The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Holidays are my absolute favorite, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think the main reason why I love this time of the year is because I get to see my family. I have always lived in Georgia and my Dad's side of the family all live in Salem, VA and my Mom's side live between Fayetteville, TN, Huntsville, AL and Nashville area so we did not get to get everyone all the time.

For Thanksgiving, both sides of the family come to my parents's house so we could celebrate together. It was always Granny (Mom's Mom), Aunt Jill (Mom's Sister), Grandma and Granddaddy (Dad's Parents) then Uncle Jack started to come when he started dating Aunt Jill and Rebecca (my cousin) would come for some years. I have so many great memories of Thanksgiving. When I was little, I would make menus for the table and put cost next to each item. I would go around and take orders and collect money for what they were going to eat. I then took the money to Target Salvation Army Bell Ringer that weekend. I was always put in charge of setting the table so Kara and I would trace her hand and make turkey name tags for the table. We still have them to this day :) Another favorite tradition that has developed over the years is shopping the next day! Mom, Aunt Jill, and I get up real early on Friday to go shopping and hit up all the sales. We do majority of our shopping on that day. We now for some odd reason go to Wal-Mart at midnight on Thanksgiving night, odd I know. Sometimes we will go to the movies as family. This year it will be Mom, Dad, Kara, Russ, Aunt Jill, and I but I am just as excited. The day is filled with love, laughter, and thankfulness. I am so thankful for all the wonderful people in my life!

...and the Christmas season is right around the corner. Another favorite time of mine. Our December is already booked.

Russ and Brittany's Decemeber Schedule
November 30th - Russ begins exams (he will be MIA until mid December)
December 7th-11th - Business Trip to Indiana
December 11th - Russ finishes exams/Chamblee First UMC Young Adult Christmas Get Together
December 12th - Coke Christmas Party
December 13th - Going to the Falcons/Saints Game then to the Christmas Cantata at Church
December 19th-20th - Huntsville for Gray Family Christmas (Mom's Side)
December 22nd - December 26th - Florida for Christmas with the Dunlaps
December 27th - Christmas with Mom, Dad, and Kara
December 29th - Two Year Anniversary
December 30th - January 3rd - New York City with Aunt Jill, Kara, and Russ for New Year's

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is a holiday that all ages can enjoy. The little ones get dressed up really cute and go trick-or-treating with their parents, teenagers try out odd costumes, young adults get dressed up and go to parties or bars, and older people stay at home and pass out candy. I am not a big fan of Halloween for the dressing up part though I like decorating pumpkins and front porches for the holiday.

Halloween is one of Russ' favorite holidays. As a kid, he loved dressing up and coming up with creative costumes (scary ones) and of course CANDY! He grew up with his parents decorating their yard and house being one of most elaborate in the neighborhood. One year his house made it on the news and Jill was interviewed for her decorations.

This year was our first Halloween in our house. Russ and I bought our pumpkins last week at a pumpkin patch and decorated them this morning. Since UT is playing tonight, I thought it would only be appropriate to do a Power T on my pumpkin. Russ stuck with the generic face for his, but used creativity for different shapes and sizes for the eyes and mouth. After we decorated our pumpkins we went to Target to get candy (Russ' favorite). I said we would have only five trick-or-treaters since it was suppose to rain and we have a horrible hill to walk up and Russ thought we would have 30...so far only 4 :( Though we did not have many trick-or-treaters, I enjoyed laying on the couch watching the UT game and looking at our pumpkins all lit up.

Bonding Time

Every Fall and Spring we have to reseed our yard so the grass will be nice and green! Right now we are just trying to get grass :) Usually Dad will come over to help me and we will reseed the grass together and do some yard work. This year between all the trips out of town and my surgery, I just did not have the ability to do it. Dad came over a couple of weeks ago and Russ helped him reseed our yard. It was a good bonding experience and now Russ knows how to reseed our yard so we can do it in the Spring!

Dad and Russ working in the yard

Once they completed all the yard work and got the outside looking good, Russ hung up our shutters we ordered back in the Summer. I never realized the difference shutters can make for a house. We are slowly getting the outside of the house to our liking!!!

Shop 'Til You Drop

...literally!

I love shopping though when I was little I could not stand it. Mom used to be in retail and was a buyer for the men's department at Rich's (now known at Macy's) then Upton's so we had to visit the stores to see how the men's department was laid out, the product availability, and the customer dynamics. I dreaded it when we had to go to the mall, but little did I know that would change. Now I love to go shopping, mainly to buy things for my friends, family, and home. I get so excited for the day after Thanksgiving, when Mom, Aunt Jill, and I hit the malls for our Christmas shopping!

Well, I got to do a lot of shopping before Black Friday this year. Melinda came to Atlanta for the weekend to visit and one of the best things about Atlanta is all the shopping so why not spend an entire day shopping!!

