MUCH NEEDED VACATION

So Kenny and I left Wednesday night and headed to Destin for our good friend's Lauren and Lowe's fabulous destination wedding. Kenny and I had been looking forward to going to the beach for a long time now. With all the stress of moving looming over us it was nice to relax and forget about everything with the new house and enjoy the absolute most beautiful weather.

We are talking not a single cloud in the sky the entire time. We barely even got into the water the entire weekend because it was so cool and there was a nice breeze. I still managed to get pretty burned, but I was in need of a little color.

The first night we were there all the boys wanted to eat all you can eat crab legs. So we went to some place that had them. I am proud to say that I managed to crack a few claws all by myself.

The day of the rehearsal dinner everyone layed out at the beach and then we had the rehearsal dinner that night. It was a lot of fun. Afterwards we all went out to Baytowne Wharf. We started out at the piano bar. It is kind of funny because there was another large group of people that were there for a bachelor party from Mississippi State so the bar was full of Bulldogs! Here are some pictures from that night!

See how red I was!

We made the piano guys drag Lowe up on stage where they then serenaded him with a very crude song.Then it was Lauren's turn. She did not want to go up there and they made her wear a silly hat! After the piano bar we moved to another bar where things got a little crazy but here are some pictures!
That is the groom in all his glory. We went home shortly after.

The day of the wedding we went to the beach for a little while and then I napped a lot of the afternoon. But adorable Shelton made an appearance. She was such a little water baby.That night they had the ceremony on the beach at sunset. Lauren looked beautiful and the ceremony was gorgeous. Afterwards they had the reception by the pool at the resort. It was so much fun.

The gorgeous bride

Inside joke. I was snatching his credit card from him. Just had to include this picture!

I promise the photographer set them up this way. Still a cute picture!

The happy couple in the cabanas. We are so happy for them and are so lucky to have them as friends. We had so much fun at their wedding and couldn't have asked for a better vacation. So much fun.

CONGRATS LAUREN AND LOWE!

EST. 2002

Kenny and I began dating September 20, 2002. As of Saturday we have officially been together(dating,engaged, or married) for six years. The reason we know the date specifically is kind of a funny story. Maybe I will tell it you sometime but in the meantime I thought you might like to see some pictures of us throughout the six years.

This is probably one of the first pictures Kenny and I ever took together. We had been dating all of three months when he came with me to my family's lake house on Lake Lanier for Thanksgiving. We are talking my entire family and then some! He was very brave. And we still laugh about a "Meet the Parents" moment when he was staying in the loft portion of the cabin and he came out and was stumbling to the bathroom to find everyone awake downstairs, dressed, enjoying their morning coffee and breakfast and everyone looking up at him. Anyway, in this picture we were about to obviously take the kayaks out for a little stroll around the lake.

Here we are in the Bahamas on Spring Break. Don't we look like babies in this picture. We had been dating for six months or so and this time I was the brave one and went with Kenny and some of his fraternity brothers to the Bahamas. We had a really good time. Kenny wore his hair long and curly like that through most of college. It wasn't until he got into the working world that he started wearing it shorter.

This was the last night of Bonnaroo in 2002. I have to differentiate between the years because Kenny and I went to Bonnaroo three years in a row. This was my first time and Kenny's second. I was exhausted, had not had a shower in three days and not one lick of make-up on my face. However, that year of Bonnaroo was so much fun. I don't know how we survived the heat and the conditions back then. I could not do it now. But it is definitely something we will tell our kids about.

This picture is hilarious to me. This was my junior year of college and Kenny's senior year. It is a party pic from a swap between my sorority and Kenny's fraternity. The theme of the swap was White wedding. I think my dress was supposed to be a party dress and Kenny and all his friends wanted to do it up Miami Vice style. Please know that my husband does not normally wear a gold chain. A good time was had by all and our kids will probably be mortified if we ever pull this picture out.

This is a pic we took right after getting engaged. Nothing too exciting. We were just happy!


And of course I had to include one from our wedding day! We were getting ready to leave the church and threw these hats on as a joke. My family is from Atlanta. You could tell how joyful we were.


So there is a little walk down memory lane. I might have to do this again because I know I have some really fun pictures from all the time that we have been together. Six years is a long time......and as Kenny and I always say somewhere around 80 more years to go!

I'M A BIG KID NOW! (LONG POST AHEAD)

So I am so excited that the house is done being painted. Aside from some things that we will do once we move in(like re-doing the bathroom and sprucing up the kitchen) the house is ready to move in! Kenny and I and my family are all swearing that we will never paint again! So are you ready for some before and afters! Here you go!

Here is the living room before:After:This is a different angle of the room, this is actually the dining room portion of the room. But you can see the color better and also see we painted the plantation shutters!

