Half way

We are halfway through our holiday vacation here in MN and so far it has been great! We have spent the last few days with my parents. Today we did a little antique shopping and of course I bought some Fiesta. I also got some great pieces for Christmas! I am very excited about a disk pitcher and casserole dish that I got as gifts. I think I will be coming home with 8 pieces of Fiesta (some big & some little, some old & some new)...I think that is pretty good!

Eric's big Christmas gift is a new Netbook! I am using it now to blog on and I have to say I really like it! This will primarily be used for Eric to work on his dissertation. The netbook is small and perfect for him to take with him where ever he goes.

Tomorrow we are going to spend a little time in Minneapolis and go ice skating before we head back to Eric's mom's place for a few days. I love the city and miss living there so we are excited to spend some time there tomorrow!

The Blizzard

We have been in MN for a few days now and the big storm that was threatening our Christmas plans wasn't that big and scary. We got several inches of snow, and then some rain, and then more snow. But it didn't interrupt our flight nor our driving plans on Christmas morning! The snow is beautiful though! I really do miss it when we are in Georgia.

So far we have been sledding, played wii, opened presents, and ate a ton of good food! Of course there are always cookies around and Eric and I have limited ourselves to two a day. I know that seems extreme for some of you but we are trying to be good and not consume too many calories!

Today my mom and I are going to do a little after Christmas shopping and we are going to watch the new Sherlock Holmes movie tonight.

Our Christmas holidays have been great so far....I hope you are enjoying yours!!

Tomorrow...

we will be in Minnesota!!! That is if we can get there before the big blizzard decides to snow-in the Midwest! Once in MN we will be spending some time with both of our families. We are hoping to get some time in with Eric's extended family...we always have fun with his cousins and aunts & uncles! I never had a big family so I love being around everyone!! We are also planning on spending a few nights out with friends (give us a call if you want to do something!) and will be bringing in the New Year with our old roommates. At the end of our trip we are hoping to spend a day in Northern MN....we sure will be busy!!! I am not sure if I will be able to blog along the way but you know I will try. Just in case....

I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

In three days

we will be in MN for the Holidays! I am very excited to be going home and to see all our friends and family but....there is part of me that starts stressing out about traveling. There is so much to prepare before we go anywhere (at least it feels like a lot to me). We have to find someone to take care of the cats, figure out how we are going to get to the airport (drive ourselves and pay for parking or get a ride?), then there is the packing and making sure your bag doesn't weigh more than 50 lbs, and of course making sure you get to the airport on time. Plus, when traveling to any part of the US where there is snow...there might be chances for delays. I also get a little sad to have to say goodbye to our kitties. I know they will be lonely and I feel a little guilty leaving them for so long. Anyways...I think you can tell that I suffer a slight bit of anxiety when we are about to travel. Once I am on the plane though, I am completely fine :) Right now I just need to think of how much fun it will be to see all of our friends and families, play in the snow, and having a wonderful Christmas in MN!!

In 3 days I will be here.... :)

Charleston

This past weekend we made a quick trip to Charleston to see Eric's brother, Justin, and his girlfriend, Lindsay, graduate from Charleston School of Law. Eric's mom flew in from MN and the three of us headed to Charleston to see the graduation ceremony. Here are Justin and Lindsay in their fancy graduation outfits...

And one of the brothers and their mother...


While in Charleston we exchanged Christmas gifts with Justin and Lindsay (thanks guys for the gifts!!). Their dogs, Marlin and Annabell, also had fun while we opened presents...aren't they cute!?!



Here is one of Marlin and his amazing soccer skillz....


We had a great time in Charleston with Lindsay and Justin and wish them luck when they take the Bar in February!! I will have a Lawyer for a brother-in-law!! Our trip ended back in Athens after we watched the first half of Gone with the Wind with Becky before she had to head back to MN.