Our entire day Saturday and the morning of Sunday consisted of us SHOPPING! Needless to say I need a couple of days to recover after that. I had surgery on October 15th to remove a cyst from my lower back/tailbone area so I was not 100% yet (still not).

It was such a fun weekend Girls's Weekend. We got things for our homes and clothes for ourselves and we did not even hit up any of the malls. Do not worry, we are already talking about her next visit so I can take her to Lenox Mall, Phips Plaza, Perimeter Mall, and the Forum (all within 10 miles from my house).

Melinda's Trunk After Saturday's Shopping (doesn't include some items)

Schedule of Events:

8:00 Wake-Up
10:00 Depart House
11:00 Dwasonville Outlets (Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, White House Black Market, Izod, The Loft, Kirklands, and Waterford)
3:00 Lunch
4:00 Stein Mart/Michael's
5:00 HomeGoods
6:00 Freshen Up
7:00 Visit Nikki
9:00 Dinner at Noche
11:00 Home

8:00 Wake-up
9:30 Depart House
10:00 IKEA
12:00 Check-out
12:30 Lunch

1:30 Depart AtlantaDid I mention we ended up getting the same jacket at Stein Mart?

Tennessee Traditions

I have been a UT fan as long as I can remember, though my first football game was not until my junior year in high school. Of course, Mom and Dad drove me around the campus showing me all of their favorite places and pastimes. When it came to applying to colleges, I only wanted to go to UT so I submitted my application as soon as I could. I did not apply to one Georgia school. I got my acceptance letter in December 2002 and could not wait to start classes there in the fall (August 2003).

One of the best parts of being a UT student are the football games. There is nothing like attending a UT game in Neyland Stadium and all the pregame events. It usually consisted of going to a fraternity house before the game and then going to the game. Once Russ and I started dating, I started becoming interested in all the band activities...Salute to the Hill, Vol Walk, Pregame show, Half-time show, and the Tennessee Waltz at the end. I would actually get to the game before it started and stayed for the very end. I never knew that the band had so many traditions for UT games. The all time favorite...The Power T!
I never missed a home game besides the Kentucky game when I was in school at Tennessee. Once we graduated we bought season tickets from Bill and Kat and we go to at least three games a season. We usually tailgate with college friends and spend the time catching up. Well the last home game it was just the four of us in town so we changed things up a bit.
The weekend of the Auburn game we got in that morning, had lunch and headed to campus. Bill, Haley, Russ, and I walked the entire campus! We started off in World's Fair Park and visited the Sun Sphere and actually went to the observation deck.We then walked to the river to see the Vol Navy and decided to have drinks at Calhoun's. That was the first time I have been to the Vol Navy. It was neat to see all the boats docked and tied together. Some of the boats had catered meals, others had private bartenders, and the rest just partying with friends and family. When we got to Calhoun's you could not find a UT fan anywhere, all the Auburn fans had taken over the outside patio. Once we finished drinks we headed back to campus.We walked to Circle Park then to Fraternity Row to visit with some friends (Brittany, Dipal, and Jayden). We stopped to see where they moved the rock to and tried to make it for the Vol Walk. We were a little late for that. We went to the UC, walked by the new College of Business Building (I'm jealous), moneywall, and tailgated with some of Bill's brother's friends. After walking all of campus but the Hill we finally made our way to the stadium.The game was not so great but like always we had great seats! After the game we completed our walk of campus and walked up to the Hill to get back to our car. It such a great weekend (besides the loss) and finally experienced some of the other traditions of UT that we have not done before.

Football Time in Tennessee

Its that time of year again....FOOTBALL TIME! I love this time of the year because I get to see my friends. Tennessee Football does a great job bringing everyone together!!!

Somewhere down the line we developed a Beta/Zeta Tailgate ritual. We are made up of Zetas, Betas, and Friends and the Board of Directors schedule the game and tailgate menu. Each year, we pick one game for everyone to come in town for, we make into a reunion. I love every minute of it!!!

This year the BOD choose the home opener which was on Labor Day. It worked out well since we all live all over the Southeast and having a long weekend allowed for everyone to come in town. The weather was perfect, almost everyone was in town, we won the game, a nice get together at Melinda's Mom's house, and Booms Day. I am already looking forward to next year's game!

Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Final Touches

After being in the house for over a year now we are finally getting to the point of putting final touches on things...for the inside. We have two final projects (complete kitchen renovation and new ceiling in the family room) to be completed but those are going to have to wait until Russ gets out of law school other than that the inside is almost done!!

