House + Life Updates

WHAT A LONG WEEK! But... I survived. We survived. And it looks like the weekend will be just as long – between setting up our new house and picking up our current house since it looks like a bomb went off and we have our 6 month walk through this week. Beh. I am not amused.

.life.
Well. Most importantly. Alabama is officially back to back national champs. ROLL TIDE. And that made for the start of a great week. Monday was a long night, making Tuesday painful.  But it was 100% worth it to watch my boys raise the crystal again! Mulligan was obsessed with my shaker and wanted it, but he eventually gave up and sat his 90 pound body on my lap! ... now we have to wait till September for the fun to begin again!

I am super bummed that my #1 FlyWheel instructor got fired this week. something about “complaints from customers” – but hey hello – there are SO many other classes and teaches just take another person’s class. Duh. But –that gives me an excuse to try out the weeknight classes since I going from work is WAY closer than going from the new house.

I had an impromptu trip to Birmingham on Thursday for work and it was scheduled to be a 2 day trip, turned into a 1 day trip... making Thursday a long day. But it was good. A good productive day for the big project I am heading up. Now. Our client needs to pull the trigger so we can get rocking and rolling.

.the house.
last weekend was a mess. i will spare you the dirty details, but long story short we had appliances scheduled to be delivered and they were cancelled last minute. but. after i was a total bitchface to every best buy employee that crossed my path we had a new appointment. and then today... dun dun dun...

I love the upgrade. it was stressful and a pain, but it makes the kitchen look so much better. between the knobs i changed out a few weekends and the appliances our kitchen is a great spot. Now, I just need to get the counters upgraded to granite. And... that won’t happen for a few years. Sad. The only bad: our oven is sticking out about 2 inches because of how the gas pipe is. it doesn’t bug me – but it drives kyle crazy. he will have to deal!

I also spent HOURS putting contact paper in the drawers and cabinets and I am not done yet. And let me tell you. Contact paper is a freaking nightmare. No one warned me how pesky and uncooperative it is. And to think, that project continues next weekend or the weekend after that. Le sigh. if anyone has tips please, for the love, share.

I also decorated our guest bathroom/kyle’s bathroom and it looks great. and kyle actually does not mind the shower curtain. it is the little victories! {i promise, the walls aren’t yellow.}

And my most favorite.  My wrapping paper organization from the Container Store. It was expensive, but 100% worth it to get it all organized and in one place.

But, I am going to spend the rest of the weekend lounging, packing, and trying to clean up the mess that is our rental house. Anyone want to come help?!

Alabama vs. Auburn :: 1 more day

TOMORROW IS GAMEDAY!!!

This video is my FAVORITE! It brings back so many game day memories in Bryant Denny. I remember being fixed on the big screens just watching this video! And there was always SO much excitement in the stadium when this video started (and through the whole thing). Oh what I would give to have season tickets (or be a student again).

Perfection.

 

“I’d like people to remember me as a winner, cause I ain’t never been nothing but a winner.” – Paul Bear Bryant

Alabama vs. Auburn :: 6 Days!

If you watch ESPN at all – you have seen this video {or at least should have} . But it is still so awesome on so many levels. Roll Tide. Beat Auburn.

"Roll Tide" is a universal expression among 'Bama Nation, versatile and applicable in nearly every situation as a greeting, farewell or standard cheer or praise.

Alabama vs. Auburn :: 7 Days!

.the best game. my most favorite game. we are one week out from the game that means the most. the iron bowl. my fingers cannot even contain my excitement! {explains the big bold font} and records and wins and loses don’t matter – anything can happen at the iron bowl!

And. Every day leading up to the game I am going to post a video or a picture of something Iron Bowl awesome. To kick the fun off – this video comes from ESPN’s “Roll Tide/War Eagle” movie – which I feel is a must see for every Alabama or Auburn fan!

“They’re not actually even an eagle, they're a tiger. so I don’t know what war eagle means. So I hate it” – Mark Ingram

{ Friday Letters }

 

I have not done a Friday's Letters in awhile. And the last one I did, there was not even a link up. Lame. But, here I am with another Friday Letters.

