Bridges and signs...

Hubby and I are going back this evening to look at a house we saw last week. We both loved it, actually to the point, that once I saw the kitchen, I said "let's make an offer". It truly has everything we need - all brick, great neighborhood, 1 acre in the city (so rare), 4 bedrooms, so Hubby can have an office, a huge, renovated kitchen, hardwood floors, a great playroom that would be the perfect Man room for now, and perfect for kids later, a big fenced in yard for Zeus & Zoe, a 2 car garage (a rarity in this neighborhood). And for the clincher - it has a little stream in the front yard with a bridge. How cute is that?! Yes, I think mosquitoes could be bad, but whatever...It's cute, right? And, I think it has a laundry chute, which I also adore.

We both really love it and want it to work. It's a tad pricey - not totally out of our range, but more than we originally wanted to spend. But, on the plus side, we could literally move in and unpack and not have to really change anything or fix anything.

OK, and now for the weird thing that made us think, is this a sign? The family who lives there currently has 3 children and their names are all on the bedroom doors. Two of the names are ones that we have talked about as potential children's names and the 3rd name is that of one of Hubby's best friend. A sign??

Weekend Dining Recap

It's fun, hanging out with one of your pregnant friends.. I think we pretty much just ate our way through the weekend.

A little recap...

Chocolate covered strawberries from here. We went back on our second day so I could buy more sea salt, dark chocolate covered caramels.
From here, a trio of hummus with perfectly toasted pita bread: our flavors black bean, red pepper and a cilantro-green chili.
I enjoyed a pear and gorgonzola salad, along with our hummus trio.
A lovely breakfast buffet from our hotel, which was really, just a bagel and a banana with mediocre coffee.
Yummy shrimp & grits with homemade biscuits from this gem. My dining companion enjoyed traditional southern BBQ and we split an order of banana pudding.
Movie popcorn... really, what is better?
And, I enjoyed a coolata from Dunkin Donuts on my Sunday morning drive home. I'm not sure that it's anything other than a coffee flavoured milkshake, but it worked!

What I've been doing this week...

1. Attending Boot Camp, and I missed today. I didn't sleep well last night & I'm leaving for the weekend a little later this morning, so I just called it a sleep in day. So, there. However, boot camp has involved running up a very steep hill, not only forwards, but backwards and side-to-side and a cycle-circuit class.
2. Getting ready to meet my very best of friends for a short, girl's weekend, later today.
3. Looking at another house that Hubby and I are both in love with, but is a tad, or $50k out of our loosely set price range. We've been approved for over the cost of the house, but just don't know if we want to go there.
4. Dreaming about being pregnant. Actually twice this week. (I'm not).
5. Receiving a nasty letter at work that had several inaccuracies about me, regarding an event that I held several weeks ago.
6. Writing my rebut against this letter and talking to my boss, who is totally on my side and thinks that this lady who wrote it is a big ol' crazy lady.
7. Finally sporting my new VV pink polo.
8. Watching Zoe jump into the air, do a 180 degree turn and land in my lap. Crazee-dog, but she's oh-so-cute.
9. Having my hair cut & realizing that it's a tad too short for my liking, but understanding that it will grow like a weed.
10. Receiving a letter from my mom that included a letter from me that I had written to her as a child. It wasn't dated, but I said: "Dear Mama, I'm locking myself in my room forever. Signed, (my initials). P.S. And I'll starve!" I have no idea what I was so mad about, but luckily, Mom didn't let me lock myself in my room.

Is someone trying to tell me something?

This morning, after a rather grueling Boot Camp, I was getting ready for work. I decided to wear my cute, seer sucker pants. I pulled them out of the closet to find that either the dry cleaner shrunk them or my ass has suddenly grown to the size of a state fair, award winning watermelon. After a brief meltdown and expletive-fest (sorry, Hubby), I found something else to wear and left for work.

I was going about my day when I decided to check my yahoo email account to find an email from Zafu in my inbox. Oooh, I love Zafu, so I opened it. Guess what it said? Susan, did you know that Zafu now carries PLUS size? What? Was this sent to me because of my measurements or did this go to everyone? Humph.

Then, for our office building, hosted a Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream social. Free ice cream. Ben & Jerry's. How do you pass that up? I didn't think about my too-tight pants as I enjoyed my Chocolate Fudge brownie ice cream, with a little Berried Treasure sorbet on the side.

A new assignment

Exciting news... I was chatting with our editor last week & she was working on story assignments for our winter edition. Somehow, I let it slip that I have always had this secret fantasy of writing for a magazine - of course, in my fantasy, I have my own monthly magazine column, wear preppy, but hip glasses and everyone wants to know what I have to say. Well, she gave me an assignment, which honestly, scares the hell out of me. I've been writing (hence the blog) and doing a little other work related writing (press releases, marketing reports, ad copy), but I haven't written a real life article in a long time. The last ones that I wrote were probably in college, and that was just to receive a grade, not for actual money.

So, wish me luck.. my deadline isn't until July and it's on a neat little boutique, of which I am a fan, so hopefully, it will be relatively painless.

Day of Susan

I didn't know this until later, but Hubby had determined that yesterday was the "Day of Susan". I ran a few errands in the morning and arrived at the spa to find out that I was having the "mack daddy" facial, followed by an hour massage. The facial lasted 1 1/2 hours and was amazing. It included neck, shoulder, hand, and leg massages, plus all of the facial massage, exfoliation, masks, etc. They used this collagen booster apparatus, so I left feeling great to cross the hall for my massage. I didn't realize how much stress I must have been carrying in my back and shoulders. Lots of knots, but the masseuse did a great job to work those out. I left feeling refreshed, albeit slightly greasy. After my second shower of the day, we had a good evening and met up with friends for a few cocktails, then called it an early evening. Ahhh.

Charleston Recommendations

Nanders, a few watering holes that I enjoyed include Red's Ice House (actually in Mt. Pleasant, on Shem Creek), The Rooftop Bar at the Venue Inn - a perfect place to see Charleston from a great rooftop bar, and Tommy Condon's, an Irish Pub with a great outdoor patio.

Also, swing by the Market... it's fun and has the great handcrafted baskets. Some of the stuff is crap - fake gucci sunglasses, but it's fun to see. You can't go wrong on dining in the downtown area and also for pubs as well.

Have fun - Charleston is a great city!

Organization is my friend

Can I tell you how nice it was to come home from Boot Camp this morning, open the door, and smell the coffee brewing? Hubby went to swim this morning, but was thoughtful to feed the dogs and start the coffee. I poured a cup and sat down at the computer to finally organize my emails. I filed or deleted a zillion and only have 21 email in my inbox. It's quiet in the house and all I can hear are a few birds chirping and Zeus, snoring every so slightly. Now, all I have to do is shower, take my car to have the oil changed, and then I'm off to my mystery spa appointment. I'm also planning to reorganize and declutter my bathroom closet that currently looks like an explosion took place in Sephora, Target and Walgreen's, and the remnants landed in the closet!

Embracing the whale

Ever since my visit to Redix in Wilmington, I've been eyeballing the Vineyard Vines D-ring belts. When I was at the store, they didn't have my size in the right pattern, so I payed a visit to the website and scored on their sale area. I picked up a pink and blue sea turtles belt and a pair of pink chinos. What else can a girl want?

And, hubby gave me a very sweet surprise today...I've been working 6 days a week for the last 5 weeks, so needless to say, I'm a bit worn out so I decided to take Friday off. I arrived back at work after lunch today and found a beautiful arrangement of white and green hydrangeas, with pale white roses, from my Hubby, designed by my favorite florist in town. Just beautiful. And, on the card, an invitation to be at my favorite spa tomorrow at 11am. He won't tell me what I'm having done - just to show up at 11am. Sweet, very sweet.

