Catch Up not to be confused with Ketchup

Well, we have had a crazy couple of weeks. I think I last left off during our birthday marathon. One of my BFF's and roommates for life had a birthday, and we celebrated by eating some fabulous food! Susan is without question one of the best people on the planet, and I am so lucky I get to be her bestie. Hopefully, she can forgive an INSANELY late documentation of her birthday festivities. We had a blast and it was so great to have all our friends in one place! Happy Birthday Snazzy!!

The very next day we headed to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate our favorite FOUR year old. Which absolutely BLOWS my mind. We love L so much and are so proud of the sweet girl that she is. L will make anyone smile in 2.1 seconds. I know 4 will be such a great year for her! It should also be noted that Mr. Cheese's casino is bad for the Bubba... Totally addicted to winning tickets. I have never been prouder or more humiliated of his ability to score thousands of tickets. This is not an exaggeration. Thousands. Of. Tickets.

Cutest Ariel there ever was!

Between the birthday fun, we have been hanging out and having low key days. I found a great piece of furniture so I am excited about the little updates to our house decor. I am estimating I will have it decorated and organized about when we own it... You know in 30 years.

New chest and rug. Old Dog.

Over the weekend we headed to Memphis to see Mary Poppins (which was my Christmas present). We went with our friends Tyler and Mallory, and it was such a great and laid back weekend. We ate, shopped, talked, and watched Ms. Poppins. I don't know if it can get any better than that! The show was wonderful and renewed my childhood love for Mary Poppins. The only bad part of the trip was the last hour driving in TERRIBLE rain. Probably the worst rain I have been in in quite some time. At least there were no tornadoes like there were further south. I sorta failed at taking pictures, but we have a few to document the experience.

So fun. I sure do love Bubba.

Check out that RAIN!

Okay, last thing that I have missed on the blog, but not in my heart! My life-long best friend celebrated her birthday this weekend! I hate that I missed the festivities, but I know everyone had fun! Happy birthday Em!! Love you and hope your 27th year is a good one! Lord, we are old... we have been friends for 21 years. I mean that is the age that I feel in my heart. Too bad we are closer to 30! 

An oldie, but goodie. We were so tan.

This week should be low-key and a gentle build up to the most important birthday... Mine that is :). I'm only kidding about the most important part. Have a great week!!

Weekend Wrap Up

Sometimes, you just need a quiet weekend at home to do uneventful things like laundry. This weekend was just that. We took it easy and just had a really great, calm weekend.

Friday, we ate dinner with friends at the house. We barbequed chicken and just hung out. Nights like this make me so thankful for the friends the Lord has blessed us with. Sometimes, even though I love doing things, I like to just be at home. It is great to have friends that are close enough to eat in workout shorts with and laugh and have fun.

Saturday, I literally did not get out of PJ's until the LSU game at 6 pm. Then, I changed into a gameday tshirt. Can't watch the Tigers in any old shirt :). Saturday football makes my heart happy. I filled the day with laundry and every SEC game that was on tv. I swear that football on TV makes me more productive. Back in the days of law school, I would watch football on Saturdays and read for my entire week. It is my happy day. Call me strange. LSU won!! 41-3. Life was good.

Bad picture. Family time cheering on the Tigers!

Sunday, oh how the Lord blessed us. We woke up, and even a pessimist would believe that Fall is a fact and not fiction. It was a BEAUTIFUL morning and a crisp 57 degrees. This is roughly 6 million degrees cooler than the inferno that we usually live in. It called for a special treat. Breakfast on the back porch before church.

The Gert playing in the dew.

After church, we went to lunch with friends. Then went to see the girls new house which I loved! It already was looking like a good home. The rest of the day was spent wandering around window shopping, watching movies, and hanging out. Life is good. Here is to a great week!

Weekend Wrap Up

Somehow, this weekend turned out to be somewhat busy and we were on the go, but it was filled with great visits with friends and family so all in all it was better than we could have asked. I am going to cheat and include Thursday night because my parents came over to eat dinner and hang out with us. It was so much fun and we ate way too much at the Strawberry Cafe. We watched some of the Olympics and just had a grand time.