 

Dear Alabama Football: For serious. Last weekend was just.too.much. I will be missing most of the game tomorrow - just do what you do best, win. Lets just wrap the season up, beat UGA in the SEC Championship and *hopefully* roll on into the National Championship game. And win that too. Roll Tide.

 

Dear Government: Ok. You have to figure out this fiscal cliff thing. This counry really cannot afford another recession. Another recession can and will hurt my company. The thought of my losing my job scares the crap outta me (Explanation of said fiscal cliff)  
 

Dear House Hunting: Should we really be doing this? Some people still tell me YES. Others tell me NO and to wait it out. And then people at the office give me the look like I have 17 heads when I mention house hunting and still going through with it. I need some direction! I like stability, I want to know that I can pay my mortgage every month on time.

Dear Real Estate Agent: Hi. I am a control freak. The fact that we have a 1:00 appointment tomorrow and I do not know where we are meeting makes me anxious. You saw my home buying worksheet. I like things planned out. I like to know what is going on. I don't like being in the dark, especially since we're meeting tomorrow and I do not know where. I am obviously going to need to set some ground rules tomorrow.

Dear Mulligan: You're a bad dog. I wish there was a temporary pound I could send you to so you can learn how the other half lives. But, I love you. 

Dear Bank Account: I am going to be much more careful with my spending until further notice. And I know this knee jerk reaction is NOT what our economy needs, but as mentioned before a recession can and will hurt my company and put my job stability in question. I need to save.

Dear Laptop: You're brand new and you suck. Why does my keyboard keep freezing?!

Dear Cold Weather: Where did you come from? I hate you! Where was fall? Seriously, I hate this weather!!

Dear Personality Profile I had to take: Yo. you stressed me OUT. I feel like "discussing" and "spontaneous" are 2 different things - I could not and am not both. And I do not think I can wait till the 29th to get the results and see what they mean. And the thought of doing it in a group setting, makes me anxious.

Beh. Well. I hope you have a good weekend! :)

I love Alabama Football!

You know when I posted a few weeks ago about how Football Season was starting with cute little funny pictures or whatever.  I WISH I had seen this video.  It would have been a much much better Alabama Football Kick Off.  Oh well.  Here is it now. 

"This is the beginning of a new day. God has given me this day to use as I will. I can waste it or I can use if for good. What I do today is important, because I'm exchanging a day of my life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever." –Paul Bear Bryant

I sure hope I can stay awake for the whole Ole Miss game tonight! 9 PM  Kickoff my time.  10 PM is my bedtime!! 

:: Friday Letters ::

 

We have all survived another work week or week in general. Give yourself a pat on the back. You have no idea how happy I am that we have a 3 day weekend ahead of us! I wonder just how many hours I can lay on the couch, watching TV just relaxing.

Dear Alabama Football :: YOU’RE BACK!! It has felt like forever.  Good Luck tomorrow, beat Michigan and lets have an awesome season!! But I am so so so happy! ROLL TIDE!

Dear Person who came to me for dog advice about at a pet store pup she bought :: Don’t come talking to me about a dog you want to buy from a Pet Store. Everyone knows how I feel about buying a pet. Buying from a pet store is WHY there are so many dogs in the shelters. Oh, you want a puppy – shelters are FULL of them and puppies get put down every.freaking.day.  ...and yes I did at the end of the conversation tell you to rescue from a shelter or a rescue organization. It was my civic obligation. Or something like that. end of rant.

Dear FlyWheel :: I am OBSESSED with you. Obsessed – with a capital O! I really need a 2nd job just to pay for your classes. I want to try and work this into my life a little more often that I already have.
If you’re in Atlanta and looking for a fun, fast, killer workout I recommend FlyWheel in Buckhead. Your first ride is free so... Go HERE to create an account and sign up for a ride!

Dear Kyle J :: Thanks for going to spin with me this past Sunday. I am glad you liked it and really impressed that you were able to keep up and bike 2 more miles than I did. Maybe we can work out more often together now? Is the competition on?!

Dear Mom & Dad :: Next time you visit Atlanta we have plenty of coffee for you (if you stay with us). I am a moron and bought decaf K-Cups the other weekend & we have decaf from the big mixture box. Le Sigh. So wasteful.

Dear Atlanta Home Buyers :: Quit snatching the houses I LOVE.  Kyle and I are seriously looking at buying a house early next year and I have my list of faves. Quit taking them from me.