Not enough time

Usually around this time of year I have decorated for Christmas, put up Christmas lights outside, baked Christmas cookies, bought all my Christmas presents, wrapped all of the presents, and shipped them off to MN. The only thing I have accomplished so far is decorating for Christmas and buying some Christmas gifts via online shopping. I feel SOOOO behind! I just don't feel like myself this year! The reason for not having as much accomplished as I would like to is because of school. Thankfully tomorrow that will all be over. Tomorrow night I have my Accounting final and once it is done, I will hopefully be able to get back on track with all of my Christmas plans. There is just too much to do in so little time!

Athens Christmas Parade

This was the 3rd year I have gone to the Athens Christmas Parade and it was just as fun as the past years! Our friends Michelle and Kelly came with us to check out the parade for their first time. We started out the night at Casa Mia. We had some yummy food and mango margaritas! I highly recommend this place for some good Latin tapas. We finished dinner just in time to step outside to watch the parade. My favorite parts of the parade are when the humane society and the Athens animal control goes by because they have a ton of dogs that they are walking and they are all so cute! Eric doesn't like this part of the parade because it makes me wish we had a dog and he isn't a huge fan of the idea. My other favorite part of the parade are all the school bands. I love the music and the beat of the drums, it makes me want to dance! After the parade was over we walked over to Trapeze to have a drink and something sweet to eat. Overall it was a great night!!

Me &Michelle

Me & Eric

Michelle & Kelly

The 4 of us (BTW...it was a little cold out!!)

Now that I have decorated AND I have been to the Christmas parade...it officially feels like Christmas time! I even busted out the Christmas tunes in the car today!

Thanksgiving Weekend

This Thanksgiving we were lucky enough to have my parents come and visit from Minnesota. They were here for 5 days and we had a good time and ate a lot of good food! My mom and I cooked Thanksgiving day dinner and it took all day!! Our friends Greg and Val came over to share Thanksgiving with us and they brought with them an amazing sweet potato pie. I tried to be all Martha Stewart and make the table look nice...this is what I came up with....



The rest of the weekend was very relaxing. Mom and I did some Black Friday shopping while Eric and Dad watched football. On Saturday we went to the Botanical Gardens and enjoyed the walking trials they have. Here are some pictures from the day...





We had a great weekend with my parents and I cant wait to see them again at Christmas time!

Fiesta!

Since last Christmas I have started collecting Fiesta dishes for our every day use. I like the new Fiesta dishes but I LOVE the vintage pieces. I first was introduced to Fiesta by a friend of mine, Missy, and then I started noticing it everywhere! I was inspired to start my own Fiesta collection because of Missy and the Sweet Biscuit Inn. When we went to Asheville a year ago for our anniversary they had a TON of Fiesta...here is a pic I took of their collection.


I currently have two vintage pieces. One is a gray cream soup bowl (made sometime between 1936-59) and one is a light green 8 1/2 Inch Nappy (made sometime after 1938). I think it is so cool to have something that was made over 50 years ago...I guess you could call me a vintage junkie. Lately I have been web surfing in my spare time (aka: procrastinating from homework) to find vintage pieces of Fiesta and I found these two websites that I think are pretty useful: happyheidi.com and the official Homer Laughlin factory website. I am hoping to get some more pieces for Christmas (hint hint) and also do some Fiesta hunting while we are home for the holidays!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I know I am a little early but I wanted to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! My parents are coming into town today and will be here through the weekend. I am very excited to have them here for Thanksgiving, I think it has been 5 years since I have had thanksgiving with my family! I am sure I will have a lot to blog about after the long weekend so stay tuned! Until then...Happy Turkey day!

Leaves, leaves, and more leaves!

Last weekend we started the first round of raking. It took us about an hour and we were very tired when we were done!! Now our yard is yet again covered with leaves. It always feels like a never ending battle. Last week the trees still looked full but now they are looking more bare than full. Hopefully that means less raking for us!

This is our first pile, trust me it is big!

Happy Anniversary!