Back to Boot Camp

Yes, I did it. I signed myself up for 8 weeks of torture, I mean training. I'm doing another Boot Camp at a local gym, 3 days a week from 5:15-6:30 AM. Yes, AM. Yesterday was our first day & I realized that taking 5 weeks off from the gym has done nothing but make me feel fat, lazy and completely out of shape.

We started off with push ups and sit ups. You do all you can for 1 minute and then we'll be tested again on this at the end of the session. I did OK on those.

Next, we did a series of cardio with a step bench and weights, including mountain climbers, squats, push ups, jumping on and off the bench etc. Then we went outside to do ten thousand walking lunges.. OK, probably not that many, but it felt like it. Next we ran, then we did sprints/running backwards. More mountain climbers and then back inside for bear crawls, running backwards, backward bear crawls, side crawls. Ack.

I'm a bit sore today and that is putting it mildly. Still a little mad at myself for letting myself get out of shape. I just felt so slow against everyone else and that I was struggling throughout. I know that it'll get easier & that I should concentrate on me and not everyone else, but that's a little easier said than done.

Ok, enough of my pity party and I'm gonna go look for a pillow for my chair now!

Chocolate Heaven

Over the weekend, I worked in Asheville, NC. Asheville is a beautiful city with all kinds of hidden treasures - interesting boutiques, art stores, spas galore, dog friendly, and you can visit the fabulous Biltmore Estate while in town. And, this weekend, the 3rd annual Chocolate Festival was being held! For what more can a girl, with PMS and whose worked all weekend can ask?

Our work day ended at 4pm, so one of my co-workers and I decided to head downtown to this little bite of fabulousness. Oh my, chocolate martinis, organic chocolate, chocolate covered strawberries, truffles, sea salt caramel covered chocolates, ice cream, cookies, brownies. If you could think of a chocolate... it was there. I will say, my favorite chocolate store and has been for years is The Chocolate Fetish . On Friday's & Saturday's, they have huge, fresh local strawberries that have been dipped in 2 kinds of chocolate. They also had these fabulous sea salt chocolate covered caramels. Don't turn away - they were the perfect mixture of sweet and salty. And, don't leave without a box of at least 8 truffles... the Velvet Sin and The Blossom are probably my favorites... wonderful, rich, worth every calorie! And, yes, they do ship & provide bulk orders for special occasions!

What makes your toes happy?

Silly topic, but what is your favorite flavour of toenail polish? For my manicures, I rarely switch from OPI's Catch the Garter. For me, it's the perfect combination of sheer pink. But, I'm perplexed on my toes. Any advice? I like pinks in the summer and typically use OPI or Essie. Everything I've tried lately turns out either too day glo pink or too peachy-coral.

House Hunting...

Hubby and I found a FSBO (for sale by owner) in the neighborhood that we love. We went last night to check it out. We walk in and realize that it has a pool. A beautiful backyard - the house is on 2 lots and actually has a 2 car garage. This is an older neighborhood and premiums like big yards and garages are a rarity. Actually has a walk in closet in the master. Kitchen has been redone - very tastefully, with granite and pretty cabinets. A lovely screened in porch.

So you ask, what's the problem? Well, even though currently we are a family of 2, we really anticipate children and Hubby is in outside sales, so an office for him would be nice. The house has 3 bedrooms, one very small and no other true dedicated office space. We've always said that we need 4 bedrooms, period. We really like the home - it's comfortable, has large rooms (with the exception of the one bedroom), hardwood floors,etc. Just not sure if it's the house for us, but we almost hate to walk away because we like it so much. Sigh. So, any deal breakers for you when house hunting?

Preppy Heaven

Yes, I made Hubby stop and my favorite store in Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach - Redix. From the front, it looks pretty awful - signs about bait & 20% off beach chairs, the storefront is unassuming. But, inside, past all of the Wrightsville Beach chatzkies, you will enter Preppy Heaven. (insert madras wearing angels singing). From the get go, you will find Rainbow and Eliza B. flipflops, Leather Man belts and dog collars, Vineyard Vines everything, Lacoste polos galore, Cape Madras, Tommy Bahama and the list goes on and on. Zeus is the recipient of a new American Flag Leather Man collar and I came away with a pink VV polo shirt. I found cute VV belts, but not in my size. I'll have to get online later tonight!

The weekend was fun - lots of work on Saturday, but we made up for that the rest of the weekend by eating lots of good food & drink - J. Michael's cheese steak sandwiches, steamed peel n' eat shrimp, cold beers and G&T's!

It was a fun trip, but as always, good to be home.

On the road again...

Off to the coast for 2 days of work and 2 days of fun. Not a bad place to spend a long weekend, even if a little of it does involve work. However, I know that shrimp & cheese bread and G&T's are in my near future. Cheers!

Boot Camp

Since my lazy ass has been such a slacker since the half marathon, I think I need to try something new, or at least something I know that works. Work has been so busy, I've found myself tired in the evenings that I would just rather sit on the sofa, eating multi-grain tostitos and convincing myself that they really are healthy, than go run or do something good for myself! Also, Hubby is training for a sprint triathlon, so I even feel like a bigger slacker as I politely sit on my arse! I'm really proud of him - he's been training, taking swim lessons to tweak his swimming abilities and has new swim/bike/run shorts that are kind of funny, but kind of cute!

Anyway, a new boot camp is starting on June 4 for 8 weeks. It's 3 days a week from 5:15-6:30AM and I think as much as I will hate the wake up call, it's really what I need to do to get back in the proverbial saddle. Hubby & I have also always done the boot camp classes together so this will be my first one solo... somewhat intimidating to me for some reason. OK, enough whining, but I could mention the fact that literally, I think I've only worked out once since April 28. Sad, very, very sad!!

Barkin' & Baseball

Tonight, we attended "Bark in the Park", an event sponsored by our favorite hometown minor league team and Novartis Animal Health. Attendees can bring their dogs to enjoy a little baseball, all while supporting animal rescue & adoption. Zeus and Zoe had a great time and caught up with their doggie friends Gracie and Keegan, along with countless others who were available for wags and sniffs.

Keegan is the newest member to our circle of doggie friends, the newly adopted Golden Retriever pup of friends Danielle & John.

Zeus and Hubby enjoyed watching a little of the action.

A fun evening was had by all & for a great cause.

Swirl, Tap, Buff update

While I was in Charlotte last weekend, I paid a visit to the Bare Minerals store and came out the proud owner of a Light/Barely Light starter kit. I could barely wait to get home and try it out.

I unpacked my new goodies to admire & also the DVD, so I would hopefully know what the hell I was doing. I noticed that I didn't seem to have the 2 shades of foundation, but I had 2 warmth shades instead. Since I didn't want to look like I was sunburned, I called the store & I had to send back the whole kit, so they can exchange it for a correct one. Hopefully, I'll be back to swirlin', tappin' and buffin' in no time.

The tail will tell

I heard about this study yesterday and found the article on the NY Times. Apparently, the way a dog wags their tail suggests how they feel. Tail wagging to the right means "I'm happy, I'm comfortable" whereas tail wagging primarily to the left means "I'm not sure, I want to retreat". My question is, our dogs really do seem to wag their tails in a circle. What's up with that? Click here to read the article.

What I did today

It's been a bit of a whirlwind, so here goes....

1. Received a call at 7:30 AM, which scares the crap out of me. It was my dentist, wanting to see if I wanted a 4 PM cancellation. Yep, I'll take it.


2. Worked with my assistant to meet with our staff of employees who will be working this Saturday at our 3rd out of 5 events.


3. Went with our editor and assistant (ok, I really hate using this word, but she's on contract & I guess that is her title) to a fabulous store that specializes in eyeglasses and art to help our editor find new glasses & story ideas. How fabulous is that?


4. Drooled over Oliver Peoples sunglasses that were in the store, that I will have to go back and purchase. I think the name was Blithe and they were oh, so very Audrey Hepburn.