I hope everyone has a safe and fun filled holiday weekend.  I hope my Tide starts their season off with a big fat W on their schedule. Happy Labor Day Weekend y’all!

are you ready for some football?!

It is seriously the most wonderful time of the year! :) Kyle and I live and breathe football in the fall {hence why we had a 16 some month engagement} and our weekends are forever booked until football season ends.

So very very ready for kick off the weekend! ROLL TIDE! BEAT MICHIGAN!

* Random Rambles *

Tangets of life. Tangents of life!

• Ok. So get this. In Georgia {at one busy part} it is now legal to drive on the wrong side of the road. I at first thought that we were all going to die and it was going to be mass confusion, but so far it has been okay. The first time I did it, I could not help but think that I was doing something wrong. But I was not. Therefore, I have embraced Atlanta's Diverging Diamond Intersection.  I have not agreed that it has fixed said busy road's congestion issue but it has made the commute more interesting.  And {Granted it has only been like 2 weeks} there are still so many morons who have no idea what lane they're supposed to be in and I know they do this like every day.  For the love, follow the signs and do just what you did yesterday {as long as it was right}.
• I am so so so ready for football season.  79 days and counting. 79 days till we beat Michigan. And the Twitter war {that I did not follow other than cliff notes versions in articles} between McCarron and the Honeybadger have me so so so ready.  And it was recently announced that we play LSU at 7 PM and CBS will be airing it.  That just may be a Bama Bar game {and I will make Heather come into town} ... and maybe they will cross the 50 yard line.  ROLL. TIDE.
• 
  

  

  We put a sock on her paw to protect it!

  Oh our dogs. Our Dogs. Mulligan went to the vet on Saturday morning because we noticed for 2 weeks he was just licking and licking his paw. It turns out he must have gotten bit by a bug or something, making him lick and lick, and that created some weird skin condition that was brought on by the licking - making him lick more. And that all turned into a yeast infection between his toes. And Kennesaw. She had her first vet visit on Monday since getting her off the streets because she was limping something horrible and couldn't put pressure on her paw. We looked at it and she somehow sliced her pad and part of her paw in between her toes and they ended up actually removing part of the paw since every time she would walk it would rip more. yikes. painful. Two vet visits in like 4 days. oi vey. But don't get me wrong. We love love love our pups and we cannot recommend our vet {The Village Vets in Decatur} more than we already do.
• The Peachtree - I got my race number today and my corral BLOWS.  I am in corral U - I was in H last time.  Granted, I know that I have not been running, but I don't want to be lumped with the really slow people and I know that I will be walking/weaving for most of the race being in this corral {heck, I walked a weaved most of the race when I was way near the front because people line up in the wrong corrals}.  I am just wondering if it will be worth it.  And I could totally sell my race number - which is totally illegal in the Peachtree running world, but nothing about running this race gets me excited especially since I am so far back with a 8:51 start.  Anyone want to buy a race number?! :)
• The current great debate in my house is: do we file our taxes as married -1 or married - 0 .. I would like all the opinions in the world.
• Kyle and I merged our bank accounts this past weekend. And it was pretty uneventful. My panic attack 2 weekend ago about it was 100% because we had not talked about anything. I needed to get my accounts in order. talk about allowances and how we were going to save our money. and work on a budget. Since we hashed it all out and I made a pretty impressive Excel Spreadsheet to track our spending I was sane and okay and ready to merge.

• We have 8 savings accounts :: The moving fund, the buying a house fund, the just because fund, the oh we over budgeted this month fund, the baby fund, the college education fund, the future vacations fund, and the new car fund {which obviously won't be touched for 5+ years}!
• And.  We have decided we're quite the pair.  All this money management talk has made us communicate WAY more and we're totally on the same page.  Who needs premarital counseling?  Just merge bank accounts!!
• People drive me crazy. Crazy mad. I need a vacation or a mental health day. Or a mini moment of hibernation.
• I am FINALLY cashing in one of my Groupons and spending the morning at the spa on Saturday. Never have I ever needed a day of pampering as much as I do now. Massage and facial. Le Sigh.
• I AM SO SO SO EXCITED FOR THIS WEEKEND!  So excited there will be a super awesome blog post to follow.  Kyle and I are having a Netflix movie and TV show marathon {all after my spa day of course}.  And I mean ALL weekend starting Friday night.  We are gonna make mini pizzas on english muffins and then try all sorts of Pinterst finger foods - like hamburger croissants and home made mozzarella sticks.  Be prepared.  It will be a foodtastic post! :o)
• And... this weekend was dreamed up by my wonderful husband man ... only because he sat around and watched Ramona and Beezus and tons of 90210 episodes with me this weekend.  Love.  True Love.
• I need fun, sassy, funky blogs to follow.  Send me recommendations please!