Just wanted to say happy anniversary to my parents! We love you lots!

Fun with Peppers

So the other night we went to our friends place to watch the UGA vs. Auburn football game and to enjoy some yummy fajitas and margaritas! I was in charge of bringing rice and veggies (onion & peppers) for the fajitas. While I was cutting up some orange bell pepper I noticed how perfect the inside of the pepper was so I just had to get a picture of it! What do you think?? I love the design of the ridges of the inside of the pepper, the color, and the seeds! Anyways...tomorrow I am making sloppy joes and it calls for a red bell pepper....I wonder if it will be as beautiful as this one!

Christmas Cactus

Three years ago my mom gave me a cutting of her Christmas Cactus and over the past 3 years it really hasn't grown much and it has only bloomed once. A few weeks ago I brought it in from outside so when it got cold it wouldn't freeze. That is when I noticed small little buds stating to form on the tips of the cactus. Needless to say I was very excited! Now it has a few blooms open and more to come. Hopefully I can get it to bloom again soon!

Week in Review

Sorry this is late! This past week was insane!! Most of the week I spend studying for my Accounting mid-term. When I wasn't studying I was trying to keep my brain from exploding from all the equations and definitions I needed to know for my test.

Thursday night was the 5th of November and our friends Bethany and Jason always have a 5th of November party. So we went over to their house for a chili cook off (never figured out who won) and watched V for Vendetta out side on the "big screen" (AKA a sheet hanging off the garage). It was cold out so we all had to bundle up and we even had a little fire going. It was a fun night and the move was good.

Friday night Eric and I drove out to Atlanta to see his Uncle Dwane who was in town for a conference. We had dinner at Einsteins and the food was very good. We decided to split their Peaches Pound Cake and OMG was it delicious! I wish I could have some more!! :)

The rest of the weekend was spent studying. We didn't even get to watch the GA game because it was on pay-per-view. It turns out it wasn't that exciting anyways. At least we won!

Last night was my mid-term and I really dont think I did that well. At this point I am praying for a curve...I think that is the only thing that will save me. After my test I tried to forget about everything and watched my favorite Monday night shows with Eric while drinking a tall glass of wine. :) Unfortunately nothing made me forget about the test and I ended up dreaming about accounting equations all night long! Hopefully tonight I will sleep better!!

The good and the bad.

The Good: We finally have heat in the house! YEAH! The siding people are going to be done today. YEAH! Tonight we are going to have dinner in Atlanta with Eric's Uncle Dwayne while he is in town for a conference. YEAH!

The Bad: Tomorrow and Sunday I will be studying Managerial Accounting. BOO. I can not do anything else because I am making a C in the class and I can not get a C without having to re-take it. BOO. This class is stressing me out. BOO!!!

Just had to vent a little :)

Week in Review

So this past week has been busy. Eric spent a lot of time calling Heating and Air companies to get bids on replacing our H&A units. He also spent time getting estimates on replacing some siding that we are having issues with. These are some of the "joys" of being a homeowner that I never really thought about. :) Today some guys came out to work on the siding and they cleaned our gutters for free. Thursday the H&A guys are coming out to put in our brand new system. I have to say, I have gotten used to it being colder in the house...maybe we wont be using the heat as much this winter!

We also had a realtor come out to look at the house. We are thinking of selling this March and wanted to know some things we might want to work on before hand. He seemed to like our house and had only a few suggestions of what we should do. I have to admit I am a little excited to sell and move into a smaller space. Less to keep up, less to clean, and hopefully a little less out of the pay check. :)

Also this past week, I have come to the realization that Accounting is my nemesis. I think I am on the right track and then BOOM I get a C on a quiz and cant understand the homework. I am very grateful that I am only taking one class this session because it is kicking my but!! I have a mid-term on Monday and I really need to crack down and work hard this week so I can hopefully I can pull out of this class with a B.