Friday night brought a Girls' Night for me and I am confident it brought video game playing for Bubba. It was so much fun to sit and catch up with all the girls. I met Susan, Whit, Sara, Lester, and A Fri at Chili's (which is a random place for us to eat but I was so excited to eat my meal of potato skins. Healthy much?). We just sat and talked for a ridiculously long time, and then we had to move the party to its second location Corner Bakery for some sweet treats. We shut that place down.  After an almost 4 hour dinner, we figured we had accomplished what we needed to.

Saturday was filled with fun! We started off with a baby shower for our friends LeeAnn and Garett.  We cannot wait until sweet Gracen makes her debut in a few weeks. Then we met up with some of Bubba's friends that were in from out of town and had a good catch-up. That night we went over to Joshua's apartment to help him get settled in a bit before he starts law school this week. (Thinking back about that time in my life made me SO glad I am on the finished side of law school and the bar.) We went out and ate and just had a really great time.

We celebrated Sunday in typical fashion. Church. Followed by lunch with family. We ate with Rebecca, Will and the Girls at the Fish House and it was fab. It really is so much fun to live in the same town as family. This is new for me and I really really love it. I only wish that John and Emily and baby C could ever move this way. We went on Sunday night to church for Small Group Kick-Off. It was so much fun and we are really looking forward to being in a small group.  We ended the night with about a 2 mile walk. I am sore still which is humiliating. Poor Gertie was exhausted after. Here is the proof:

This weekend was busy and fun and still had the feel of summer about it. I know that fall is creeping around the corner, and I honestly cannot wait.

Here's to a great week!

Date Night Farmer's Style

Tonight we went up the road to the Livingston Farmer's Market. It was such fun relaxed night with good food and good music. It might have been hot, but it sure was pretty.

We also saw Wyatt Waters who is a local artist that is very talented. He paints beautiful water color paintings. All in all it was a great night and right up the road. Can't beat that! Here are a few pictures of our evening. :) I had to take them because on top of the good food it really is simply beautiful in a charming way.

Wyatt Waters painting the blue grass band.

I love succulents.

Perfect end :)

Weekend Recap

I vow to take more pictures. This weekend was filled with so much family fun though I didn't have a moment to capture any.

We headed up to Anderson's parents house for a wedding shower and family time. It was so good to be able to rest and have fun with all those we love. My parents also came on Saturday so my mom could come to the shower.

So many people had such wonderful things to say about Bubba and his family that it just made my heart glad. Of course I had this opinion, but it is great to see it echoed by many.

We have been abundantly blessed by so many of our friends and family during this "wedding season." I truly am so thankful for everything that we have received, but more importantly we have been so blessed through the friendships with these people. This weekend was just another reminder of how blessed we are to have so many people who care about us in our lives.

We spent most of the weekend eating, swimming, sitting, and as the Baptist say "fellowshippin." I am so grateful for the ease that our families have blended together. I suppose it is because at the core our families are so similar. We do a lot of back porch sitting and frequently laugh at one another. All in all a wonderful and much needed weekend.

Can't wait to celebrate the 4th and all things America!

Summer Lovin'

Tomatoes are my love language. I love them. I would eat them everyday. But, I am also a snob, and my Daddy spoiled me with garden fresh tomatoes. Summer is not complete without a fresh tomato. Last night, we went to the Livingston Farmer's Market. It is so so neat. There is tons of fresh food and music and fun for kids. We are definitely planning on making it a weekly tradition. Our dinner was to die for. I love a fresh veggie. I am a farm girl in my spirit.

Before

We came straight home and grilled up a feast. (Well, after collecting Gertie from an unauthorized play date with Jethro). Perfect Summer night, that was hot as BLAZES.

After

You can't beat fresh food. Go support your local farmer. Your tastebuds will thank you!

Weekend Recap

I wanted to post about our fun weekend last weekend. I realize now that we are about as close to this upcoming weekend as we are to the last. But, it was a great weekend and needs to be recorded for posterity.