:: thursday thoughts ::

I know I already posted today - but this is a tradition that I am trying to keep up with so you get two posts.  Plus that last one didn't really count since you know it was a picture.  Anyway.  Can you believe that it is already February?!  Where is the year going?  Before you know it, I will be married!

1. A few months back I was lucky enough to win a copy of Kristin Hannah's new book "Home Front" before it was released.  And let me tell you.  That was one fabulous book.  I couldn't put it down once I picked it up and I was dying to see how it ended.  If you're looking for a good book - I recommend it - but brace yourself, I was NOT ready for the heaviness of it.  But still.  Read it.

2.  I had my 1st wedding shower this past weekend.  {post to come} and am so blessed with so many awesome people in my life.  Kyle and I raked in some good stuff.  If only I didn't have to wait until AFTER the wedding to use it all.  I will say I was very very thankful that there were no shower games - no toilet paper bride or any of that.  And crazy me - the thank you notes are already done and will be mailed out tomorrow.

3.  Evidently the Georgia groundhog did not see his shadow so we're scheduled for an "early spring" - and to that I say BRING ON THE GOOD WEATHER!!  ....spring wedding, I need good weather.  And hopefully no rain on the wedding day.

4.  Kyle and I walked down memory lane today with pictures of our dog Kennesaw.  When we got her she was so skinny minnie and we fattened her up.  Goodness we love that critter and I am so happy that she got a good home after living on the streets.  We do joke with her though and tell her we understand and know why her family dumped her.  Mean.  I know.

5.  I have a bad habit of stalking our wedding registries and today I realized that someone out there bought us our Keurig coffee machine and I am so so so excited.  Truthfully, I never understood the hype and what the big deal was.  But then I went to St. Louis for work and they had one in the office and I used it each day I was there and immediately knew we needed one.  Kyle has started drinking coffee and I need it when I am REALLY dragging (which is more often than not recently) so I am excited to add that to our counter top! =D  We are going to need to have a yard sale with all the stuff we're swapping out for bigger and better thing.

6.  The RSVPs have been coming in and coming in.  And thus far we're at an 80 something guest list  I think the No's will starting coming in soon since the RSVP by date is coming up.  But... I think I will also be making lots of phone calls.  People, really?  We included a self addressed STAMPED envelope.  Send it back.  RSVPing via text message and facebook is not enough. Send the freaking thing back - don't take my joy.  I like coming home to RSVPs in the mail!!  Post wedding someone remind me to do a post on the etiquette of a wedding RSVP.  Legit.  We got one back with no name on it.  People need a lesson in RSVPing.  Good luck to Kyle's mom with the rehearsal dinner invites. Bless.

7.  But all in all, the wedding is coming together.  We just need to figure out our exit strategy and all that jazz.  I say vintage car.  Kyle says Lincoln Town car.  ;)  Let's see who wins this battle.  I scheduled my last wedding planning meeting, my hair and make up trial, my day of wedding hair (sadly, I have to go into a salon which is gonna take some major planning on my part).  The ceremony space is decided on and decorated. 

8.  Oh and ROLL TIDE! How about that #1 recruiting class.  Alabama just may never lose a game again.  one.can.only.hope.

:: thursday thoughts ::

I have almost survived another week - I am hanging on by a thread - but I am alive and making it.  Who would have guessed traveling can exhaust you as much as it does.  Thank goodness for a day off tomorrow - even though it is not a relaxing day off.

1.  MOST EXCITING NEWS EVER!! KYLE J GOT A PROMOTION!!  He wanted one (of course) but did not think he would get one, but then he did!  I am so so so excited for him and have been calling him the "Sr. Accounting Associate" rather than Kyle!  Hard work and patience does really pay off!

