Confessions of a Starbucks-aholic

Fall-Themed Engagement Party

2011-12-11T13:22:00.007-05:00

I'm a little late on this post. Actually, a lot late. I was a little late when I started it and then blogger has been weird and won't let me upload pic. Anyone else having this issue? I digress... When we (me, C, his parents and grandmom) went to Colorado for Thanksgiving, my parents through us an engagement party. It was a fabulous party and a great opportunity for our Colorado friends to meet everyone.

Parents' front porch. Didn't get a picture, but she had pumpkins all over the flower bed as well.

We tried to emulate what the invitation looked like.

Mini bottles of sparkling cider as favors for people to take.

Dining room tablescape. My mom was so creative with those pumpkins, as you know that's how we got engaged.

Kitchen tablescape.

Individual pumpkin mousse. Delish!

My handsome, groom-to-be.

Sweet parents who threw this fab party. Can you tell the apple doesn't fall far from the tree? My love of entertaining definitely comes naturally!

Little bro (who'd unfortunately already changed out of his uniform)

My 2 besties, and fellow Delta Zetas

My friend Eric and his gf who is an amazing baker and cook.

Shawna, who is like my other half (besides C, obviously) she got engaged 1 motnh before me and her wedding is 6 months after ours. We've already figured we'll have kids at the same time.

2 dear friends, Heather and Mandi.

It was a great time and a fun Thanksgiving (which I promise to post on as well, LOTS to catch up on). 3 months from today, (the next Friday the 13th we'll have) I will be Mrs. Wilson and I absolutely cannot wait!

No Ordinary Party

2011-12-01T20:46:00.010-05:00

WARNING: Nerd Alert!!!
In honor of Breaking Dawn, coming out I just had to have a party! (As if I've ever really needed an excuse.) It was an evening filled with cocktails, Taylor Lautner, food, Taylor Lautner, the movie and oh, did I mention Taylor Lautner? Bless his heart, he can't act but he can wash your shirt on his abs!

I lucked out and found all this Twilight themed supplies at Party City, marked down to .50 because it was from Eclipse. So I just bought the generic Twilight themed items.

I printed off these cute quotes and drink labels online and put them in frames I already had around the house.

My friend, Whitney, brought over lots of yummy snacks!

Team Jacob!

At the movie! PS: Everyone was our age or older, I think I saw maybe 1 or 2 teenagers. They said the average aged woman who attended was 37 1/2. Weird.

Happy Thanksgiving, Y'all!

2011-11-23T13:00:00.004-05:00

Blogger issues and a busy schedule has caused me to be a slacker with the blog. Here's the link to a snippet of our engagement pictures. Kevin Barre is an amazing photographer!

http://kevinbarrephoto.blogspot.com/2011/11/jennifer-christopher-memphis-engagement.html

This one is my favorite:

Headed to Colorado tonight with the fiancee, future in-laws and soon to be grandmom-in-law for Thanksgiving. Lil bro will be home, too. It's going to be a fun weekend, culminating in an engagement party given by my parents. Really looking forward to hanging out with my brother. If you'll remember, here we are back in 2009's Thanksgiving festivities:

Have a blessed holiday and safe travels to everyone!

Thanks: Day 11

2011-11-10T10:46:00.006-05:00

Yes, I admit I have been terrible at keeping up with this. Blogger has been acting weird lately and wouldn't let me add pictures, my mom was in town last weekend and work is crazy busy. I know, excuses, excuses. I will post later of all the things I'm thankful for from the past few days but today I want to focus on something I am extremely thankful for every day, but especially today I am thankful for our veterans.

I am so thankful that I live in this wonderful country, which is only wonderful because of the men and women who have been willing to fight for our freedoms in the past, currently and in the future. I've had so many in my life. My grandfather fought in the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, I've had many friends from high school who have served (including my friend, Eric who took me to the Miltary Inaugural Ball. Remember this?) I am most thankful for my younger brother, Kyle, who is serving in the Marines as we speak. While he is still in training at this point, his efforts are great and I know he will serve proudly no matter where he is stationed. Here is the post from his graduation from bootcamp.

Just remember: While you're enjoying the day off because of this holiday, or complaining that you don't get it off (as I was), these men and women don't get a day off.

God bless America!

Thanks: Day 4

2011-11-04T17:15:00.005-04:00

I am so thankful for my sweet fiance Christopher. He has been such a blessing from day 1 and a true answer to a prayer. I cannot wait to start our new life together as husband and wife.