On a side note: the cat has stopped peeing on the furniture!! YEAH! We have gone a couple weeks with out any "accidents" so I think we are in the clear. I better knock on some wood though...I don't want to jinx it!!

And no post is complete with out a picture so here is one I took while at the Arboretum in Asheville. I really liked the texture and colors of the lettuce. :) But I am not sure it would taste any good...what do you think?


Have a happy week!

Happy Halloween!

So I am a little late but happy Halloween anyways :) Yesterday I finally got around to carving our pumpkins that we got at Burts. I wasn't feeling too creative but I think they turned out OK. My favorite it the tall one...I think he turned out the best He is a little goofy but I like that. Hope you had a good Halloween!

Asheville

Eric and I had such a great time in Asheville last weekend that I wish we could go back this weekend! I think I could live there :) Apparently mid-October was the time to go to the small town in North Carolina...the leaves were in peak color. I couldn't believe how many red, yellow, and orange trees I saw! I think it has been a while since I have truly seen Fall color like this. It was great!



Like last year we stayed at the Sweet Biscuit Inn which is in a cute little neighborhood on a hill in South Asheville. The owners Robert and Angela are great hosts and wonderful cooks! The breakfast each morning was wonderful. One of my favorite things about the Sweet Biscuit Inn is that every room has an old clawfoot bathtubs...which meant that I took a bath every day!



We arrived in Asheville around 2pm on Friday afternoon. It was a rainy day so we ducked in and out of shops for about an hour before we could check-in at 3. After checking into the Inn we relaxed on the front porch for a little while before heading back to Downtown. We had a wonderful dinner at Tupelo Honey Cafe. I had the famous Cheesy Grill (fancy for grilled cheese with two kinds of cheese of your choice, I had cheddar and Havarti) and tomato soup, perfect for a rainy day! Eric had the Charleston Chicken Sandwich which was also yummy. After dinner we caught the new Michael Moore movie at a small theater downtown. It was a great movie and I recommend everyone to see it. After the movie we went to the French Broad Chocolate Lounge for some yummy chocolate desserts. I have to say...everything looked amazing and I would have liked to try it all!! After dessert, it was late so we decided to head back to the Inn for some R&R.

Saturday morning, the rain had left us and it was a beautiful and crisp Fall morning. We had a eggs, sausage, and sweet potato biscuits for breakfast. After breakfast we went to the NC Arboretum. We spent the morning there hiking and looking at some of the gardens. There were a ton of beautiful trees here. Below are some pictures from the Arboretum.






After hiking around we started to look for a place to eat lunch. We ended up at Luella's BBQ, all I have to say is A-mazing! The BBQ was very good and the hush puppies were delicious! I do love me some hush puppies!! :) After lunch we spend the afternoon relaxing at the Inn. Before heading to dinner we walked around down town to kill some time. They have some of the best shops downtown Asheville. One of my favorites was Chocolate Fetish (I know... another chocolate place) where they have all different kinds of chocolate truffles. We got a few to have after dinner. For dinner we went to Table, a local farm to table restaurant downtown. I think both Eric and I would agree that it was the best food we have eaten in a long time. I had the hanger steak which was served with the best cauliflower I have ever had and Eric had the lamb chops. After dinner we went back to the Inn and watched The Godfather Part II while eating our chocolate and drinking some wine.

Sunday was our last day at the Inn. We had delicious cranberry walnut french toast for breakfast served with bacon. Angela really out did herself on this one. It was fabulous!! After breakfast we took a walk around the neighborhood then packed up and started our trek back home. Before hitting the road we went to a store that Angela and Robert recommended to us that sells 2nd condition Fiestaware. I was super excited to get my hands on some cheap Fiestaware! Who cares if it has a bubble or two on it from the glaze!?! Unfortunately, they didn't have a whole lot of 2nd condition Fiestaware but they had a TON of brand new pieces. I left a little disappointed but with three more pieces to add to my collection.