5. Had lunch at a great thai place with my co-workers.


6. Finally made it back to the office to several e-mails, numerous voicemails and various "fires". Put out fires, returned phone calls and answered emails.


7. Left for dental appointment.


8. Picked, polished & flossed, went back to work and confirmed a slew of rentals for this weekend.


9. Went to have my hair highlighted at my favorite salon. It's the perfect mix of upscale, but not snobby or stuffy.


10. Found out that my sweet hubby had paid for my hair extravaganza in advance. Awwww. Very sweet.


11. Came home to find a Gumby in our mail. Apparently, hubby has to take his photos for the next week as part of a "stretch" contest he is in at work. All I know is, Gumby is mine after this photo shoot.

Celebrate your mom!

Happy Mother's Day to all of the mother's out there! I hope you have a wonderful day with those that give you joy and love!

It's a beautiful place...

Sephora, that is. We don't have one in our city, so I typically shop online. I happened to be in Durham today, where one just opened. Oh, it is just the most glorious place for makeup, shampoo, skin serums and potions. I didn't buy a lot today, but I did manage to pick up:

Stila lip glaze in berry

Philosophy Amazing Grace concentrated perfume oil

Sephora professional flat eyeliner brush

One thing I looked at, but wasn't ready to purchase is the Bare Escentuals foundation kit. It comes with the brushes and the powders. Has anyone used it? When I've seen it advertised, I always think that it looks amazing. I'm not a huge make up wearer, so I'm still a bit of a skeptic. Would love to hear more about it if there are any users out there!

What I've been doing

Other than blogging...

1. Attending the final Junior League meeting of the year and welling up in tears like a big baby.
2. Opting to go out for yet, another glass of wine on a "school" night.
3. Finally participating in some sort of exercise since the half marathon.
4. Contemplating running the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco with Team in Training. There's a Tiffany & Co necklace and chocolate for every finisher at the end. Who's with me?
5. Asking hubby to trim the overgrown bushes that I have to walk past every day. When they're wet in the morning, I always end up brushing against them & getting wet or dirty.
6. Deciding not to open my new bottle of pre-natals. Let's face it - no baby making trying can happen until the Fall, at the earliest, due to my insurance. I'm still taking a multi vitamin, so no worries there.
7. Doing a little windshield time traveling to our upcoming event locations to map out our event.
8. Trying to figure out what to get my Mom-in-Law for Mother's Day. Hubby and his siblings have no idea this year.
9. Putting on my PJ's as soon as I walk in the door.
10. Realizing that I am waaay overdue for a haircut!

Been to Target lately?

Check out Tar-zhay's $1 area when you enter the store. They have the cutest little flower pots, complete with seeds to grow sunflowers, daisies or radishes. OK, not sure if I can get in with the last one, but I loved the flowers. I actually bought about 50 of them to give as little "thank-yous" to employees who are helping out with our launch events. I also think that these could be really cute to use as wedding favors.

I do have to report that the 1st launch event went very well, if I do toot my own horn! Everyone loved the band, the collateral pieces looked great, we distributed over 1,000 magazines and generally, all of our guests really seemed to have a good time. One down, four to go!

In honor of my husband...

And his love of bourbon, the Mint Julep and in honor of The Kentucky Derby

Ingredients

1 scant ounce minted simple syrup *

2 cups crushed ice

2 ounces bourbon

Fresh mint sprig, for garnish

* Ingredients for minted simple syrup

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

1 bunch mint

Preparation of Minted Simple Syrup

In heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stir together water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Increase heat slightly, then simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take pan off heat, add mint leaves, and steep 15 minutes. Strain, then refrigerate syrup until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

Preparation of the Mint Julep

To highball glass or silver Julep cup, add minted simple syrup, then 1 cup crushed ice, bourbon, and splash of water. Add enough of remaining ice to almost fill glass. Stir well and garnish with mint sprig.

Epicurious, May 2006 Cocktail of the Month

For your next sporting event

I have to share these great dress designers that will be featured in the fall issue of our magazine. Buzz & Berley is a duo out of North Carolina who have designed dresses in collegiate colors, some with subtle college logos. These are the perfect preppy dresses to wear to football games, tailgating parties, etc when you want to support your team, and still want to look cute, without necessarily wearing head-t0-toe Carolina blue, along with your face painted and pom-pons in hand.

From what I understand, these will be hitting the local boutique scene soon and will be designing more than just schools in the Carolinas!

The party's over...

Tonight was the last wedding directing & planning class for me. All in all, I did learn quite a bit - more on the side of the business of wedding planning, the actual directing of the ceremony and reception and also how to properly cut a cake. Not so much in the ways of creative ideas and crafts, but still a few tidbits here and there.

So now, no class to take, no current race to train for... so what's on the horizon? More time with hubby? More time with the pups? Finally learn to knit? Master the art of french cooking? Gasp, think about babies?

I know this summer will be busy with work - I actually start my first of five events this Saturday, we need to finish some updates/painting to our house in order to put it on the market, I start my second year on Exec with the Junior League , I would like to start a regular workout regimen again, and spend more quality time with Hubby... that would probably be necessary if babies are ever in order! Oh, and of course work on training the dogs more - I would like to enroll in an advanced training class, because we all know they need it! Maybe I should be naming this my mid-year resolutions??!

Can you say ouch?

We are back to the Carolinas after a whirlwind weekend in Nashville! The Country Music Half Marathon was great. A very well-run race and our weather turned out good, with the exception of being a tad warm. It was very cool on Friday and cloudy when we started that morning, but by 8am, it started warming up, just a little more than we runners would prefer.

I grew up nearby in Clarksville, TN, but I do not remember all of the hills in this area of Nashville! Definitely enough to keep you honest! The race route is great - you run by the beautiful campus of Vanderbilt and Belmont Universities and also through some historic downtown neighborhoods. Great southern hospitality with the residents offering orange slices or a spray from their garden hose.

I felt pretty good throughout the race - the last few miles were tough. I just couldn't seem to keep my toes and calves from tightening up. I'm sore today - steps are a bitch! I finished in 2:37, which ironically, was the winning time for the female MARATHON winner. That means I'm slow! Hubby finished in 2:17 - not his best time, so he's already said that we're going back next year so he can beat his time! He had been sick all week, so really wasn't feeling his best on race day, plus both of us feel like we had skipped one too many training runs to do our best. Alas, we finished so we're happy! My parents came up to watch us finish, so that was pretty great. It helped me to see my mom's sign to know that I could finish the last half mile!

That evening, we met up with some of my childhood friends for a fabulous dinner at The Palm. Great service and wonderful food. Splurged on my post race dinner of a tomato-mozzarella salad, oscar style filet mignon, creamed spinach, potatoes au gratin and a few bites of key lime pie for dessert. Not to mention my favorite pre dinner cocktail of a G&T and of course, a lovely glass of cab with dinner!

SBC Vandy - so sorry I didn't get in touch... it was crazy the week we left, so I have neglected my blogging and reading! Yes, Nashville was fabulous! Thanks for asking!

We finished out our weekend by visiting my family in my hometown - a quick trip, but so glad that we had the time to go. Now, trying to decide what's next!?! Any suggestions from fellow runners? Probably looking for another half marathon.

And they're off...

To Nashville for the half marathon! Will report an update when I return. Forecast is currently 40% or 60% chance of showers on race day, but according to my mom, who lives outside of Nashville, it's supposed to be pretty! We shall see!

Hosta R.I.P.

Hubby spent nearly all day on Saturday adding mulch to our flower beds, packing up items to take to storage, cleaning off the porch that somehow accumulated 2 borrowed gardening tools, boxes of crap to be donated, pamphlets of how to operate his RedMax leaf blower, two pairs of tennis shoes, flower pots, etc. I did my part by cleaning the house, cleaning out our laundry room and planting new hosta plants in the backyard. We're trying to get our house ready to put on the market this summer, so we're getting in clean up/pack up/spruce up mode. I went out later and I noticed that there was a large hole where one of the hosta plants had been with a few leaves left on the ground.