Bubba and I traveled home to my parent's house to celebrate Mother's Day and Father's Day. (I may not be punctual, but I do love my parents). We ate great food and spent some good quality time on the back porch.  Food and sitting are my two favorite activities to do at home. Which does make me seem like a glutton, but y'all. Nothing beats Louisiana food. If you disagree, you are just wrong and I am sorry. My dad also used us for some cheap slave labor. I don't judge him. It was smart and cunning.

Being at home also made me miss my brother and his family. In just two weeks, I will get to get my hands on this little baby.  C is precious. And I do believe Kate Middleton would approve of this hat.

After eating and sitting a bunch, we came on home, and I had a much needed pool day with friends. I have the best friends in the whole world, and if you disagree, well, you are wrong. :)  Nothing is more fun to do in Summer than sit outside when it is hot as blazes and talk about world affairs. You know the kind...Suri Cruise and her fashion sense, Dance Moms, the Bachelorette, and all things in Us Weekly. It was a great time of "serious" conversation mixed with an intense "swim workout" or maybe just sitting in the pool and talking.

Continuing with the theme of summer, I am ashamed to admit I ate peach cobbler three times at home (one time may have been breakfast), then I came home and made one with the peaches that Bubba's sister gave us.  YUM.  I declare it is so good I may just die.

This week has been a good one so far. We have been playing hard in those extra hours of light when it cools down to a frigid 93 degrees.

Could the Trio be any more cute. Bows and 4-wheelers.

Lastly, on what has been the longest post on nothing ever... A Gert story.  This dog is not afraid of "The Beast" next door, but is terrified of the vacuum. I found her hiding here.  Weird dog.  Just like her Mama.

Safety in Numbers.

Hope your week is just grand. Looking forward to this weekend when we are headed to Bubba's parent's house. I believe there is more eating and sitting in my future. Life is good.

DMV name change check!

One poor picture later... I officially have a new name! And a picture to haunt me.

Why is it that in all license pictures I have the ability to look slightly drugged?  

Circus Fun with the Trio!

On Thursday night, Bubba and I had so much fun taking our nieces to the Circus with Bubba's mama!  It was a blast!  I am not sure who was more excited...me or the almost 6, 3 and 1/2, and 1 year old.  I felt like I was reliving my childhood.  And shockingly, I still thought it would be so much fun to be a (humane) Elephant Trainer.  I met a circus elephant when I was little named Shirley, and I have been fascinated ever since.  They are just so adorable.  Well, The girls had a blast and were enamored with the sights, sounds, and sugar.  I think that between the three of us (we avoided a sugar high for the baby) we did our best to catch diabetes.

We are excited!

The trio.

The girls are such a huge part of our lives. (In fact, Bubba earned his nickname from these lovely ladies). We are so blessed to live so close to family. We try and get together all the time. The girls always make us laugh and just generally in a better mood. Life through the eyes of kid is always a little brighter. I laughed and laughed at the things they said about the circus. If their plans work out, we will have an acrobat and a dancer in the family. I wouldn't be sad at all about it!

Dancing Queen

Nana had fun too!

Best night! As you can se by the pictures :)

H2: The Rest of the Story

In my previous post we discussed days 1-3.  Days 4-6 now?  I think so!

Day 4:

Today was probably one of the best days we have ever had.  We decided to do a charter boat tour of the Napali Coast (which can only be accessed by water or air or long long hike in).  It was absolutely incredible.  The tour usually has about 50 people.  But, just with the luck of the draw we happened to be on a tour with only 10 other people on it.  We got to see the most beautiful views and see some really neat marine life.  We saw wild dolphins a whole large school that just swam along with our boat.  I was in heaven and shouting like a child.  We snorkeled off the reef and swam with sea turtles.  One came about 4 inches from our bodies. I felt like I was in Finding Nemo, and he would take me for a ride.  Now, on to the photographic evidence:

Have you ever seen such clear water?!

I declare. I am in heaven.

This isn't even edited or photoshopped cause like I know how to do that.

Day 5:

After all of our adventures, we took today easy.  We ate by the pool and didn't move from our chairs all day except for a refreshing dip in the pool.  Now, for a side story that will be relevant for our nighttime event.  My "light" beach read was a book that told all about Area 51, but more the military side of the story.  Okay. I may have picked that read thinking it would tell me about aliens.  Well, any time that we (America that is) did a secret mission, it would be under the cover story of "weather research."  Now, pause this story. I promise that this insignificant detail is important to a not quite amazing story that I have now built up too much.  Flair for the dramatic? I think so.  

