New Sidewalk

Once again, we had some work done to our house and I was very, very excited about it! Of course, we have pictures of the entire process. I took some the night before we had the work done. Russ was at home during the process so I made him take picture of the during and after to send to me at work. I just couldn't wait to see it when I got home!

When we moved into the house the front stairs were severely slopped. In Georgia, the code for stairs are not allowed to be more than 7 inches high between each stair, our step was 12 inches. If you had short legs or bad knees it was very hard to get into the house. Our sidewalk was also cracking and the drainage was not correct so we had that replaced while they did the stairs. Since the concrete people were already going to be out here we also had them quote us on pouring a new driveway to the side of our house. At the time we moved in it was all over grown ivy and weeds and the stairs to the side of the house were not attached. The price was right and thanks to our New Home Buyer Tax Credit we ended up pouring a side driveways and stairs to our house. The concrete people are replaced where I parked since it was cracked. I now can park even and do not have the door coming and slamming me in the face. If you have been to our house you all know how steep our driveway is, so this is a major bonus!

Our next project is to pressure wash the house then paint it. After all the painting is complete we will start to landscape. I love being a homeowner, I just wish I was not gone every weekend so I could work on the house.

This and That

I have not meant to abandoned my blog for the past couple of weeks but it has been very busy around the Dunlap household. If we aren't at work or school, we seem to be on the road and its only going to get worse.

Since the last time I blogged, Russ has officially completed his first year of Law School!!! It was a tough year academically and emotionally but we both made it through :) Thankfully, we have had many friends go through the same situation so we received lots of advice and tips. Russ is glad to have a year down but already busy again. Here I thought I would have him this summer but doesn't look like it.

Russ started off the summer with no job and lots of free time but that didn't take long to change. My honey-to-do list has been building up so the first weekend we went to Lowe's to stock up on things for Russ to do during the day. We bought an extension ladder so he can clean the gutters and put guttergaurds on, bought round up to kill all the weeds and poison ivy, nail hole filler to fill in the holes around our new windows, and other odd and end things. Well in the first week, Russ got a random phone call from the US Department of Labor and was interviewed. A couple of days later he got another call saying "HE GOT A JOB!" So Russ went from a slow summer to a very busy summer. Russ started his job this past Monday in the legal department with the US Department of Labor while also having Law Review due on Wednesday so he has been pretty busy.

I am very thankful he got an internship, any experience will really help him out for next year but now my honey-to-do list will continue to get longer instead of shorter...

I have lots more to update on but will wait to post more later. Just a warning though, I am about to start traveling pretty much all month so if you need me, you might want to book a month in advance!

A Week of Friends

It is not very often that I get to see any of my friends so it was a wonderful week this past week where I got to see five of them all in one week. I just wish I had more time with them all.

My week started off with dinner with Nikki on Sunday night. We live in the same town but hardly see each other so it was nice to show her our house and cook her dinner. She officially graduated Pharmacy School this past weekend so I am hoping I will get to see her more.

On Monday morning I flew out to St. Louis for a week long business trip, while standing in the lovely Atlanta Airport security line I run into Tara. Tara and I have been friends since high school and we also live in the same town but our schedules are so different it is very rare we get to see each other. She was also on her way out to St. Louis for business. As big as the airport is and all the different flight times I am so shocked we ran into each other. It was so good to see her even if it was only for 20 minutes. We got to catch up on her wedding planning adventures and I got to see the beautiful ring. We now have our first wedding for 2010 on our calendars.

While I was in St. Louis I went and visited Brittany, Dipal, and Jayden. I had an option of three places to go for this business trip, Milwaukee, Monroe, or St. Louis, and I picked St. Louis just so I could go visit them. I went over to their new house, Big Ed has done a great job decorating it. I was very impressed. I really wished I could have seen them longer especially their cute son, Jayden. He is probably the best child ever, whenever I have a baby I hope I have one as well behaved as him. Brittany and Dipal are expecting their second child within weeks. It was so good to catch up with them and see that they are doing so well!

My week ended with a trip to Nashville to visit Melinda. As soon as my flight landed in Atlanta, I got in my car and headed to Nashville. Russ was studying for finals all weekend so he did not miss me. Melinda and I had a wonderful weekend. Friday night we spent just catching up with each other and Saturday we had a Girls' Day. We went and painted pottery. Melinda painted a flower pot and I painted a wine coaster. I highly recommend painting pottery with a friend, it gives you something to do and you can talk the entire time, Melinda and I really enjoyed it. Also, might I add it took us 3 hours to complete, probably because the two of us are as close to perfectionist as it comes. We completed our day with a trip to the mall, it wouldn't be a complete Girls' Day without a visit to Macys and Ann Taylor Loft. That evening we had dinner at a really good Mexican restaurant then ran errands to plan Sheryl's Bachelorette weekend. Sunday, Jonathan went and got us breakfast while Melinda and I got ready for Sheryl's Bridal Shower. We drove over to Gordonsville to celebrate with Sheryl. It was good seeing Sheryl even though it was only for about an hour. We got to see all her wedding gifts and meet some of her family and friends. Melinda and I drove back to Nashville then I was off to Atlanta.