The culprit(s)? You guessed it, Zeus and Zoe. Zeus even had dirt on his mouth, so I'm sure I have found the responsible party. I sprayed the plants with Bitter Apple, a product we used when they were puppies, because they also then enjoyed the sport of eating plants. So far, it's working, but I still have my fingers crossed! Does anyone know of any other remedies? I've heard cayenne pepper works as well. Just trying to keep the plants in the ground!

Hosta update... 2 more of the plants are gone as of this afternoon.

In the details

When we were in Key West, I really noticed some of the charm of the older houses - the cute little pink houses with gingerbread trim, the fantastic windows of the Ernest Hemingway home and the humongous banyan trees.

Of course, there is also more than a fair share of "historic" bar signs and the corresponding watering holes...

Which of course, led to a fair share of Irish car bombs...

But we also managed to have a few great meals... One at 915 where Steven had this great whole fish, prepared with Thai seasoning.

We also dined at an Italian restaurant... I have no idea of the name, but it was great. Pictured is another group from our same city that we didn't travel with, but did manage to run into on our first night and of course, shared a few libations to celebrate being in Key West! Alan, aka Birthday boy is in yellow, hubby is in white across from him.

It wasn't all drinking and eating... well, pretty close, but Hubby & I did manage to soak up a little culture (and shade) when visiting the Hemingway house...

Now it's back to reality as we prepare for the Half marathon... we'll be finished this time next week! Ack!

It's the little things

My new business cards arrived yesterday and they have two of my favorite things & I didn't even pick out the design! Lime green accents and an image of a coffee cup in the background (muted, black & white - very cool). Our editor's cards have a wine glass in hers... Hmph... I'm not jealous or anything!

Moment of Silence

I was all set to post photos of our trip to Key West, but it just seems irrelevant now with all of the recent news. As I was logging onto MSN.com, I saw the most recent news about the VA Tech shooter and I really can't get my head around any of it. What gives someone this much hatred towards others that I assume he didn't even know? What gives anyone this much hatred, period? What gives you the right to showcase your so-called "story" to NBC ?

I have several friends and past co-workers who are VA Tech alums, so I have experienced the "heart" of the school. These people are die-hard and my hope is that the students, families, faculty and staff can recover in the best way possible.

Breaking news...

JCrew and Gap have exploded all over our bed. This is the scene while getting ready to start packing tonight. Hubby and I need to join OverPackers Anonymous. Hello, OverPackers!

It is cold and rainy here and I cannot wait to feel a little sun on my face and sand between my toes tomorrow afternoon in Key West. Our friends who we are traveling with actually left this morning and unfortunately are still sitting in the Atlanta airport. We may beat them there!

Granny Bathing Suits

OK, I am about ready for a swim-cap, complete with flowers to match the two bathing suits that I have ordered in the last 24 hours. Can you say grandma?? One is from Lands End, a tankini with swim bottom. I don't even know if it counts as a bikini bottom - I think it was only described as a swim bottom! What is that? It is pink & green and cute, but still. Then, I just ordered a chocolate brown takini & SKIRT from Athleta. UGH. I'm feeling chubby and just need to deal with it. Oh yeah, I'm going to Key West in 5 days and our house has a pool and yes, I will be expected to swim and sun in all of my whiteness and fatness. Oh, did I mention that I ran 10 miles today? Yes, 10. In the cold (37 degrees) and I'm still chubby and not wanting to wear a bikini in 5 days.

Whew...

What an exciting week.. new job & already a Friday off. It has been hectic all week, but I have really loved every minute of it. I am working for a new magazine (our 2nd issue hits newsstands next week) and we are hosting our launch events throughout the month of May, which had not been planned. Enter, Moi! I feel like I'm planning 5 weddings across the state! My lists just keep growing and the one "bad" thing is that I technically have no budget. Basically I was told to find out prices and I will be told no if it's too high. Somewhat frustrating for a planner like me, but it will all work out, and maybe that's a good thing!

On another note, hubby and I, along with 2 other couples are heading to Key West, FL next Thursday, for a little mini vacation. I haven't been in over 10 years, so I would love restaurant and activity recommendations from any of you who have been.

Have a Happy Easter and don't freeze! My cute Ann Taylor skirt will have to be put away until it's warmer.

Preppiness abounds in Charleston

It has been such a busy week - starting the new job and lots to do! I am really loving it, so I am even more assured that I made the right decision.

I wanted to post about the huge preppy party that we ran into on Saturday in Charleston. As many of you know, Charleston is oh so very preppy, pretty and fun.

So, while we were out downtown after the race, this huge group of JCrew wearing, Lilly toting, seersucker sportin' and Vineyard Vines tied people walked in. All with funny name tags and shot glasses around their neck! Sorority mixer we thought? Bachelor/bachelorette party? Nope. They were out en masse for the Carolina Cup and since they weren't able to go, they host an annual pub crawl and raise funds for the ASPCA, while wearing their Carolina Cup worthy gear, including a few fabulous hats.

Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera - our group had left it back at our beach house, so no cute pictures to show you. It was definitely fun to watch & of course, we had to all make friends and find out what they were all about. Not sure how much money was raised, but they seemed as if they were having an excellent time!

My 100th post

I just noticed that this is my 100th post for my blog. I'm sure I should do some kind of Top 100 list or something, but how about a Top 10 to recap our fun weekend in Charleston?

1. One beer @ Red's- it's all I had on Friday night due to the race on Saturday.
2. Two of us (Hubby and myself) were the only runners out of our group of 11 who went on the trip.
3. Three o'clock was about the time I finally fell asleep on Friday night, due to our noisy group who decided to stay up late and party like it was 1999.
4. How about 40,000 runners for the Cooper River Bridge Run.
5. 5 hours is approximately how long it took us to drive to Charleston.
6. 6 is the number of Irish Car Bombs that were drank on Saturday, post-race. I should note, not by me - by Hubby and friends, yes, each drank 6 a piece.
7. 7 o'clock is about the time that dear Hubby decided that he needed to go to bed on Saturday night due to #6.
8. There were 8 running bananas (guys in banana costumes) in the race on Saturday.
9. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned approximately 900 calories during my run ... all the better for my yummy crab cake sandwich at lunch.
10. 10 miles - our next Saturday run in preparation for the Country Music Half Marathon!

What I learned in class...

I wanted to recap a little of my 1st wedding class for all of the Brides-to-Be. First, when I walked in, the other students thought I was the teacher, which I found somewhat humorous. I don't have a lot to report for our first session - I felt like I knew most of what the teacher was discussing. We basically went over putting together time lines , traditional attire, who pays for what, etc. Also a little trivia for you... Did you know why the bride traditionally stand to her husband's left at the altar? This dates back to historic times and it was so the husband would have his right hand free for his sword, if there was a possible attack. The teacher also stated that most wives sleep to the left of their husband in bed, which is true for this wife. Hopefully, no attacks or deuls in the middle of the night! So, hopefully, I'll have a few more tidbits that may be of more assistance next week!

Also, today is my last day at the current job, and Hubby and I are off to Charleston, SC in the morning. We did a 4 mile run last night and then the 10k Bridge Run on Saturday. The dogs are going to their favorite doggie day care/boarding facility - actually a 3 acre farm, complete with a pond and employees who are constantly playing fetch. It's a great place to board the dogs - they run and swim all day, then when we pick them up, they sleep for 2 days straight. Plus, they will be getting a much needed bath & toenail trimming before we pick them up!

I will post about the race and the weekend in Charleston when I return! Have a great weekend!

R.I.P.