We took the Cherokee scenic highway back home from NC. Along the way we spotted Table Rock Mountain in SC. We had to stop and take pictures because of how beautiful it was! I think we will be taking a trip here soon to do a little hiking. I am sure the view from the top would have been amazing with all the leaves changing!

Week in Review

Last week was the start of my Accounting class and boy did I slack off! For some reason I am very unmotivated this session. I'm not sure if it was because we were going out of town for the weekend or what but I just didn't want to do my homework or study. Hopefully I will be better at it this week!

The highlights of last week were going to the SYTYCD Tour which I have already blogged about and our postponed anniversary trip to Asheville, NC (will post soon!!).

This week we found out that our heating and air unit has to be replaced...wah wah wahhh. :( So we are on the hunt for a good deal! Fortunately there are a lot of rebates for replacing old H&A units (ours is 15 years old!) to make them more energy efficient. Maybe this will help on some of our power bills too.

All in all it was a great week! Asheville was wonderful and I will probably get around to posting about our trip tomorrow.

Have a great week!

Asheville!

This is our "make up" anniversary weekend to Asheville, NC! I am super excited and will be posting all about our trip when we get home. :) Here is where we will be staying...



Hope you all have a great weekend!!

SYTYCD!

Last night my good friend Bethany and I went to the So You Think You Can Dance Season 5 Tour. We both love watching SYTYCD and wish we could dance like the contestants on the show! Before we went to the performance we hit up Chipotle, my FAVORITE fast food Mexican restaurant (they need one in Athens!!). The performances were great, some better than I remember while watching the shows. Phillip and Brandon's solos were unbelievable and the audience gave them both a standing ovation! We had a lot of fun and cant wait until the next season's tour!! It is right around the corner!

Here is one of my favorite group dances from the season. I Know You Want Me.


Another fav was the Chorus Line routine to One.


And here is Bethany and I after the show ready to get our dance on! :)

Week in Review

This week was not very busy, which I liked a lot! Tuesday we had a wonderful fajita dinner with our friends Michelle and Kelly and played a little wii fit with them. Who knew pretending to be a flying chicken would be so fun! Wednesday we had small group Bible study at our house and had a good discussion about 1 Corinthians 10.

I was off work a lot this past week. I have to admit, it was nice to sleep in a few days this week.

Friday night we went out to eat with our friends Greg and Val to Cali & Tito's. YUM! They have the best food! After dinner Eric and I headed to the dollar theater to watch Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince. This was only my 2nd time watching the movie and it was better than the first time I watched it in the Summer.

Saturday was filled with football. Before the GA game Eric and I headed to the YMCA. We finally got around to getting a membership and it felt good to work out a little. Unfortunately, I pushed myself a little too hard and ended up with a migraine for most of the day. We watched the game at Bethany & Jason's house and ate a TON of good food! Thankfully, Georgia won! Go Dawgs!!

Sunday we skipped out on church for a nice day outside. It seems like it is the first day (weekend day) in a while where we had sun. It was still a little cold outside but that didn't keep us from our plans. We decided to go to Fort Yargo State Park with Michelle & Kelly and take the boats out. After exhausting our arms we decided to take a walk on one of the trails at the park. All in all we had a great afternoon getting some exercise!





Too bad tomorrow is Monday and I start classes again...I really enjoyed this weekend! Hopefully accounting will not consume my life for the next 8 weeks.

Trying to be positive

I really want to vent and complain about my work and all the crappy things going on with both of my jobs BUT I am going to try and be positive and think about the things I am grateful for in my life.

I am grateful for Eric who loves me even though I complain a lot about my jobs. I am grateful for a church that is feeding me the word of God. I am grateful for friends and family that love me and support me. I am grateful for cooler weather and a chance to spend some time outdoors this weekend. I am grateful for time off from School. I am grateful for a roof over my head, food on the table, and a job to pay the bills.

Is it Winter already?!?!