2.  I am not exactly sure why I am admitting this to the world wide web, but if this blog is 100% about honestly then why not.  So.  I was in Florida for work this week.  Started in Melbourne, had to go to Daytona Monday night and then had to go back to Melbourne.  Well.. Monday was the national championship {roll tide} .. at 7:00 PM in New Orleans.  I, for some unknown reason, thought that meant that the game was 6 PM my time.  No. No. It was 8:00 my time.  We are 1 hour ahead of New Orleans.  Worst part, I told the girls in the branch that I had to head out early to make sure I got in my hotel room and got settled in time for the 6:00 PM game.  Yeah.  I never said I was a math major or a brainiac. 

3.  I made the decision that I do not want a Volvo anymore but I want one of the new Jeep Cherokees.  Oh gosh do they drive like a charm and there are so many cool features.  Now I have to save my pennies {and Kyle's} to get one next year! =D

4. This past weekend my laptop decided it no longer wanted to be alive.  It went kaput. So Kyle J and I got to trout over to Best Buy so I could get a new laptop in time for my work trip.  I now just need to connect with my brother so he can pull important documents off my old computer.  You know things like wedding plans, our DJ Planning packet, and photographer shot list.  Yeah... all that fun stuff.  Along with my music and pictures from Mulligan's childhood {like his 1st birthday and 1st christmas}.  Gotta love all the financial blows.  Car. Laptop. Wedding Rings. Honeymoon.  Legit.  I need a part time job.

5.  I need a nap.  I am just so exhausted from all the work travel and I get to do it again in 2 weeks.  Weeeeeeee.  I think between traveling for work, wedding planning {that is driving me nuts} and life in general when I hit the beaches of St. Lucia I will be READY!

Three Things Thursday

how is it already November?!

1. wedding invitations have been ordered (and are actually sitting on my front porch as I type this....)!  I have not seen the completed look and I will see the legit final product (other than the proof) when I get home today. I am pretty sure my mom thought I was out of control since we thought I was settled on some and then as my mom was about to order the invites I changed my mind on the color scheme.  I wasn't in love with the blue - it was too bright and even though my mom and my friend Afton said that no one will remember the invitation it just bugged me.  so we went more with the color scheme - but more of the muted colors.  Yes - I am that out of control bride who has a hard time making decisions.  ....which i kinda how/why the purple has been kinda kicked out of the wedding ceremony decor but kept alive in the reception decor.  HOT BRIDAL MESS I TELL YOU!!  ....but anyway, back to the wedding invite.  I am glad there are extras left over because (a) I want to keep one for the guest book but (b) I want to make a Christmas ornament out of it.  I saw the ornaments on Pinterest and LOVE the idea.  You just cut the invite up in small pieces, curl them and then place them in a clear globe.  So cute, right?! And Kyle and I are all about sentimental ornaments - all of ours on the tree have a meaning behind them. :o)

2. I have my flower appointment in exactly 7 days!!  Flowers are legit the last BIG wedding decision we have to make (that we have control over). I am still in love in love with this bridal bouquet so here is hoping that those flowers are (a) in season (b) able to be put together and (c) looks just as good on the wedding day.  My Mom of course is coming down and hopefully she knows a little more about flowers than me because I know nothing.  And I am unsure how his appointment is going to work because it is at the venue not the flower shop... are they going to bring flowers to me?  Erg, I need to see the final product to make a decision. With that said, I think I am just gonna trust the florist on the boutonnieres (hopefully I can see them).  But I think the longest conversations/decisions will be over ceremony decor and reception decor. ...After this meeting it means the wedding is getting seriously close!  I hope everyone has their dancing shoes and party pants ready!