My beloved Old Navy cotton, striped, capri pajama pants bit the dust last night. I was being silly (who me?) and picked up Zeus, pulling him onto my lap and heard rrrrrrrippp. These things are practically threadbare and the waist was already looking pretty shabby, but this hole is in a bit more personal place. I bought these years ago and they have worn into the perfect softness.


I heading Old Navy on my lunch hour to see if I can pick up a quick fix to replace this pair. I thought these looked pretty cute.


I really want to invest in uber-comfy read uber-expensive pajamas, but it's not in my budget at the moment. For when I do take the plunge, any favorites that are worth the money?

** Shopping Update** I found two wonderful new pairs of PJ pants at Old Navy. One is pale pink, blue, green, white, yellow striped and the other are pink & green plaid (yes, kind of obnoxious, but kind of cute). They both have comfy drawstring waists, which I love, plus are the soft, oxford cloth cotton kind. The ones pictured above must be online only or just not available at my lunchtime shopping Old Navy.

1st day of class...

Tonight is my first night of my Wedding Planning & Directing class. People have looked at me like I have 3 heads when I tell them that I actually enjoyed planning our wedding and wanted to take a class on this. I may never use it, but I figured that I could:

• gain a little part-time work
• offer my services to our church, since we don't have a wedding planner
• enjoy talking and learning about weddings for 6 weeks and hopefully share some new ideas with my friends!

I actually found our wedding planner through a referral from this class.. she was the top student, so who knows where this may lead!? Wish me luck... I've sharpened my pink pencils and have my matching notebook ready to go!

Oh, and I promise I won't ever work with a bride if she wants a Barbie wedding cake!

Hot and Tired

Hubby and I just finished our 8-mile training run. Whew. It was tough today... the distance, plus it's warm here in NC - the high is in the 80's. (sorry - not trying to rub it in to my Northern friends). We should have started earlier, but I was a bit of a slacker this morning. We will head to Charleston, SC next weekend for the Cooper River Bridge Run. It's one of the largest 10k's in the country and so much fun. We are going with several friends - we're the runners, they drink & cheer us on!

It's hard to believe that the 1/2 marathon is only about 5 weeks away and it really hit me today that I'll be adding another 5 miles onto the run that I did today. I think it's time to quit slacking on my weekday running!

4 more days at the old job... I actually have a brainstorming session at my new job on Tuesday. Since this is a new venture, I'm starting just in time for some of the marketing activities and events for the launch, so some details have been put in place and a lot are yet to be decided. I'm glad that I'll have the chance to give my input and recommendations. There is a lot of work ahead for the next 2 months, but I'm looking forward to it.

Resume tips 101

The following resume was recently received by our creative director for a designer position that he is trying to fill.

I have changed any identifying information, but the rest is real. We we torn between actually calling the guy and giving him advice on how to write a resume or just rolling on the floor in fits of laughter. We chose the latter.

Bobby
bobby@xyz.com
Home 555- 555- 5555

1234 Green Lee Ct
Greenville, NC 27777


Adobe, Microsoft Office software


Art ins,Online,WOL

I went to school at the Art Institute Online, and Lakewood Online

Concept Development A-
Computer Literacy A+
Digital Image Manipulation D
Fundamentals Of Design D
Introduction of Graphic Design
Career Development
College English 1

Graphic Designs

How long will it take me...

to burn off the calories I have consumed this afternoon, consisting of a lean cuisine, one Hershey Truffle nugget and oh, say 3/4 of a bag of Starburst jelly beans?

I must, repeat, must stay away from Target on my lunch hour. I went in to buy some moisturizer and I leave with my new moisturizer, 3 greeting cards, 2 lean cuisines, 1 bottle of water, a bag of Dove dark chocolate eggs for the office candy dish, a bag of Starburst jelly beans and a chocolate Easter bunny for my creative director! Oh, and a bottle of Crew hair gel for my hubby. Oh, it smells so good.

Good thing I didn't look at the kitchen gadgets or lawn furniture. There's no telling what would be in the back of my car!

I'm so behind

I have found out in the past weeks that two of my good friends are expecting. For one, this will be her second child and for the other, her first. I am so excited for both of them & it will be great to live vicariously through them as they are experiencing their pregnancies.

Hubby and I aren't trying yet, even though I did buy and am now taking prenatal vitamins. Now with me starting a new job, the timing just doesn't seem right to go off the ever-trusty pill. I can't seem to get this nagging thought of "hurry up" out of my head and lately, now more than ever, I catch myself thinking of a baby, or picking up toddler dresses and imagining what it would be like. Of course, I am the one deciding not to try yet, so I guess I have no one to blame but myself!

Everyone says there is never a good time... is this true? Is it like love, will you just know you're ready?

Boot(y) Camp

Boot Camp ended last Friday.... whoo-hoo! It felt like a dream sleeping until 6:30 today. As far as my stats were concerned, I lost 1.6 pounds and 2 inches and completed 8 more push ups and 12 more sit-ups than on the day we started. As a group, we lost 52 inches and 42.2 pounds.

Even though I didn't have a huge loss, I feel a little more toned & inspired to keep up with my workouts. We are about 6 weeks out from the Half Marathon, so I have to really start focusing on running.

On a shopping note, I went by Stein Mart on my lunch hour today and found slim fit Ralph Lauren polos for $30-something each. So, of course, I scooped up a couple, in white and light blue, along with a couple of thin v-neck cable knit sweaters. Perfect for spring weather in NC, we had 40's over the weekend and it should be in the 80's this weekend.

A new chapter

Or new article, if you will. I turned in my two week notice to my current employer on Friday. That part went well, aside from one snide comment from my boss, which I fully expected.

I have accepted a new position as Marketing manager of a new bi monthly magazine, focused on style, fashion, dining, homes, shopping, etc - all in North Carolina. The parent company has been around for decades with a current North Carolina publication and the new magazine is a bit younger in look, feel and content. It's a little scary about starting a new job and with a brand new magazine, but it's also what invigorates me and wakes me up in the middle of the night! And, what better than working for a magazine that is focused on what I love reading about anyway.

So, Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.. Erin Go Braugh! We're off to run the 5 mile Beer Run (it's actually a run, not just an excuse to drink beer - even though beer tokens are included in your running package). Then later tonight, onto some more Irish festivities this evening at a local Irish pub.

Well dressed pooches

I'm a little obsessed with Zeus & Zoe's collars. Zoe especially. Zeus typically sticks to the basic red. But for Zoe, this is a small collection of collars she has worn in the past and I can't seem to get rid of any of them, even when they don't fit her. God help me, when I have children!!

She had the red, multi colored with little bones. A patriotic collar from Old Navy, now faded from too many swims in the lake. The red & green with blinking lights that she wears at Christmas. The navy & green Eliza B. collar is so cute, but doesn't show up well on her. A pink and yellow gingham that we bought in Annapolis. She is currently sporting a pink & green argyle collar and I am on the search for her new summer collar.

I'm trying to narrow it down to the personalized ones from Four Preppy Paws

or Orvis and the make your own from Eliza B.

Lover, not a fighter

If you ever need to feel loved, meet Zeus. He is our male lab, who is probably one of the top 3 sweetest dogs that I have ever owned.

Zeus isn't the best retriever in the world, he likes to swim, but prefers to hang out in the shallow end, likes sun-bathing and sleeping on top of air vents for the heat or air-conditioner over running around and chasing squirrels.

If you ever want a big lab head to rest in your lap, Zeus is your man. He loves to be loved. He loves to be petted. He loves a good belly rub. He's the dog that will quietly sneak onto the bed, just to stretch out and lay his pretty head on the pillow like a human. He always comes to "see" me in the mornings with a wagging tail and a "smiling" face.

Swimming is my life

Zoe is the swimmer in the family. When we go to the lake in the summer, she flies out of the car, down the hill and immediately into the water. Forget all the unpacking, bringing in luggage or the fact that everyone with her is still clothed. She is all about the water.

