I'm 27, not 17.

Lusting After: This china cabinet. I really, really want it. It would look ridiculous in our apartment, but I hate that our pretty wedding gifts are boxed up in the guest room closet.


Looking Forward To: Football season! It is only 44 days away! GO DAWGS!

Wedding Wednesday: The Ceremony

Photo by William Massey Photography

Our ceremony was short and traditional. While I acknowledge the fact that the ceremony is the most important part of the wedding day, I have to admit I don't really love standing up in front of a bunch people and being the center of attention!

Our ceremony was officiated by an associate pastor who has been at the church my entire life.
Looking back, I'm a little surprised at how traditional my ceremony was. I don't consider myself a very traditional person! A few prayers, a small sermon, the vows, the rings, the blessing and the announcement. We had two readings. J's best friend from undergrad (who flew all the way from Alaska to be there) read Colossians 3:12-17 and one of my best friends from college read "The Blessing of the Hands" right before we exchanged rings.

We had no singing solos. My dad pointed out early on in planning "That song may be pretty, but you need to think...that's 3 minutes we all have to sit there looking at you while you look at each other." Good point. We also skipped the unity candle.

Our officiant's wife played the piano and another church member played the organ. I started taking formal piano lessons when I was nine, but my Mawmaw began teaching me to play long before that, so it was important for me to have piano music. I had a lot of fun picking out the music for our ceremony. Again, it was all very traditional:

• Pre-wedding prelude--variety of hymns & classical music
• Seating of the Mothers- Come, Thou Fount Of Every Blessing
• Bridal Party- Pachabel's Canon in D
• Bride's Procession- The Trumpet Voluntary
• Recessional- Hymn to Joy/Ode to Joy

Our ceremony FLEW by! I can't remember most of it. Sitting in the small holding room off the side of the church foyer with my dad and bridesmaids was the only time I felt nervous the entire day. I vaguely remember seeing faces in the crowd. I handed my bouquet off to my Matron of Honor too early. We kissed 3 times at the end. My ring bearer stood with his hands in his pocket the whole time; one flower girl had her finger up her nose half the time. All in all, I think it was perfect!

Our Growing Family

J and I have been married three months as of this past Saturday! Naturally, we've been discussing expanding our family. And we did.

Meet Newnan.


Baby boy is two year-old lab/pit mix. A friend of a friend had two dogs, Newnan and another one. Unfortunately, she and her husband divorced. She is moving and can't afford two dogs on her own. We met Newn and his old owner about a month ago and after spending the day with him, fell in love. We had planned to pick him up this past Saturday, but when J picked me up from the airport Tuesday (I was in Ohio for work) and took me home, Newn was there waiting! Needless to say, he has us wrapped around his paws.



We took him on his first ride in the jeep Friday evening. I feel guilty that he is in his crate all day while we work and that we don't have a yard to let him out in, so we try to do some extra fun things on the weekend. We went walking on the greenline Friday evening and Sunday he went to J's parents with us and played in the backyard.

His favorite spot in the apartment is the front door--no squirrel, chipmunk, train or walker will go unnoticed.


He's also a big cuddler. Don't try telling him he isn't a lap dog--and he prefers everyone to be at his level. Also, I can't believe I'm posting this picture of me on the internet. I'd ran 2 miles and then Newn and I walked another 2, where he attacked a neighbor's in-ground sprinkler (sorry).


I apologize for the iPhone pics. It is easier to take a picture of him with our phones...when you lift a camera, he turns his head!

Menu Monday

We've had a hectic couple of weeks and, as a result, our menu planning has been basically non-existent. I'm excited about this week's plan--lots of new recipes, plus some household favorites!

Monday--Spicy Black Bean Burgers from Jenna at Eat, Live, Run with sweet potato fries. I'm excited to try Jenna's "boyfriend-approved" black bean burgers. I love bean burgers, and I'm trying to do one or two meatless meals a week. Hopefully these will be "husband-approved"!

Tuesday- Honey Mustard-Glazed Salmon from Clean Eating. Paired with Kale(for me) and green beans(for him) and brown rice.

Wednesday- Enchiladas! A household favorite. Mine will be vegetarian; his will have chicken.

Thursday- Deconstructed Lasagna from Clean Eating. Another new one!

Friday-- Homemade Pizza. I'm on a kick making my own pizza crust. We like to put pepperoni, spinach, mushrooms, roasted red peppers and basil on it.

Looks like a tasty week! What are you cooking?

Weekend Reading Suggestion

I have some fun news to share, but I'm waiting to get some more pictures this weekend before sharing :) In the meantime, I have a reading suggestion for you all!