3.  So... Saturday is a HUGE game.  In case you have not been watching or listening or caring.  Alabama is #2 in the BCS rankings and LSU is #1 - so we pretty much have the national championship game this weekend.  Kyle and I are excited and nervous for this game.  It would be a big win for The Tide so I am hoping for another W.  And then a W at the SEC championship and then at The National Championship!! But most importantly, I am irked that some dumb LSU fan made shirts that have a picture of the US with Alabama missing with the tag line "Imagine a World Without Alabama" -- like, isn't it too soon?  We just honored the 6 month mark post tornado last week.  Many parts of Alabama were destroyed and are still struggling to recover and get over the heartbreaking storm.  Even though it is known that LSU does not have the classiest for best fans, it really is kind of too soon to be rocking shirts like that. Especially in a town that was devastated and destroyed.  GRANTED:  My friend from college said it best "So tacky... in a way it's them admitting that we're better though! "If Alabama wasn't there, then we could win this year!"   ROLL TIDE!  ok. so here is to an awesome win and hopefully another Tide win!

tuscaloosa, i love you.

if you know me, you know i love the university of alabama and tuscaloosa and pretty much anything associated to those two. crimson and white, bryant denny, paul bear bryant (“I ain’t never been nothing but a winner”), denny chimes, tuscaloosa, the houndstooth, tailgating on the quad, our fight song (we’re dixie’s football pride, crimson tide), the beautiful campus, rammer jammer, the restaurants, bear bryant, roll tide, the million dollar band, and well alabama.  I graduated in December 2006 and 4 years ago this month I was wrapping up my last semester at Alabama and enjoying my last football season.

my old college roommate got married yesterday and I of course wanted to celebrate her becoming Ms. Johns (and finally meet the infamous Mike) and it was a great reason to get back to the town that I do not go  back to often enough.  The wedding was beautiful, the bride was gorgeous, it was great to see so many familiar faces and catch up.  I am so so so happy to see my Stacey Faith with a great guy and so happy!  Other than seeing my old roommate and friends who I miss dearly, I had a few things on the agenda…

1. run around the campus, downtown, and my old neighborhood. tuscaloosa will always hold a special place in my heart and i wanted to see it by foot.  (ran part of campus and my old neighborhood and no dowtown}
2. i HAD to chow down at as many of my restaurants as possible.  {I ended up eating at mugshots – still great and Newks – um not as great as I remember. I wanted Pita Pit, but I was out of town before they even opened.}
3. pick up kyle a new alabama polo shirt since his is 2 years old and had a hole in it. {I ended up getting kyle a polo, mulligan a toy, and me a garter for my wedding!}

i decided to make my run fun and low key and decided to run the city and take pictures of my favorite spots, places I lived, and old stomping grounds and share them with you.  I really do love Tuscaloosa and wish I could get back there more than I do.  One day I will be a season ticket holder – I promise you that!!

 Total miles run around T.Town: 2.03 honestly, I was hoping for more, but I woke up late and needed to get back to  Atlanta so I just ran the quad, by the stadium and my old house on 13th street.  I was amazed how hot that city was (at 9 AM) and even thought there was a huge tinge of jealousy since everyone was moving into the dorms & their houses off campus as I ran, I remembered just how brutal it was walking to class in the late summer and early fall.  Campus was still pretty dead so I pretty much had the quad to myself, which was change from when I was in school.

My run was super easy and slow – just the  way I had planned it to be since I wanted to take pictures.  I parked next to our massive stadium and headed off campus towards my old neighborhood, took a picture of the house I lived in, and then headed back to the quad.  Cut through Sorority Row and landed on University Blvd. I had all the intentions in the world to run down to New Fraternity Row, loop around but when I drove by it yesterday it looked as if a lot of the roads were blocked off due to new construction on Frat houses (wait, PIKE has a new house?! since when?! and what is going up next to SigEp??)  So, I cut that out of my run and I also cut out the run up to Temerson Square – I am sure 4th and 23rd is still there along with new bars.  I know I already said it but it was crazy to see how much had changed.

It was the first time I had been in Tuscaloosa and did not go out to the bars (which was a very different feel) but it made it easy for me to wake up, run, and drive home.  The campus was SO different, frat houses got bigger and prettier, the stadium grew larger, new dorms went up, roads were created, restaurants and bars changed names and locations.  I guess that’s what happens 4 years post graduation.

I do want to get back there for some football games.  Kyle has been to Tuscaloosa and did the bar hopping thing, yet he has never be INSIDE Bryant Denny and well, if you’re gonna be an Alabama fan you go to experience the stadium on a game day!  

27 DAYS TILL KICKOFF!!!