While at the lake, we participate in water sports - skiing, wake-boarding and a little tubing. There is lots of cruising around in the ski boat and pontoon, just for fun. There is even more floating in the lake, consuming copious amounts of adult beverages and talking about whatever strikes our fancy. While we float, Zoe swims. She may be fetching something, or not, it really doesn't matter.

She is O-b-s-e-s-s-e-d. But it makes for sound sleeping at night!

Alarm Clock

As long as we have our labs, I will never need an alarm clock. By 6 or 6:30, nearly every day, they are crying to be let out of their kennels. Their main motivation? FOOD. But somehow, they seem to know that when we are up at 4:30 for boot camp, it is not yet time to rise & shine.

I find it funny - we awake, shower, get ready to start our busy day and find ourselves driving to work, running to meetings, making presentations, working out,etc. But the lab - they awake, enjoy a little food, run around outside, do a little business and immediately are ready to come back inside for a belly rub and their first of many daily naps. Ahhh, the life!

Speaking of...

FOOD. I went by Subway at lunch & they now have apples and raisins as side items, in place of the chips or cookies. I opted for apples and they were good. I was trying to counteract the entire large bag of cheddar cheese quaker rice cakes that I have eaten since Friday. They only have 70 calories per serving, but it really defeats the purpose when you eat the whole damn bag. I just crumpled up the empty bag and placed it in my Subway bag, in hopes that no one will notice it in the trash.

I also made a yummy shrimp scampi with whole wheat linguine yesterday. It was one of Ina Garten's recipes and was a great meal to serve on a warm day. Hubby and I ran 6 miles, so we felt that we deserved a little pasta!

Chewy goodness

I decided that since part of my blog title is "Labradors" and since I live with two of these delightful dogs that I call my babies, that I would dedicate this week of blogging to my labbies.
Just to give an overview, my hubby and I have two black labs, Zeus and Zoe, who are almost 3 years old. They are litter mates with one male and one female. We bought them when we were dating under the condition that "this dating thing better be serious".

Let's discuss labs and chewing. We had heard all the horror stories - you'll come home to find your sofa destroyed, your favorite shoes in shreds,etc.

I would say the Top 3 worst things that our labs have chewed are...

1) The hot water heater nozzle. We arrived home one night to a small flood coming out of our laundry room that also contains our hot water heater. We found the nozzle to the hot water heater that they had managed to chew off. Why? Just tell me why plastic is so entertaining? I'm sure the flood of water was an added bonus.

2) The railings of our patio. We have wooden railings on our patio with excessive teeth-marks. You can tell how they were growing, by how high the teeth-marks were on the rail. They also love sticks... what is it with the wood?

3) They also chewed, ahem, killed a possum. Of course, they were proud of this feat and left the poor possum at our back door. They love to chase squirrels, but I don't think the squirrels will ever be slow enough to get caught, but I guess the possum was slow-moving.

I think age remedies some of this chewing habit and we keep them supplied with chew toys of all kinds, but we have still had a few issues, just as expected.

My favorite birthday gifts

Yes, birthday week is coming to an end, but I wanted to share some of my favorite gifts.

Beautiful white hydrangeas and pink roses, in a square vase from my hubby. This arrangement was done by the same florist we used for our wedding and Stacy always does a beautiful job.

Hubby also decked me out in outfits from JCrew and Ann Taylor. He's not afraid to shop for clothes. He also picked up the ultra preppy, madras patchwork beach bag. Perfect for trips to the beach or smelly yoga clothes!

My best friend Karen returned the favor with personalized stationery from Lauren Goessling Designs. These argyle notecards in chocolate and pink are too cute!

And last, but certainly not least, Sarah from The Seven Spot recently held a Lurker Appreciation contest. She asked for 50 commenters in a specified time period & I was the lucky winner. She offered to make a $50 donation to the charity of my choice. I chose Earlier, an organization that was started by a local woman to help with early detection of breast cancer. I will also be matching Sarah's most generous donation. Sarah also graciously asked all of the commenters to consider making just a $1 donation, so we could do triple the amount of good. Pay it forward, if you will. I consider this a most special birthday gift.

Food-paux

I went to a little deli for lunch today and ordered a turkey wrap and fruit. I noticed that a side of ranch came with my wrap, for yummy ranch dipping. I had eaten some of the wrap without dippage and a couple of bites with the dip.

I couldn't really taste it, but then I noticed another lady dipping her fruit into the same ranch looking dip. "How odd", I thought when I dipped my fork into the "ranch" and discovered it was fruit dip. DUH!

Have any of you ever experienced these kind of food-paux? I have a cousin who accidentally used salt instead of sugar in his sweet tea, but I think this is the first time I've done this!

Eavesdroppers R Us

Overheard at birthday dinner last night...

Setting: cozy restaurant scattered with various couples and groupings of friends.
Location: table immediately behind us
Players: two women, apparently good friends
Drink: bottle of red

Statement: "I just wish he'd plan something spontaneous for us, you know? Like a trip to Europe or something".

I love to be surprised as much as the next girl, but really. I'm thinking a weekend trip to Charleston, SC but Europe? I personally couldn't stand giving up the control, hence, why I didn't opt for the surprise honeymoon

Lollipop Scrooge

I met two friends for lunch today and one of my Birthday treats included a large lollipop shaped cookie, complete with pink and green icing. As I was reading my cards, I noticed the feeling of being watched. A young little girl, complete with two ponytails, was totally eye-balling my cookie/lollipop and looked as if she were about to cry if I didn't hand it over.

I debated... do I

a) offer her a bite?
b) give her the cookie?
c) move the cookie out of her eyesight and hope that she'll stop looking and forget?

Of course I moved the cookie out of harms way. She had a grilled cheese in front of her & I didn't want to spoil her lunch!

Let Birthday week commence

I spent some time yesterday at one of my favorite haunts, JCrew. I restrained, but did manage to buy myself a couple of birthday gifts. My belt is slightly different than the one shown, but will be perfect for summer shorts & capris. My want-list still has the green (palm) and navy shorts, the navy/yellow/white argyle cardigan and a new round of tees and polos. I had to keep a few items on the list for Hubby.

Birthday week shall end on Saturday with a much needed massage and facial. We ran 5 miles yesterday for our Half Marathon training. I felt pretty good, but my left knee was pretty tender, especially after Mile 3. I had the same feeling when I hit Mile 11 last year during my 1st Half. Ugh, I see one of those knee-bands in my future!

Return to college days

Thursday was D-Day around our household. Hubby's company has recently gone through a merger and they cut 40% of the sales force, which could potentially include him. They were told they would receive calls after 12 noon and I'm happy to report that he received his call at 11:57 to tell him that he was keeping his job. Whoo-hoo! Needless to say, we were both relieved, but Hubby decided that he should celebrate this news with a couple of his friends.

Several of his friends work out of their homes, so there is great flexibility in their schedules. About 9 hours of drinking/Golden Tee/Pool playing later, I found them in a somewhat coherent stupor. One friend had almost gotten into a fight, so the dutiful wife (me) packed them into my little A4 and carted them home. I did feel like it was 1993 and I was caring for somebody after the pre and post parties from a frat party!

Safety for your pooches

Hubby and I returned home from dinner last night to a bit of a scare. Our female lab, Zoe was crouched down on all fours, against the "wall" of the kennel. We have the black metal kennels. Her ID tag from her collar was stuck in between one of the slats on the kennel and she couldn't move. I felt awful, because we were gone a couple of hours and of course, we don't know how long she had stayed in that position - plus, what if she would have choked herself? So, new rule - collars come off when in the kennel and I'm on the lookout for a new cute collar that can be embroidered with her name and phone number.

If anyone has any suggestions, please send them to me. I know that E used to have a good site for dog collars/accessories listed at Preppy Cafe, but it's no longer there.