It is in Minnesota!! Today (and on Saturday) MN got the first snow of the season. It is a little early but it is still beautiful! Unfortunately for us...it is raining here in Georgia. I am hoping the rain goes away so we can enjoy the Fall here before the rainy winter begins!

Week In Review

I have decided to start a new segment on my blog and let you in on all the boring and exciting things that happened in my week. If you thinks that's boring and you don't want to know everything that goes on in my life then you don't have to read it. So here goes my first Week In Review...

Monday was my last night of class (until the 19th) and I am SOO happy to have a break! I have not gotten my grades in yet, but I am confident that I did well this semester. Class on Monday even got out earlier than normal and I was able to watch my favorite Monday night TV shows on CBS with my hubby. If you have never watched How I Met Your Mother or Big Bang Theory, you really are missing out!

Tuesday I vegged out since I didn't have any homework to do!

Wednesday morning (at 5am) I woke to a crazy storm outside. It seemed like the lightning and thunder was going off every second! Unfortunately when I woke I realized I had a migraine. What a way to start out the day!! So I called in sick to my 1st job and tried to sleep off the migraine. No luck, but I still reported into my 2nd job of the day. Wednesday night, we had a going away party for our friend Alan who is moving to D.C. We will miss you Alan!!!

Thursday I finished the new Dan Brown book The Lost Symbol. I strongly recommend this book, it is very gripping! Now I need to find a new book to read. I think I am going to try Three Cups of Tea.

Today is FRIDAY!!! I always love Fridays, who doesn't!?!? After work today I plan on making a few errands (aka shopping...don't tell Eric! ;) then we are having dinner at Doc Chey's downtown Athens. Eric and I have NEVER paid full price at Doc Chey's thanks to their Karma Card...I strongly recommend getting one! When you haven't been in a while, they give you a BOGO Free meal!!

Saturday will be a full day! I will be volunteering at the St. Mary's Heart Walk Carnival at the Exchange on 316. So come on by to see me from 9-11. After that I will be doing a little Thrift Store shopping. My fellow blogger Abby has been finding some great things and she has inspired me to look for somethings that I can give a mini makeover to and use around the house. I will let you know what I find! After that it will be time to watch some UGA Football! GO DAWGS! I will also be thinking of my fellow Minnesotans as they endure their first snowfall! OUCH!

Hope you all have a great weekend!! And here is a random picture for good measure :)

View from Black Rock Mountain, Fall 2008.

Pumpkin Farm!

For the last 3 years we have gone to Burts Pumpkin farm with a bunch of our friends. The tradition started long ago when our friend Melissa was little and went all the time with her mom. For the past few years Melissa and her Hubby Anthony has invited their friends along for the yearly tradition. This year was extra special because Melissa and Anthony got to bring their first son, Riley, to Burts!

We had such a fun time with them and the weather was perfect! I look forward to this trip every year, it is so much fun! They have the BIGGEST pumpkins and a lot of variety of pumpkins like the weird looking wart pumpkins below. If you haven't figured it out by now, I LOVE taking pictures so every time we go I have to take 100 pictures of all the fun pumpkins. :) Here are some of my pictures from the day (and a thank you to Melissa for taking our pictures!!).

FALL

I think it is officially Fall here in Athens, GA. The weather has cooled off dramatically at night and the days are not getting too hot. It is wonderful!!

With October right around the corner I just wanted to give a shout out to all of my friends celebrating Anniversaries this month and next. Happy Anniversary to Michelle & Kelly, Kristen & Chad, and Adam & Amanda! Congrats!!

Spider?

We have a lot of spiders that hang out around the outside of our house (maybe we should use some bug spray) and yesterday I found a very strange looking thing in a spider web. After doing a little research I discovered that this weird looking thing is actually a Spiny Orb Weaver Spider. Check out this picture for a better view. I didn't want to get too close. Anyways...I didn't find anything on the spider that said it was poisonous so I am going to leave it alone even though it is a little creepy looking. Eventually it will find a new home.