Our master bedroom got a make over with new bedroom furniture. As I have previously blogged about, Kara took our old stuff so I had to buy new furniture for us. I went to lots and lots of different stores and finally found it at very last store in the back corner of the upstairs. I had almost given up but there it was waiting for me. I never knew how furniture completes a room until now! Now, I have to find Russ a new night stand and we are done!
My favorite room in the house is the guest room. If you are a guy you might not like it but I love it. The walls are a unique blue. Funny story about the color, Mom saw it at a Open House and loved it so she painted her living room that color. I loved it so I painted my guest room that color. Aunt Jill loved it and painted her dining room that color and Kara was going to paint her bedroom at school that color. If you look at the paint chip, it is not a good color at all... Anyways, we all have the color and absolutely love it! Feel free to use it too! Anyways, I complete the bed with three decorative pillows, hung up the mirror, rearranged my vanity, and hung up some curtains. The room is complete and gorgeous!!!Speaking of decorative pillows, that is another item that can complete a room. Russ makes fun of me for having so many decorative pillows around the house but its a simple way to add to rooms. I went around the house (3 bedrooms, family room, and living room) and counted how many pillows we are have and it is......36! Of those thirty-six, only five are sleeping pillows! So if you need a pillow, we might have a couple you can borrow...

The last room, I have done some final touches to is the family room/dinning room. I bought new runners, place mats, and napkins for the table from Crate & Barrel. All I am missing now is a centerpiece for the table. The family room finally got some curtains. I have been looking everywhere for some and found them on clearance at Pier 1. I also got some pillows for the couch to make the green not so yucky and two mirrors for above the couch. I think the room is almost complete. All I have to do now is rearrange the bookshelf. When we moved in, I just unpacked and put everything up there without any rhyme or reason.
After all of those final touches, the house is almost complete. I still have Russ' study/guest room to tackle but that will be another time, right now I will let him keep it the way he wants :)

The other weekend, I found out that I have a new favorite activity outside...pressure washing! I rented a pressure washer for the day and pressure washed the entire house (brick, siding, and gutters) then finished up with the front steps, sidewalk, and driveway. I was able to make the old driveway look like the new driveway! I think I enjoyed it so much because you saw immediate results unlike gardening where you have to wait a couple of weeks.

Next weekend, I am going to attempt to paint the house. I was going to paint the brick, its a big thing right now, but I am not so sold on that idea yet....Russ is though. We will start with the siding and trim! Stay tuned for pictures....

In Memory of Uncle Jack

As many of you know, Uncle Jack passed away last week. Uncle Jack passed away on Wednesday, September 9, 2009 in Huntsville, Alabama after a very long and strong fight with colon cancer with Aunt Jill and his family by his side. He was not only such an amazing uncle but husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Uncle Jack always had a way of making you feel special. I am so proud and glad to call him my uncle and will always think of all the great memories of him. His battle with colon cancer is a story that needs to be told and will hopefully give HOPE to others that have to face cancer. He never let it get in his way of living life. My favorite saying he told me was "I have no doubt that I will die from this, but it won't today."

After I got the call about Uncle Jack's passing I realized it was 9-9-09, so I did some research to see the meaning of that day. It actually was a very ironic day for his passing. Here is the significance of the day: It is very important as it points to a moment of finality and completion, as well as the birth of a new era. While this sounds ominous, keep in mind that these kinds of shifts are fluid and gradual. Usually, we don’t realize the true extent until months, if not years, after the date. All the positive attributes of the 9: compassion, caring, self-sacrifice, love, wisdom and sophistication will all play key roles on and around this date. Keep in mind that this date affects us on a universal level where even a tiny increase can have a huge impact on mankind and its future. But the positive side will have a greater and more immediate impact, which is fortunate: all the positive attributes of the number 9 give life, extend life, beautify life, improve life and strengthen life! (http://www.tarot.com/blog/?p=491) The things that describe nine, also describe who Uncle Jack was...

I have so many great memories with Uncle Jack. He actually has taught me a lot of things and got me to do a lot of things I probably would never done. Almost every year, I would go visit Aunt Jill and Uncle Jack for a weekend. Uncle Jack loved his motorcycles, and as you all know they scare me though somehow Uncle Jack was able to get me on one (only once). For our bike ride, he and his friend went all out. They got out the chaps, jackets, and bandadas for Rebecca and I. It was very entertaining, if only I had pictures.

Another love Uncle Jack had was his boat. They had such a nice boat and he loved riding around and taking people out on it. He taught me how to water ski in a day! Now, I may not be any good but he taught me how to get the basics down. It was a blast. Russ and Uncle Jack actually had a lot of the same interest, one being boating. Uncle Jack trusted Russ with the boat so one summer, Russ was his "First Mate." He was helping put the boat back on the trailer and Russ was not used to such a powerful boat and pushed on the gas too much and the boat flew over the trailer knocked Uncle Jack off. He got up and just laughed, even though he had a busted knee. This was when Russ and I were engaged and he still gave me the thumbs up to marry him :)

Uncle Jack was also in the field of logistics so we shared that interest. He actually helped me choose my major and when I was in school shared all kinds of information on the field. I had to write a paper on a professional in the field and I choose him! He also had a huge interest in firearms/guns so when Russ and I went to visit Uncle Jack and Aunt Jill, he took Russ to a friends place to let him shoot all the guns while Aunt Jill and I shopped!