Mid-decade crisis?

As I rapidly approach my next birthday that ends with a 4, I have been wondering, am I entering my Mid 30's or is it still considered early 30's? I know that 35 will mean Mid 30's, but does 36 automatically put you in the late 30's category?

I typically don't care about age - I've always seemed to do things later than my friends. First bra, Period, first boyfriend, extra year of college, marriage, etc. Not sure why this one is bugging me this year! I think it's like when you go to the Doctor and your chart has how many years and months old that you are ... it's not enough just to have the year. I'm also beginning to hear my "clock" start to tick and that is a little scary too.

But don't worry... I do love birthdays and will be celebrating "birthday week" as usual!

Come on

Puh-leaze...

http://news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070226/NEWSREC0101/70226005

Weekend Recap

It was relatively quiet around Chez Labrador this weekend. Hubby and I had date night on Friday for sushi. Saturday was spent cleaning, errands and somehow getting sucked into a marathon of America's Next Top Model. Geez. We did successfully book our hotel room for the Country Music Half Marathon in April. I didn't realize how quickly rooms would fill, so we ended up paying more than we expected, but it's a super deluxe room located in the downtown area.

On a cleaning note, and of course with our abundance of dog hair, I will say that my favorite cleaning tool is the Dyson. We have the Animal and it is great.

Also, an update on Let's Dish . We tried one of the dinners and a dessert over the weekend and they were both great. We tried the citrus tilapia last night. It consists of filets of tiliapa, drizzled with olive oil & cayenne pepper. There are also slices of lemons & limes between the filets. Before baking, you sprinkle a few spicy almond slivers on top. It was easy and very good. We also tried the individual molten chocolate cakes. Ooey-gooey chocolate and cake. Need I say more?

We also started Week 4 of Boot Camp today. Today we focused on arms/back for our weights and then tons of running outside. Backward running, power skips, pop squats, jumping jacks and squat thrusts. Whew.

Addition to my morning coffee

No, it's not Kahlua, it's dog hair. How do these labs manage to shed so much & how does one little hair seem to find it's way to my hot, vanilla-creamed coffee? I'm used to seeing a few tumbleweeds behind doors or under chairs, but this?? Oh well, I guess a little dog hair won't kill me!

Let's Dish...

We seem to have had an abundance of quick-fix dinner solutions pop up in our city. We have Super Suppers, Let's Dish & I think there is even another one. I had the opportunity to go to Let's Dish, make two meals and a dessert for $25, so I went.

It is such a great concept and perfect for busy professionals or for busy moms. You can choose to either prepare yourself or have the staff do it for you. It's a bit more expensive if you have the staff do it.

I chose pork tenderloin with apricot-chile glaze and prosciutto wrapped chicken breasts, stuffed with herbed cream cheese. And, individual molten chocolate cakes. I was shocked at the servings - two tenderloins & 12 chicken tenderloins. Plus, 6 cakes! Hubby and I will be well fed for quite a while. You freeze your meals & prepare when you're ready. We sampled some other dishes & I am sold on this concept. We always ask "what's for dinner" when it's 7pm and we're both starving, so hopefully this will help that dinner solution! And, it's real food - nothing really processed, so you also feel good about what you are eating.

Busy....

Last week was a little crazed. Work really took over and I don't think I was finished in the office any night before 7pm. Then my evenings typically entailed working from home that evening as well. So, Friday night, we met up with friends at our old neighborhood haunt. Our beloved pub has been closed for several months, due to the owners not paying bills. Whoops. So, new ownership, new name, new appetizers, but somehow we all felt like we were "home". Hubby and I had dinner & a few beverages, but when the call for Irish Car Bombs was made, we made a quick exit stage left.

On Saturday, we attended a friend's wedding. It was a beautiful and sweet ceremony with many personal touches that made it so special. The bride and groom were announced & they did the processional. The groom escorted his new Mom-in-Law out and I found that to be such a nice gesture. After the parents and grandparents were out, the Bride and Groom came back and served as "ushers" for the guests. They both greeted their respective "side" as the guests left each aisle. It was very appreciated and a lot shorter than trying to do a receiving line.

The reception was a blast -great music, great food, fun favors. The band was big where they attended college and appealed to all ages with fun beach/shag music. Hubby and I took a few spins on the dance floor and really had a good time.

I know where I get it from

Note: Thanks to everyone for their votes! The contest ended at midnight on Saturday and mom thinks she won. Apparently, she had left the computer momentarily (she's on central time) and when it was 12:00 EST, the home page changed. So, cross your fingers & we should find out Friday if she's a finalist!

My love of dogs, that is. I think I have mentioned Smoochablepooch.com before. My mom entered her English bulldog, Thunder into the contest several months ago. I followed suit and entered our labs as well. Mom took this contest much more serious than I, and is currently in the top running for her state.

Here's the catch... Thunder, my family's beloved bulldog did not make it to see the end of the contest. He had to be put down in December, due to canine lymphoma. It was horrible and very sad. I think my mother is on a mission to ensure that he wins the Tennessee vote. I find it funny that if she wins, she'll win a year's supply of dog food. Helloo? She has already said that she will be donating it to their local animal shelter.

The voting ends Friday at midnight, so if you have a chance, please vote 5 stars for Thunder. You can follow this link and vote here. My mother (and Thunder) would greatly appreciate it!

Valentine's Day continued

Hubby and I celebrated our Valentine's Day tonight with a yummy chicken pot pie from a local gourmet deli. Heat and eat, baby. Along with chocolate covered strawberries for me and red velvet cake for him. Plus, my laptop came along to our dinner. Grumble, grumble. I have been working on a proposal for work and I needed to try to get a jump start for hopefully finalizing it tomorrow.

Hubby was very thoughtful and bought me two sweet gifts, both from Swoozie's. Since our store opened in the fall, I think he has bought nearly every gift for me there, which is great. First, a new coffee mug with a personalized "Rise and Shine" message from my Hubby. And, a new red leather address book. Love it. I've been looking for months & haven't found the right size, texture,etc. I can't find a photo online, but it's great! Plus, a sweet card, which is always tops in my book!

Oh, went to my Dr. - I'm sure he thinks I'm stalking because I've been there so much with the same issues. Lungs are clear, no infections so Mucinex for me. It actually seems to have helped, even though I am creeped out by their ads. Luckily, no mucus-monsters on their packaging! Thanks for the get well wishes... hopefully, I'm on the mend!

Happy Valentine's Day!

After feeling that I was about to cough out a body part last night, I made another appointment with my Dr. to find out what all of this bronchitis/sinus/stuff is that apparently loves to settle in my body! This is my 3rd time to the Dr. since Thanksgiving, so I am hoping for a big Z-pack, or better yet, a shot in the booty to finally be rid of this junk! Coughing, sniffing and nose-blowing is not how I pictured spending today!

V-Day

I do love Valentine's Day, or actually what it represents. Do I think that there is a lot of unnecessary pressure put on every man and woman out there and a whole lot of bad gifts, candy and stuffed hearts that can be given as gifts without any thought? Sure.

So, Hubby and I were discussing V-Day this morning. We couldn't get reservations at any of our favorite restaurants, but it's not like we typically just don't go to those restaurants any other night of the week. So, we decided that we'll either order in or cook dinner at home, which I enjoy. Then, we have been going to a Bikram yoga class on Monday and Wednesday nights and the question was... should we go on Valentine's Day? I guess in theory, it sounds sort of sexy - heated room, sweaty bodies, flexible poses, but in reality, we are both sweating like pigs, red faced and tired. Not sure if it would be an appropriate prelude to a fun, "romantic" evening at home!