Though my week was filled with lots of travel and no Russ, it was all worth it since I got to see so many of my friends. I really miss the days we were all together and just randomly did things rather than planned them out months in advance. I am counting down to our next adventures with our friends, last weekend in May we are going to Memphis to visit Bill, Kat, and Becca as well as going to Cooper's wedding then the following weekend I meeting up with all the girls, minus a few, in Asheville for Sheryl's Bachelorette weekend. Allison and Russ both finish with school this week so I will get more time with the two of them as well.

It's A Boy!

My manager at CCE is having a baby boy in just a few short weeks. Since it is his first baby, we decided to through him a baby shower at work. You all know me and know how much I love to plan so it won't be a shock to you to hear I took the lead on planning it!

Onesies I printed the baby's name on for decor

Since it was a "Man" Baby Shower, we did not want to embarrass him even more than he already would be so we made it real simple but a surprise! We some how managed to keep it a surprise for over a month and get his wife to even show up to surprise him.

Everyone contributed money and I went out and bought tons of stuff and filled boxes up as well as bought them their jogging stroller Chris really wanted.

Chris with the jogging stroller

I had so much fun planning it, I really think I want to plan parties and events on the side, maybe even be a personal shopper. I love buying gifts for people and putting together packages!

Some of the gifts

Full Swing

Russ is in full swing for studying for finals and in complete stressed out mode. I don't think I thought I would ever say this but thank goodness work has kept me busy and working late. With it being finals time, Russ stays late at school and with me working late that is less time I am alone at home trying to figure out what to do with free time.

Everyone always wishes they had more free time but I find when I get it, I do not know what to do with myself. Like today, Russ had a jammed packed day and it was so nice outside, so I did not want to sit in the house all day and I can't start planting flowers yet so I had no idea what to do. Thankfully, Mom took the day off from showing houses and we spent the day together. We drove around looking at house trim color since we are about to paint our house. Then went up to Jefferson, GA to some old Mill factory to walk around a warehouse full of home decor. Some how we managed to only spend $10 on decor and $15 on lunch, we had a good day together and didn't spend much money!

Russ did take a break from studying to eat dinner with me so that was nice. I think over the past week, we only ate dinner together once. He did also take last night off from studying since Darren and Mary stayed the night with us. We wish they had stayed longer but they were on their way to Florida and Russ needed to get back to studying.

After May 7th, I will have Russ back hopefully. He has managed to give himself a full summer, trying to write onto Law Review, trying out for Moot Court, studying and taking the Patent Bar Exam, one night class on Thursdays, and hopefully getting a job. Oh yeah, plus helping me around the house! There is always something going on in the Dunlap household. I guess I should take advantage of all my free time and stop worrying about how to fill it up.

It's Prom Season

April is Prom season in Georgia. All the girls are busy trying to find that perfect dress and hairstyle, and making sure they are dressed to the nines for their high school proms. The guys have to remember to pick up their tuxes and wash their cars to pick up their dates. Looking back at it now, between finding the perfect dress and hairstyle, ordering the boutonnieres, making sure you match your date, having transportation to the events, and making reservations is a small look into preparations for a wedding. We had a "Prom" of our own to go to.

Last weekend, was the Barrister's Ball, also known as the Law School Prom. When I hear the word Prom, I begin thinking of all the fancy dresses and spending the day getting all dolled up. Luckily, the Barrister's Ball was not that time consuming. I actually spent the day hiding Easter eggs for our church Easter egg hunt and shopping with Kara in the afternoon. An hour before we were suppose to leave I then decided to get ready. Kara helped me with my hair and I got dressed. I did not even buy a new dress but I did buy new shoes though! Russ showered and through on a suit. Easy enough!


There are a couple of things that made the Barrister's Ball better than Prom. The event was at Park Tavern, which was a really neat venue. It overlooks Piedmont Park and has amazing view of the city skyline. The other great thing about it was it was an open bar, you won't get that at a high school prom!

I spent the night learning more law terms than I think I will ever use in my lifetime but it was nice to get to hang out with Russ's law school buddies besides having them over to watch football. They are all a great group of people and I did have some stuff in come with them. I think all the law students needed an excuse for a night away from the books too.

Honey, I found your ring!

This morning I came running out of the bathroom to tell Russ I had found his ring. Once I woke him up and he seemed excited I proceeded with "APRIL FOOLS!" He told me I was mean and turned back over and went back to sleep. I thought it was a good one!

I know that was horrible to do but I had been planning it for a week and I love doing April Fool's jokes. Every year when I lived at home I would get my Dad with the same trick. I would put a white hairband around the sprayer so when he turned on the water to fill his coffee pot it would squirt him. He never learned, when I went off to college I would call my mom to remind her to do it. He wasn't too happy about it because he would always have to change. I remember one year it was laundry day and he was wearing his last clean dress shirt, oops....

I love to do little jokes, nothing harmful or really mean, just enough to get a mean look for a second then a laugh. I already have one planned for next year....