I could write on and on about all the wonderful memories of my uncle. He truly will be missed and the months to come will be hard but at least I have all of these wonderful memories to remember him by. Here are some pictures in memory of Uncle Jack.

Aunt Jill and Uncle Jack's Wedding (October 12, 1997)


My High School Graduation with Uncle Jack and Aunt Jill (May 2003)

Dad, Me, Mom, Aunt Jill, and Uncle Jack at UT Football Game (September 2003)

Kara's High School Graduation with Uncle Jack and Aunt Jill (May 2008)

Uncle Jack's Obituary

It is with regret we announce the death of Larry ‘Jack’ Stewart, age 53, of Huntsville. Jack passed away Wednesday after a courageous battle with colon cancer.

Jack loved his family and friends and he was loved by all who knew him. He was a compassionate and generous man who made the lives of those around him better. His selfless courage in facing his health issues was an inspiration to everyone.

Jack was born in Newport,Tennessee to his parents, Homer Stewart and Betty Jo Messer Russell. He graduated from Parrottsville High School in Newport in 1973. In 1974, he joined the U.S. Army serving three years at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama assigned to the 291st MP CO. For the past 31 years, Jack has worked as a Foreign Materiel Specialist for the Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile and Space Intelligence Center (DIA/MSIC) at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama. His job allowed him to travel to many interesting and unusual places. Jack enjoyed spending time with his granddaughter, Kaylee. He had a passion for outdoors either riding motorcycles, boating, hobby farming, or spending time with friends and family. Jack was a member of the Owens Cross Roads Church of Christ.

Survivors include his wife of 11 years, Jill Gray Stewart; daughters, Farrah Hudson of Huntsville and Jennifer Hawkins and husband Kevin of Gurley; granddaughter, Kaylee Hawkins; sisters, Clara Patterson of Dandridge, Tennessee and Mary Ann Stewart of Newport, Tennessee; brother, Joe Stewart of Trinity, Alabama; nephew, Teddy Patterson of Dandridge, Tennessee and nieces, Tiffany Patterson of Knoxville, Tennessee, Miranda Stewart of Newport, Tennessee, Ashley and Madison Stewart of Moulton, Alabama and a host of many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his father Homer Stewart.

Visitation will be from 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Higgins Funeral Home in Fayetteville, Tennessee. The funeral service will be at 3 p.m. Friday at Higgins Funeral Home. Burial will be in Riverview Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials be made to the Russel Hill Cancer Foundation, c/o Clearview Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 18428, Huntsville, Alabama 35804 or to Hospice Family Care, 3304 Westmill Drive, Huntsville, Alabama 35805; 256-650-1212.

In Sickness and In Health

After a couple of not so fun weeks in the Dunlap household, I am back! It has been very eventful around here so I am going to catch you all up. I apologize for being out of communication since Labor Day weekend. I appreciate all the emails, messages, and cards, it has been very helpful...

In Sickness and In Health

Some of you know about all my injuries growing up and how they all seem to happen at once. Well, that luck has returned...

It all started when I was a baby. When I was almost a year old, I tried to crawl out of my crib and ended up breaking my leg. Sometime during being a toddler, I had multiple ear infections and had surgery for tubes in my ears. Of course I had the normal childhood illnesses. A couple of them included when I was 4 I was at a birthday party after getting a yearly shot and I threw up on the director of my daycare's shoes then in 1st grade I threw up from the cafeteria to the clinic, left a lovely path to find me...

I really do not remember getting sick or having major injuries in middle school but as soon as high school came around they were happening left and right. It all started with a knee injury from playing soccer against boys then my high school boyfriend broke my nose (by accident). I later separated my shoulder, bursitis in my knees, severe bruises, three concussions (two ambulance rides), turf toe, and the list goes on. It was always a running joke that when Allison got injured I would just a week later. In college, I had a tiny tumor removed out of back then got the flu over Spring Break my junior year.

Well, the past three weeks that luck has returned. It has not been injuries but some type of medical issue. I have been on some type of drug for something. It started with getting poison ivy again, all over my arms and ankles. After about two weeks of it not going away I decided to go to the doctor to get steroids. When I was there, I was also diagnosed with the flu and put on Muscinex DM. Russ had the flu the week before so I was bound to get it. Once I finally got over the flu, I started to have pain in my lower back/upper tail bone area. It got so bad I could not sit down or lay on my back so Russ made me go to the doctor. They found a cyst in that area that was about three inches long and two inches wide. The doctors decided they needed to drain it and put me on an antibiotic. I have to go to a general surgeon next week to make sure it is OK and healing.