It's funny... the older I get and the longer I have been married, the acts of "love" come in so many different shapes. I saw one of these acts of love last night. I had settled into bed when I realized that I had forgotten to apply chap stick. Weird obsession, but it's just one of those things... like my nightly hand lotion ritual. Comfy and tired, I asked Hubby to get my chap stick for me, so I could stay happily nestled under the down comforter. He did this without complaint, then waited for me to apply so he could place back into my purse. Awww, ain't love grand?

Shout out to Clarksvegas

Just wanted to do a "shout out" to my visitor from Clarksville, TN. Not sure if you know, but Clarksville is my hometown. Drop me a comment, I'd love to chat and find out news about my fair city!

Roses & Warm Fuzzies

I am part of a women's volunteer organization where I live. Today, we delivered Valentine's Day roses to our Sustainer Emeriti. These are ladies who are at least 80 years old and are Sustainers with this organization. We have about 50 ladies who still live in our area. Let me tell you, if I am half as with it, cute and funny as these ladies were today, when I'm 80, I'll be doing OK. One woman was playing bridge, one was working on her taxes, another catching up on her mail when we stopped by.

It just reminded me of my own Meme, my grandmother, and of time spent with her. It was truly uplifting to meet these fabulous ladies and hopefully we brightened their days as well.

This better lift my butt!

Today at Boot Camp, we did a 30 minute cycle/circuit class, then moved to the gym for numerous rounds of walking lunges, backward lunges, side steps, pop squats and squat thrusts, which are really evil. We also did some sprinting, agility work and abs.

I'm feeling good right now, but I'm sure by tomorrow, I'll be walking a little funny. We decided last night that are going to Key West in April, with two other couples, so I am hoping that these classes will get me bikini ready, or at least bikini/skirt/towel cover up ready by then! I have been scouring the new JCrew catalog for some appropriate FL gear!

Buyer's Remorse.... maybe

I recently bought these note cards for my husband. They are Boatman Geller and I thought they were too cute, plus we have labs, so I thought he could appreciate the "non-tacky" Labrador paraphernalia. Now that they arrived, I'm afraid they are too juvenile for him to use. Not that he writes that many notes, but I don't want him to feel like he's 12 when he uses these! I still think they are so cute, but I just hope he likes them. Any thoughts?

Scooterville,here I come

This is Day 2 of Boot Camp and the soreness has definitely kicked in. Not to go into too much detail, but I just had to go to the restroom and I caught myself holding onto the bar as I sat down. I am thinking that I need one of those lifting chairs, like this so I can get up and down easier.

Today, we had a warm up with jumping jacks & stretching, three rounds of different weight stations - biceps, triceps, "skull crushers with a barbell", the "booza" ball, crunches, etc. Then we went outside to run that consisted of running backwards, sprints, pop squats, etc. Of course, this is in 30'ish degree weather - cold for this Southerner! I did feel better today - no lunch time nap necessary!

Aren't these the cutest?

I am a kitchen gadget addict, so I always look at the many juicers, peelers, pans and assorted contraptions that I know I won't ever really use. But, at Williams Sonoma, I recently saw this set of pink baking goodies that I know I would use often! First, I love their silicone spatulas, they are wonderful for all sorts of recipes. And then to make them pink & personalized? Even better. I think I need a set or 2 to give and a set for me! I also love their pot holders - mine are literally falling apart from over use.I think these cute pink heart ones would make me even happier when I cook! (hint, hint, hubby!)

25 Things

I’ve been tagged by Jenn at The Preppy Wedding...

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? On the water and I would probably pick a lake over ocean, just for logisitical reasons.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing? Currently, my Joe's Jeans, Socialite fit and an argyle cashmere sweater, a Christmas gift from my Mom-in-Law
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex? Smile, height
4. What's the last CD that you bought? I haven't bought one since my iPod...it was probably Kayne West!
5. Where's your favorite place to be? On a dock at Hyco Lake at sunset, preferably with hubby, dogs and a gin & tonic.
6. Where is your least favorite place to be? Driving in torrential rain
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged? Lower back, calves
8. Strong in mind or strong in body? Mind
9. What time do you wake up in the morning? Typically between 6:30-6:45am, but on Boot Camp days, it's 4:30.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance? The coffee maker for actual daily use and my Kitchen Aid mixer for baking adventures.
11. What makes you really angry? Disrespect, lying
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Violin
13. Favorite color? Pink
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV? I drive a sedan, but it's sporty... I'll go with the SUV.
15. Do you believe in an afterlife? Yes.
16. Favorite children's book? Good Night Moon, The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree... I could go on & on here!
17. What is your favorite season? Autumn
18. Your least favorite household chore? Cleaning bathrooms
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be? Read minds
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it? No tattoos
21. Can you juggle? Nope
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to? My Aunt Sue, she died when I was 3.
23. What's your favorite day? Friday... anticipation for the weekend.
24. What's in the trunk of your car? Tennis balls, ice scraper, tool kit and I'm sure some dog hair
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? This one's hard for me. I love them both. I'll say sushi.

Tags to The Seven Spot and All Things Kimba

Mid-Day Nappage

OK, I don't think it was the best idea to start Boot Camp following Super Bowl Sunday. I'm sure I ate my weight in BBQ, potato skins, dips, meatballs, bruschetta and other assorted "crap" that isn't really healthy, plus I stayed up later than usual! Let's just say that 4:30 AM came early after the afternoon/evening binge session and the weigh in hurt. At least our trainer did tell us that the scale weighs heavy, but still!

I just actually took at 20 minute power nap in my car. Is that wrong? It's freezing here today, so the car was nice and warm... perfect for a cat nap! Now, I'm more refreshed & ready to go!

Neiman Marcus Cookies

I'm not sure of the validity of the email, but the urban legend is that this recipe was purchased by a woman from Neiman's for $250. She thought the price was $2.50, so in an effort to "get back" at Neiman's, she has shared the recipe with everyone she knows. The email has been in circulation for years, but I decided to make the cookies for a Super Bowl party later today. I made them today and they are very yummy. I broke a couple so I had to sample those! The pups were good "watch-dogs" as I baked today.

NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES (Recipe may be halved)

2 cups butter

24 oz. chocolate chips

4 cups flour

2 cups brown sugar

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

2 cups sugar

1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)

5 cups blended oatmeal

4 eggs

2 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups chopped nuts (your choice, optional)

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts. Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

2 Labs Need a Home

I typically don't get very serious on my blog, but my husband received this email last night from a friend who has fostered rescue dogs before, so it is valid. These 2 labs are in Wilmington, NC. As much as I would love to take them in, we would be outnumbered by dogs, so it just isn't feasible. If anyone is interested, there is a contact name and number posted.

TWO ADORABLE BLACK LABS NEED HOME!!!!
The owner has terminal cancer and can't care for them anymore, and he'd really like to find a home for them while he's still able. He's heartbroken and hopes to find a family who can take both together. They are located in WILMINGTON , NC but can be driven up to the Triangle area if needed.If you can find someone that is interested, please call - Aimee 910.558.7107 -If not, please pass this along to everyone you can think of in your circle. The more folks that know about it, the better chance we have of finding them a home.

Two Purebred Black Labs Need Home - URGENT SITUATION Details: Black Labs, Male, Adult, 4 years old, Altered. Names:Hunter and Fame are two gorgeous pure-bred labs, brothers, who find themselves needing a new home now that their owner has become too ill to care for them.They are truly wonderful dogs. The owner's grandchildren can crawl all over them, and like a typical lab; they just lay there and love it. Both are neutered, and up to date on their shots. They are housebroken and are very well behaved.They are about 4 years old. We would love to keep these two boys together if possible; they are the best of friends.

Note: I heard from a friend that these dogs were adopted on Friday.

What's your Preppy Name?

I just saw this over at Perfectly Pink, so I had to try! Not sure how I'm a "Third" as a female, but anyway!

Your Preppy Name Is...

Clairemont Sexton Kirkland the ThirdBut most people know you as Coco

What's Your Preppy Name?