Since this would be our last night on the island because we were flying out on the red-eye, we decided it would be perfect to catch a luau.  It was incredible!  The dancers were amazing, and the music and singing was live.  This production was far from the luau in The Brady Bunch.

Okay, play on the story about the book.  Kauai has a military base on it.  We met two guys who did research there for a private company.  Well, they explained something about lasers and calibrations of satellites etc.  When I asked what these calculations were for, they replied "weather research!"  Since I am now an expert on secret military talk, I instantly got over excited, convinced myself that they were developing super secret things, and then proceeded to thank them for doing weather research "for America."  Bubba wanted to die.  I humiliated him. Truthfully, I humiliated myself.  But I love a good mystery!

Day 6:

This was our last day on the island.  We ate good and just walked around some little shops.  Took it easy and just mourned the impending loss of the beautiful mountains and ocean.  I haven't expanded much on the food, but it was glorious!  I was in heaven because fish tacos were plentiful, and Bubba was in heaven for the mass amounts of rice.  Seriously, rice is served at every meal.  For breakfast, one may have rice or hash browns.  I found this odd.  Bubba thinks this is how our family should serve breakfast now. 

Happy kids.  Married 1 Week!

Well, the rest is history.  We flew home, and then ran to get Gert!  We missed her.  Once, I even asked Bubba if we could write her a song.  He simply shook his head in shame.  So did she when I sang it to her.

Oh. Mama. You so crazy.

Looking at these pictures makes me want to go back.  Instead, I will finish an episode of Deadliest Catch.

Peace.

Meg

Hulu, Hiking, and Honeymooning

We honeymooned (odd verb) in Kauai, Hawaii.  Let me just say... I. Am. A. Fan.  Our trip was absolutely fantastic and so much fun.  When people ask if we had a good time, I sorta cock my head to the side and think well duh?!  It is the only vacation I have ever been in where I (and Anderson too) got to do absolutely anything we wanted at any time.  It was so nice after planning so much about the wedding to have a week with no plans.  I figured that we would arrive at our resort and eat, drink, and lounge, BUT boy was I wrong! We were both so excited the first day to play and explore, and that never let up. The island was ah-mazing! Here is a quick daily recap.  You know so when I am old and blonde (I am thinking that when I dye my hair to cover the grey its my time in life to fulfill my inner desire for blonde hair) I can remember one of the best weeks of our lives.

Day 1 (I am skipping the travel part):

We took this day at a slow pace.  HA! That meant up at 6. I blame it on the jet lag or pure excitement because this was what we woke up to:

We set out to explore the island a bit in our ride for the week, a big red Jeep.  It did not disappoint.  We saw a HUGE waterfall, snorkeled off the beach in Poipu, relaxed by the pool back at the resort, and Anderson claimed to have eaten the best three meals of his life because each meal included rice. His own heaven.

                                       

    

Day 2:

This is the day in which I became a hiker.  You see, I would say I am in moderate to bad shape.  My last workout was in the 11th grade.  Don't you judge me.  I read in our guide book that this hike we chose was "easy to moderate."  I am here to tell those in guidebook world that they are "liars to blasphemers."  I am a flat lander. I thrive below sea level in humidity so thick you need to chew the air. We trucked it on a 4.5 to 5 mile hike in Waimea Canyon.  It was breath-taking.  I loved every minute that I didn't feel the sensation of possibly throwing up. We had an absolute blast. 

I love this picture.

This is for my Mama. She is scolding me as she reads.

Sexy and we know it.

Day 3: 

This is the day we hiked round 2.  My glutes felt it!  We also sat on a lovely beach that had no one around under a coconut tree.  Ocean to our left and mountains to our right.  I fell asleep for 45 minutes and had no clue.  I am pretty sure the Lord couldn't have hit perfection any more than that place.

This is about 1500 feet above the water. It was so clear you can see the coral

I think that I will conclude here and do part 2... because this is a very long post.  One not for the weak at heart reader :)

Mahalo!

Meg