While I have been completely out of it, Russ has lived up to his vows "In Sickness and In Health." He has been changing out my bandages and continuing to drain it. He went and got dinner from wherever I wanted on Friday night and made me breakfast in bed on Saturday as well as cleaned the bathroom. He has been so helpful over the past week, I am so thankful for him! I hope this streak of things ends soon, I do not know how much longer he can put up with being a Jurctor.

1. Jurctor - A phrase made up by Russ Dunlap. A combination of being a Doctor of Medicine (To give medical treatment to) and Juris Doctor (The degree awarded to an individual upon the successful completion of law school)

Life is Short

You hear the saying that Life is Short and most people really do not think anything of it. We have had a couple of deaths lately that really touched me and made me realize this is true.

Today marks the one year anniversary of my cousin Jason's passing. He was diagnosed with melanoma cancer in Spring 2007. He later passed away on August 31, 2008 at the age of 32. Jason was surrounded by tons of family and friends his entire life. Mom, Kara, and I were able to make it to Nashville for his final days. While we were at the hospice we got to know more of Jason's friends and here great stories. Jason lived life to the fullest and was known for his saying "No Fun Haters." A motto, I like to live by now. Jason was such a fun cousin. When I was growing up, I would go to Fayetteville and spend a week or two with Granny and all my cousins. I remember my other cousin, Rebecca, and I could not wait for Jason to come over and hang out with us and so excited when he would stay over. At Christmas we would wait by the door in the living room until he came or continuously asked when he would be here. He came to some of my soccer games, high school graduation, and all kinds of other events. Jason will never be forgotten but glad to know he is in comfort now and with our Granny.

My cousin, Jason

One of our family friends lost their daughter to cancer in April 2008. Taylor Brooks was an amazing young girl. She was diagnosed with Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor cancer in July 2007. While Taylor was battling cancer she organized a holiday party for the patients and parents at the AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and organized fund raising to bridge the technology budget gap for the new AFLAC Cancer Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. She did not lot cancer slow her down. Taylor passed away on April 1, 2008 at the age of 14. Since her passing, her parents formed The Taylor Brooks Foundation, http://www.taylorbrooksfoundation.org/. The foundation was formed to provide visibility of childhood cancer, provide humanitarian support to patients and care-givers, extend resources to analyze and implement treatment options, and contribute resources to research new treatments. They continued her Holiday Party and has expanded it into the other Childrens Hospitals in Atlanta. They provide comfort kids to families that have to stay overnight and care packages for all holidays. Every Sunday, Melissa takes Krispy Kreme doughnuts to the center. Small things like this make all of the families days. This year, Jimmie Johnson will wear the Helmet of Hope during the Pepsi 500 at Auto Club Speedway on October 11, 2009. Selected charities will receive a grant of $1,048, will be featured on the back of the Helmet of Hope t-shirt and will receive proceeds from the sale of the t-shirt. The Taylor Brooks Foundation was selected as one of the charities. They actually drew my mom's entry (read this article: http://www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org/News/News-Archives/Johnson-Continues-to-Decorate-Helmet-of-Hope.aspx). Taylor is an inspiration to us all and I am honored that I got to know Taylor and her family. Once again, another person that taught me life is too short but don't let it stop you from doing something good for others.


I know this blog is a little different than I usually blog about but I thought it was appropriate and in memory of Jason. Please do what you can to support the cure of cancer. Also, please keep my Uncle Jack in your prayers as he has been battling colon cancer for over eight years and what a fought he has put up against it. Here is his caringbridge site if you are interested in his amazing story and updates, http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/ourjackstewart/ (you will need to register your email).

Back to School

Well, it is back to school time in the Dunlap household. Russ started his second year of law school this past Monday. He really only had a break for a week this summer but that made it easier to get back in the swing of things for school this fall. Continuing with one of my Mom's traditions, I took Russ' picture for his first day back to school. I did this really as a joke but Russ was still not happy with me (as you can see in his face). Mom would take Kara and my picture every year with our new back-to-school outfit and backpacks before we left for school. As a back to school present, I got Russ a new lap top and of course a new outfit. We took full advantage of the tax-free weekend in Georgia a couple of weeks ago.

Russ is taking four classes this semester (Evidence, Environmental Law, Constitutional Law, and Trademarks). On top of those four classes, he will be doing moot court and law review so needless to say another busy semester for him.

Once he gets all his due dates and deadlines, we will determine which UT football games we will be going to this fall. We are for sure going to the home opener so we will see you all there!

Russ leaving for his first class

Life's A Beach

Ocean Isle Beach

I finally took off a week from work to head to the beach. The last time I took off a full week was for our honeymoon which is almost two years ago. Besides our honeymoon, my vacation days consisted of graduations, weddings, visits to Salem (Grandparents), and travel for the holidays. It was so nice to be able to take off a full week and actually relax. Mom and Dad invited Russ and I to join them on their vacation to Ocean Isle, North Carolina. Unfortunately, Kara could not come as she had sorority recruitment.