Here is the family room/den before:After: Its really gold because it will match some colors in our oriental rug and other furniture.

Here is the Master Bedroom before:After:
We did a very neutral color to match the furniture we already had. It is going to look really cute. Lena also made an appearance in these pictures. She likes the new house. Especially the yard!

Here is the guest bedroom before:And a few afters: This was our biggest project because of the wallpaper so I had to include some actions shots because Kenny took every bit of wall paper down himself!

Doesn't it look so much better. I have also bought new bedding from Pottery Barn from this bedroom so when I get it all dolled up I will update with another picture!

Here is the third bedroom which will be an office until a wee one comes along. We kept the color and just painted the trim. It still made such a difference! Before:After:Here is the kitchen that we will eventually redo but it is totally fine for now. We did not do anything to it but I thought you might like to see it!And no that is not a television above our sink it is a crank window. Everyone always thinks it is a tv.

Now that we are all done we have been focusing on packing the apartment that we have lived in for the last two and a half years. It is no small feat. However, it is fun to find all the wedding presents stowed away that we just did not have room for in the apartment. We are so ready to move and can't wait to be in our new home.

Last night we went and bought a fridge. We are very excited about it and feel so grown up! After lots of thinking and looking we decided to get a LG side by side. I just had not heard good thinks about the freezer on the bottom ones.

Isn't she so pretty!

And totally off topic......did anyone see Gossip Girl last night. It was the best episode so far for this season. It was so good! I can't wait for next week!

Told you it was going to be a long post!

ANY INDICATION?

If these are are any indication as to what our real children will look like.......well.........maybe we won't!

Just kidding! We will love any baby but this is funny anyway!

Here is little Elle Caroline

And then there is Kenny Fudge the fourth

Then I switched the pictures up a little to see if I would get different results.......I would never do my little girl's hair like that!

No telling where this baby came from.....hmmm.....

IS IT JUST ME?

Is it because my life is moving at a such a brisk pace or does the world seem really crazy right now. Particularly our country? I feel like everything that is going on in our country seems to be at a really heightened state.

First there is the elections in November so of course the news is swamped with coverage of who said and did what. The first debate between the two candidates is next week in Mississippi. I think that is really neat despite that my sister says Oxford is going to be crazy. However, I don't think anyone can deny that the mudslinging can get a little tiresome sometimes.

Then there is the stock market. Every morning when I watch the news it is more bad news. Our financial situation in America is the worse in the nation's history. That is big. And let me just say that I am so happy to be going through it now as a newlywed rather than if Kenny and I were getting ready to retire. We are young and things are not supposed to be super easy. Imagine if you were a few years away from retiring and you had to look at working another 10 years because of the state of your portfolio. Yuck!

Hurricane season has been a doozy this year. Gustav, Hannah, and then Ike slamming Texas, leaving many dead and thousands of people without homes or power. It is hard to watch the turmoil and the loss that Mississippi knows so well happen all over again to somebody else. The good news is that FEMA learned so much from what happened in Mississippi and Louisiana that they have really gotten their act together and have been quicker to respond.

And I think it is important not to forget that our country is still at war. American soldiers are still over there fighting. We are still losing lives and bringing home wounded. With everything else happening I have noticed that the war has taken a back seat to our country's other issues. I am thankful for what our soldiers are accomplishing and continue to accomplish in Iraq.

I did not mean for this post to be a downer to anyone, I just hope that our country steadies itself and things start on the upswing sooner rather than later. I am ready for some good news in the morning.

HGTV

As with everything in my life, if I am anxious about something that is happening or that is going to happen I avoid it completely.

When I was planning my wedding mind you with a wedding planner and my mother in tow. I was so anxious about it that I avoided anything that was wedding related. I did not watch wedding shows, I did not read wedding magazines, I did not bring the wedding planning up in conversation, nor did I really talk about it too much if I was asked. But once the wedding weekend went off without a single hitch, (Read: it was a perfect weekend) then all the anxiousness dissolved and I could enjoy all the wedding related things that I had been avoiding. Once the wedding was over I watched lots of wedding shows, talked to my friends about their weddings all the time, read wedding magazines. The whole nine yards.

Well this is the case with HGTV. Until now I was too anxious to watch this wonderful cable network because it made me too anxious because we wanted to buy a house. Now its the first channel I turn to when I turn on the television. It is a good channel to just have on because you can tune out for the most part and still catch all the results at the end. Some of my favorite shows include: House Hunters, Get It Sold, Property Virgins, My House is Worth What?, Deserving Designs and many many others.

Such a great channel for getting all kinds of inspirations and ideas. I already have an idea of what I want to do with our kitchen from watching the show. My mom has been addicted to this channel for years. Is this yet another sign that I am turning into her?

I guess when it is time for a wee Lacey then all the shows that have babies and children will be gone for nine months.