My dad loves WWII memoirs. My Grandaddy fought in the Battle of the Bulge and other major battles, so I almost always try to find him a memoir focused on those to give him for Christmas or his Birthday. I gave my mom "The Help" for Mother's Day, so I was searching for a book for Father's Day. My parents came to Memphis to visit a few weeks before the holiday, and my dad mentioned wanting this book so I bought it and gave it to him while he was here:

Image via Amazon

From Amazon:

From Laura Hillenbrand, the bestselling author of Seabiscuit, comes Unbroken, the inspiring true story of a man who lived through a series of catastrophes almost too incredible to be believed. In evocative, immediate descriptions, Hillenbrand unfurls the story of Louie Zamperini--a juvenile delinquent-turned-Olympic runner-turned-Army hero. During a routine search mission over the Pacific, Louie’s plane crashed into the ocean, and what happened to him over the next three years of his life is a story that will keep you glued to the pages, eagerly awaiting the next turn in the story and fearing it at the same time. You’ll cheer for the man who somehow maintained his selfhood and humanity despite the monumental degradations he suffered, and you’ll want to share this book with everyone you know.

My dad loved it. He passed it on to my Great Uncle who also loved it. When I was home for the 4th, I brought it back with me. I just got around to reading it because I've been tearing through the Pretty Little Liars series(embarrassing, I know, but I have no shame in my reading choices!). I read it in 4 days. What this man went through is unbelievable. Something I've noticed in my history classes and such as that, when it comes to WWII, you mainly hear about the atrocities committed in the German concentration camps. This book shows that over in the Pacific, equal amounts of horrifying acts were committed. I could not put this book down. I finished it yesterday on my lunch break! I highly recommend it, even if you don't enjoy history.

Next on my list? Pretty Little Liars #5. Talk about a 180.

Have a great weekend!

Happy (Late) Birthday To Me!

Again, I apologize for the lack of posting this week. I'm hoping to get back on track soon!

I flew back to Memphis on Tuesday and my sweet husband was actually waiting inside the airport when I got there instead of picking me up curbside. Okay...he was only in there because I told him I like it when he is there waiting on me, but it was still sweet :) And the Delta App let him know when I was landing so he hung out in the cell phone lot before parking, so we still made it within the 30 minutes of free parking :)

Yesterday was my 27th Birthday! I celebrated with an all-day client meeting(JUST what I wanted. How did they know? ;))...okay, it ended early and they let me leave around 3:30 so it wasn't terrible. I tried to do some shopping but came up short. When I got home, a gift from my friend Kelly was waiting for me:

Image from Amazon.com

The commemorative 75th anniversary printing of Gone With The Wind. I actually have a copy, but it is my grandmother's hardcover from the 1950's. The binding is coming apart; I keep it with my other GWTW memorabilia on a shelf at my parents' house. Plus, Pat Conroy wrote the forward to this; I love his writing(despite the somewhat sick twists his stories have).

J gave me a big canvas print of Turner Field he found a Target for me to hang in my office. I can't find a picture online! But it will be great to fill in the white space I have going on there.

He also surprised me! I knew we'd go out to dinner and he was very insistent on Tuesday that I pick a place RIGHT NOW. He suggested Mellow Mushroom or (my fave) Sekisui. I couldn't figure out why I had to make a decision at that moment, but I picked pizza. Last night when we got there, two of my good friends and their husbands met us there! I was so surprised. It was nice to have friends there to celebrate with.

All in all, a good day. I loved the Facebook posts and texts and calls. I also love the gift card from my in-laws and new Nike shorts & InStyle subscription from my parents :) I love birthdays!

Ain't Nothin' Like That G-A Red Clay

I apologize for the lack of posting this week! I'll be back with the normal posts, plus an update on our new puppy :)

I am currently home in Georgia for the long weekend. I miss my husband(who couldn't come due to lack of vacation time), but I love my time at home. July 4th is a big holiday in my family and we celebrate with a cookout at my uncle's with tons of people, good food(he loves to cook), beer, (illegal) fireworks and the annual shuffleboard tournament among the men(why the women never play, I don't know...I think we drink too much sangria). My dad lost to his brother in the championship round by one point. His strategy every year? Be the sober one. Fell just a little short this year, which is surprising since some of the competitors were drinking moonshine(did I mention I'm from the N. Georgia mountains?)!

The rest of my time has been spent shopping at the Outlets with my best friend and hanging by our pool with the dog. My view looks like this:


Please be aware that there was an empty lounge chair on each side of me, but he had no interest in those. Spoiled dog.

Enjoy the holiday! And many thanks to our service men and women for all they do!