My parents have been going to Ocean Isle for thirty years or just a few years shy of that. I actually have been going since I was three months old. It is just a great place to vacation, its so laid back yet close to civilization when needed. Growing up, we would go every summer for a week. All the family would come, the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc... Over the years that dwindled down and it was just the four of us (Mom, Dad, Kara, and myself) and of course Kara and I weren't civil to each other so we were allowed to bring friends to make the vacation more fun for all. My best memories of Ocean Isle were in high school, we met a group of guys from Ohio and ended up meeting them there every year for the next four years. We have missed some years here and there so we have not been to Ocean Isle every single year. Some times Mom would get an itch to try a new beach but after a day or so she says we should have gone to Ocean Isle. We did take some neat trips to Alaska and Hawaii instead, which were amazing trips! Anyways, needless to say we love our trips to Ocean Isle so I was excited to be able to share a week with Russ there.

Russ and I on the balcony

We left last Saturday for the beach. Russ could only be there the first half of the week as he had to go back for interviews. So while Russ was there, I had to show him all the traditions. We enjoyed our days relaxing on the beach, playing in the ocean, and nightly walks on the beach. I have not seen sun in over a year so of course I got burnt. I got so burnt I had to stay out of the sun for a day to let my body recover. It worked out though as Russ and Dad went deep sea fishing for the day. Dad was so excited to take Russ with him on his fishing trip, us girls do not go with him on the all day trips. Russ was his good luck charm too as they caught 12 fish (grouper, red snapper, and something else). While the guys were out fishing, Mom and I did what we know best, SHOPPING! The rest of the time we enjoyed the beach but on Friday since it rained all day. Russ left on Wednesday and took the good weather with him.

Russ in one of his outfits I bought him

Wednesday night, we did not have much to do and I was bored since Russ left so we decided to head to Myrtle Beach. Growing up we would go to Myrtle Beach on Thursday night to go to the Pavilion (amusement park) then to the boardwalk to play Skee Ball. They closed the Pavilion four years ago so I wanted to see what they did with the land. We got there and it was jut grass. It was sad to see it gone, my Dad grew up going there once a summer as well. The good thing was that our skee ball place was still there along with all the trashy people. Like the rest of our vacation, we relived that tradition. Mom, Dad, and I enjoyed an hour of playing skee ball and other games. We won 250 tickets, just enough to get Kara a Myrtle Beach shot glass since she could not be there. We did that as a joke, we just wanted to play we did not care about tickets. On our way back to our condo, we stopped at Krispy Kreme for some hot doughnuts. This completed our tradition to Myrtle Beach for the evening.

Playing Skee Ball on the Boardwalk

Ocean Isle is only an hour from Wilmington, NC so that meant we were close to one of my good friends, Rachel, so we invited her down for a couple of days. Rachel came down on Thursday. We enjoyed laying out on the beach catching up then had a yummy shrimp dinner. We played Chicken Foot that night for hours. Friday, it was raining so Rachel and I went to see a movie while Dad went fishing again (and didn't catch anything this time). It was so nice seeing Rachel, being so far away I do not get to see her as much. It was also nice to have her there as it felt like old times at Ocean Isle when I got to bring a friend.

Rachel and I watched the sunset

One of the great things about being at the beach is all the fresh seafood! I love seafood so I ate it every night while we were there (seven nights). Two of those nights, Dad cooked fish and shrimp at the condo. We ate the fish Dad and Russ caught one night and fresh shrimp another night. The other nights we ate places in Calabash, Sunset, and Ocean Isle. One night we ate at a Jamaican restaurant, Sugar Shack, it was rated one of top places to eat at OIB. It reminded me of our honeymoon a little bit.

Russ and I at Sugar Shack

Anyways, it was a week filled with relaxation. I did not answer my phone, read some emails, and only took a few pictures! It was a true vacation and a much needed one! Russ got to be apart of my family vacation traditions!

Russ and I on his last night, he survived a Wilbourne Vacation

Gatlinburg with the Dunlaps

I am still behind on blogging but thought I would blog about two of our vacations this summer. For the Fourth of July, Russ and I met up with his family in Gatlinburg for the extended weekend. It was nice to get everyone together as this does not happen often. Steve, Jill, Russ, Darren, Mary, Alex, Rebecca, Scot, and myself all were in town for the weekend. Thursday night just involved everyone getting into town since we all worked in the morning and drove in that afternoon. That night we just spent time catching up.

