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
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, October 31, 2009
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
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 Atlanta
Did I mention we ended up getting the same jacket at Stein Mart?
Did 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.
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.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
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....
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....
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