WHEW!

So sorry my blogging absence last week. Like I have said in other posts life is going at a whirl wind pace right now. I was very busy last week with a big conference that I was doing for work. So after several mornings of waking up at four a.m and not going to bed until very late I was exhausted.

Friday night we went to sushi with some peeps for our friend Lowe's birthday and then they all wanted to see the house so we went over there for a little while. Saturday morning, I went to my first provisional volunteer shift at Repeat Boutique for Junior League. I had never been there before....have yall? It was fun and I liked looking at all the stuff that people donated. After I was done with my shift I headed over to the new house to meet Kenny. He mowed the lawn in the morning and then we painted all the doors and trim in the hallway. It seemed like a small job but it took a few hours.

Things are really coming along on the house. We still have a lot to paint. My mom and sister are coming up here this weekend to help so hopefully we will get all the bedrooms knocked out. It is just a really long process. Kenny is very excited because he is getting to buy tools. Since we have been living downtown we have not had a need for any tools. Yesterday we went to Home Depot and he bought a weedwacker and a shrub shearer, and an extension cord. He loves it! We are starting to pack things up at the apartment which is another large and overwhelming job. We are hiring movers but we are still going to try and move a lot of the smaller boxes ourselves. We move in a few weeks and we are going to the beach for one of those weeks. We have a lot to get done! Can you tell that I am a little overwhelmed right now???

Saturday night, I went over to Susan's and watched the Mississippi State game. I have to say that I am kind of embarrassed of my bulldogs. I mean really 3-2. And we lost? What was Croom thinking??? Why did we not kick a field goal! It really stunk to watch my team lose like that!

Today's weather is so nice outside. Almost a little chilly. Ooooh fall. So nice! My thoughts go out to everyone affected by Hurricane Ike. Sorry this is a random post, but, well, my life is kind of random right now!

SEASON CHANGE

What is it about a season change that makes you so happy and excited. My friend Susan and I were just talking about whether we get more excited for Spring or for Fall. I would have to say that I get the most excited about Spring, however Fall is a very close second(despite my loathing for cold weather).

There is just something to be said for cooler weather, and the beautiful colors of changing leaves. Fall just makes me want to cozy up, make some soup and watch some football. Oh yes, and college football and NFL(in our house) is a huge part of the season. I still can't believe that college football has already started. Go Dawgs! Two of my favorite holidays are during the fall season. Halloween and Thanksgiving.

Since I was a younger I was kind of obsessed with all things scary. Scary movies, scary books (R.L Stine anyone?) ghost stories, haunted houses, spooky forests. I love it all.

I love when all the horror movies come on television around Halloween. I still like to watch Charlie Brown's The Great Pumpkin. I love Halloween decorations with their pumpkins, ghouls, black cats and witches. I cannot wait to buy some cute Halloween decorations for our new house! I love Trick or Treaters. I wish people still trick or treated more often. And who can forget Halloween candy in all their bite size deliciousness!

Either way fall is about to be here and bring on the all the fantastic things that come with it: cooler weather, college football, new television shows, fall clothes, changing leaves, pumpkins and mums, fun fall decorations, and of course Halloween!

FIGURE FRIENDLY

So as of Monday, I went back to eating better and really trying to pay attention to what I am putting into my mouth. We have a wedding in Destin in a few weeks and eating healthy can't really hurt. I find when I want to get back into eating better and better shape the low carb, low fat, no sugar works the best. (AKA South Beach). So I thought I would share some of my favorite go-to's when I am dieting!This one is a given. Everyone knows about Laughing Cow cheese by now. There are so many ways to use this wonderful spread. If you don't believe me click on the link for Hungry Girl on the side of my blog. But they have recently come out with some new flavors like French Onion and Garlic and Herb. Very tasty!This dressing is a brand new find and it is so delicious. I love the flavor of Sesame and this dressing has real sesame seeds in the dressing along with being sweet, but not overpowering. I had this with a salmon and spinach salad yesterday and it was soo good!This stuff is my friend in a big way. While I love all of these sugar free fat free flavors like chocolate fudge, pistachio, white chocolate, and cheesecake, Banana Cream is by far my fave. Banana Puddin is one of my all time favorite desserts. I L-O-V-E it! So whip some of this stuff up and put a little light whipped cream it is close to the real thing. At least when you haven't had any sugar for the last week or so.And while this might not be really part of my favorite diet foods, this is my favorite soup in the whole entire world. I would not mind if Campbell's would just drop a crate of it at my house. This is the only soup I eat these days and I have to have it at my house at all times. If I start to get low I restock immediately. For a few weeks I panicked because I could only find this soup in its newest yucky version of Special Harvest or something like that. I tried it and it was not good. Luckily I am still finding it on the shelves. If they ever discontinue it I will be very upset!