Friday, we all went to Dollywood. It was the first time for Russ and I to go even though we lived in Knoxville for four years. I thought it was going to be a dirty, ragged park but I was very impressed. I learned, it is more of a theme park rather than an amusement park. It was very clean and family friendly. The weather was very nice as well for it being July. We rode all the rides and even got Mary and Alex on them too (this is a might accomplishment as they are not big roller coaster fans). One of Alex's favorite things is to play the games around the park so he played a lot of those. I hardly play the games and thought I should join in on one with the guys. Darren and Russ started to play the game where you toss the ring and try to get it around the neck of a bottle. Alex stepped up and started playing then I followed. I picked one up and asked how you play but before anyone could answer I threw it and made it first time!!! Everyone just looked at me in shock. I could not believe I did it either. I won an electric guitar!! I picked a pink one then realized that I would probably not be the one playing it so I exchanged it for a black one. After the shock wore off of everyone's face they all explained that this was a hard thing to actually do, what can I say "beginner's luck" I guess! We continued to ride rides and left the park just before it closed. We ended the evening for a good dinner at the Ole Mill.

Saturday was a low key day, as it was the 4th of July. We all got dressed and headed into town. We started off our trip in town with a Dunlap Tradition, putt-putt. We played two games of putt-putt then met up with the Shaws. Since we were going to stay in town unitl the fireworks we killed time by going to the aquarium and other Ripley's places. Of course, there was window shopping and some shopping but the best part was the people watching. Boy are there some interesting people in downtown Gatlinburg... We watched the fireworks then headed back to the cabin.

Sunday we ate at a pancake place and said our goodbyes. It was a nice weekend together since it will be a long time until we are all together again. Mary and Darren moved to Tampa, FL in early August so when we go visit Hendersonville they won't always be there :( We ended our weekend with a beautiful drive home through the Blue Ridge Parkway rather than the interstate.

A Weekend Filled With Goodbyes

The past couple of days have resulted in a lot of goodbyes and new beginnings. Some of the goodbyes were to people, some were to furniture, others to offices, and even cars.

Our first goodbye was to our master bedroom furniture. My sister moved back to college this weekend and needed furniture. She moved into a house with four other college friends at Alabama. We actually were happy to let it go, it did not go with our bedding or decor at all. Mom and Dad bought it for me back when I was in 7th grade with the intentions that I would take it to college so if anything happened to it it was not the end of the world. They paid $250 for a headboard, chest of drawers, dresser, and mirror. This is a very unheard of price but the furniture was not worth much more than that anyways so we were expecting it to fall apart in a couple of years anyways. Well 12 years and six moves later, it is still in tact and won't fall apart. Kara successfully moved it into her house and out of ours!!! Meanwhile, this meant we needed to get new furniture. It arrived on Friday and I am in the process of putting all the clothes back in it and looking for Russ a new nightstand.

The second was for Russ. He completed his 1L internship for the summer on Friday. He learned so much and truly enjoyed what he did at the US Department of Labor. It allowed him to gain experience and test out the field of law. Now he is hitting the books since he is taking the Patent Bar this Friday in Chattanooga. His summer has been jammed packed with stuff. Also, as a follow up to an earlier post, Russ made both Law Review and Moot Court. He also received an A in his Intellectual Property Survey Course this summer, so he has had a very successful summer!

I also had to say goodbye to something work related on Friday. My group is moving to another building. We had to pack up all our desk and office area for us to move down the street to another building. It will be nice to see the new office environment, as they are trying out lot of new and innovative ways of setting up office spaces. Before, if you were a manager or above you had an office that was on the outside of the floor, so along the windows and all the others had high walled cubes and u-shaped desks. Our floor, had three conference rooms and a "breakroom" but all that included was a refrigerator, microwave, fountain machine, and vending machines. Our new space, all the managers offices are on the inside and the workspaces are on the outside with the windows. The workstations have a choice between fixed or free space. You can have the same desk everyday or float around. The workspaces are in groups of four with a table in the middle for collaboration and the desk themselves are L-shaped. They only come up to your high hip so you look around and see all the lights and heads. It also has five conference rooms, along with four other meeting types (hard to explain, will post pictures later). Our breakroom is a cafe style, it has booths and tables, along with hightops. It has a very open atmosphere so they put things in the ceiling for white noise. It will be an interesting, yet fun adjustment. It was sad saying bye to the other people who worked on our floor, we will still see them in the occasional meeting but not everyday like we were used to.

Friday night my parents had a going away party for our neighbors, Jim, Darla, Jordan, Stephen, and Austin. They moved in before Austin was born (I think he is eleven now....) so we grew very close with their family. Kara and I both babysat them over the years. Darla was another Mom to us, running us to doctors appointments, picking us up from school or soccer when Mom and Dad were at work. They were great neighbors and friends. Jim got a new job in Columbus so they are moving down there. It was really sad to say goodbye to them on Friday night. Hopefully, with the world of free long distance, email, and technology (facebook) our families will be able to keep in touch.

My other goodbye for the weekend was to my first car, 1997 Ford Explorer. My parents bought the car in 1996, it was the first of many SUVs for our family. It was good to go to soccer practices and games, beach vacations, trips to VA and TN for holidays, and Dad's weekend trips to Home Depot. Like all cars, Dad gets to drive them first then Mom gets them after about a year because it is nicer than our other car to drive clients around. I didn't get a car when I first turned 16, it was about six months later and actually the car I really got was my Granddaddy's Bonneville. As a teenager, I was not going to be seen in this car so somehow I managed to talk my parents into letting me drive the Explorer. In January 2002 the Explorer became my car. I loved that car. I would wash it every Sunday and it was great for all our adventures around town. I took it off to college, which was great for loading up all my stuff to Tennessee. Dad would still use it on the weekends or when I was home for his weekly trips to Home Depot. When I was in Italy in 2005, Dad was driving my car that summer and it died on him. Of course Mom freaked out and said that she did not want me driving it again so that resulted in me getting the a new car and Dad stuck with the Explorer. It was the alternator that went out. Dad drove that everyday until Christmas this past year when Granddaddy once again gave us his car. Luckily, Granddaddy made the decision to stop driving so our family did not have to go through that battle. He was very generous and gave his car to Dad. The Explorer sat a lone on the driveway from January until August 1st when Dad donated to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. There were many great memories with that car, it was actually sad to see it go. It held up pretty well too!

Our final goodbye, which isn't necessarily a goodbye, goodbye but it was a goodbye for a couple of weeks or months was to Kara. She went back to college on Saturday to get ready for her sophomore year. Over the past couple of weekends, we spent going all around town looking for decor to her new room and boy did it turn out so cute! Sophomore year was probably one of my best years in college and I hope the same for her!

Birthday Celebrations

Growing up having a summer birthday had its pros and cons. You were always out of school for your birthday and you could have pool parties. I pretty much had some sort of pool party almost every year. Though, having a summer birthday a lot of people forgot about it since you did not have your locker decorated by friends to remind others, the school announcements didn't exist in the summer, and all those other things. Now with facebook, people do not seem to forget it as much. This year my birthday was so nice, not only did I get to celebrate it with lots of friends and family but I had multiple get togethers. I guess it makes up for last year....

To start off my birthday, some of my high school friends (Allison, Tony, Matt, and Summer) came out of Gwinnett County to meet Russ and me for dinner at Noche in the Virgina Highlands. Noche is a tapas restaurant that did $10 all you can eat tapas on Monday night. We had a great time and enjoyed the food, drinks, and atmosphere. We ended the night with water-ice from Ritas!!

Russ, Me, Allison, Tony, Summer, and Matt at Noche

Kara's birthday is six days before mine and Father's Day always falls somewhere during that time or on my birthday so instead of doing three separate celebrations we combined all three this year. Since all of us were actually in town for the weekend before my birthday and Father's Day, Dad planned a trip up to the North GA mountains as a family. We decided to go on a picnic then go hiking up to Amicalola Falls. Mom cooked fried chicken, coleslaw, and pasta salad for the picnic. We enjoyed a beautiful drive up and had a great homemade picnic lunch. Mom decided to stay behind and read while the rest of us hiked. It was a steep hike but the end view was worth it. We had a great family day together, which does not happen very often these days.

Top Picture: Mom, Russ, and I at our picnic
Middle Picture: Kara, Dad, and I at the top of the Falls
Bottom Picture: Russ and I on the way down from the Falls

Jersey Boys came to Atlanta and played at the Fox. I told Russ months ago I wanted to go to it while it was in town. I love going to The Fox let alone to see a musical. It was here during the month of June so we ended up getting tickets for Sunday night which was part of my birthday gift. Thanks to my Coke discount, we got half off the best seats in the theatre! Russ and Ihad our date night for the weekend seeing the show. It was a great show, I highly recommend it if it comes near you!

Outside of the Fox Theatre

Since I was going to be out of town on my actual birthday, Russ cooked me dinner the night before. He made an amazing dinner, Shrimp and Grits, a recipe from Southern Living!! He also remembered how I prefer cookie cake over other desserts so he completed our dinner with a yummy cookie cake.

Thursday (my actual birthday) I spent at work then drove up to Nashville for Sheryl's wedding weekend. On my way to Nashville, everyone called me to wish me a Happy Birthday! I think I only drove 10 minutes out of a 4 hour drive where I was not talking on the phone. It made the trip fly by. When I got to Melinda and Jonathan's we went out and had drinks and Emily Anglin joined us! It was such a great birthday! I spent the rest of the weekend with all my friends from Tennessee, I could not ask for anything better!

Me, Sheryl, Melinda, and Rachel at Sheryl's Rehearsal Dinner

Thanks everyone for making this past birthday one of the best birthdays!!!