Thanks: Day 3

2011-11-04T05:37:00.001-04:00

"May she who gave you birth be happy." Proverbs 23:25

Today I am thankful for my sweet mommy who is visiting me right now! We are going dress shopping on Saturday along with C's mom and I am soooooo excited!

Here I am with her when she visited this past spring.

Thanks: Day 2

2011-11-03T17:27:00.002-04:00

Today I am thankful for my friendships. Yesterday I had dinner with an old friend. We go back to Girl Scout days as well as church. It was a great evening, that turned into a 2 hour dinner. I am thankful to get reacquainted with old friends. The following I think is appropriate especially considering we were Girl Scouts together:

Giving Thanks

2011-11-01T18:13:00.004-04:00

As we enter November, Thanksgiving is on most of our minds. This year I am particularly excited because Christopher, his parents and his sweet Grandmom Betty are all coming home with me. My parents are throwing us an engagement party while we are home. It is so easy to get wrapped up in things that it's easy to forget the meaning behind this holiday as well as the next big one coming up. (Yes, I'm already thinking of Christmas. I do love it so!) So, I've decided each day to reflect on something I am truly thankful for each day in a post. They won't be in any specific order. Whether it be big, little important or might even sound insignificant let us never forget what we are thankful for and God's abundant blessings He continues to bestow upon us.

DAY 1:

I am thankful that I am healthy. Today marks day 2 of Adventure Bootcamp. Each morning after I'm done I remind myself how blessed I am that I am able to work-out. I know there are people that would love to just have the ability to walk. So, I have to remind myself I have no room to complain and every time I do I remind myself I AM ABLE.

This is my favorite Bible verse and it deems appropriate:

YES!!! (That's what she said)

2011-10-18T21:12:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I meant to post this awhile ago but I've been so busy PLANNING MY WEDDING!!!!!!

That's right, I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It happened 3 weeks ago today. This is how it all went down. Christopher asked me if I wanted to come over on Thursday and go for a walk, grab a bite to eat and watch Jersey Shore. None of this seemed weird to me, as we do that every Thursday. (Yes, we watch Jersey Shore every week. We are on the guido bandwagon.) Well, my friend Lana asked if I wanted to grab drinks Thursday after work. So, I told Christopher that I'd just meet him at his house later on. Well, he acted all disappointed and said he really looked forward to our walks. Ususally he doesn't care if I change our plans so when he acted disappointed I felt bad and cancelled drinks. So I got over to his house and we started our walk. We walked from his house over to Powell Road Park in Collierville. I noticed he was walking awfully fast and I asked him what his hurry was. He said that usually I get on him for not walking fast enough. (This is true, usually I'm telling him to speed up that we won't burn any calories if we just stroll.) Half way through, I asked him if we could just go back that I was hungry an just wanted to go eat. He'd promised me La Haceinda, our favorite Mexican restaurant. He said we're halfway through we might as well finish. Little did I know that all these things I was doing were making him a nervous wreck.

So (thanks to Kim's mad camera skills) here we are walking:

Now as we came back around to almost where we'd started. I saw these pumpkins lined up, but from the back. I told Christopher what a brilliant idea it was to carve your pumpkins in the park then you wouldn't have a mess to clean up at home and how we should do that. I saw people in the picnic pavillion and just assumed they had carved the pumpkins.

Little did I know, they had this carved into them...

So as we're almost to the end of the walking trail there are people running suicides on the path. So C says let's just cut through the grass. to which I say, "Why? They'll move." Again, something that probably freaked him out. Anyway, I follow him through the grass. He starts walking over to the pumpkins. Now, at this point I'm thinking: "Great, he's going to look at these pumpkins and chat with the people who carved them and I just want to go eat!"

So I walk over...

When I first looked at them, I thought they'd carved their names in them. Then, I realized what they said.

C says to me, "Oh, we don't want to mess up someone's proposal we should probably move." And I'm thinking yeah because all those people in the picnic pavillion are probably waiting for this couple and we're standing in the middle of it. So I start to walk away.

At this point, C says "Wait, these are for you." My reaction: "No freaking way!" (and at this point I still have no idea someone's taking pictures, or videotaping for that matter)

The BIG moment!

No, there was not a "NO" pumpkin.

So relieved all his plans went without a hitch!

So, so happy.

Our sweet friend, Kim who took all these fantastic pictures.

Our friend, John, Kim's husband who video recorded it all. I had no idea when we walked past those bushes he was standing right there.

We've already started planning. The date is set and the location is booked. We are super excited for all the fun planning and preparing we have over the next 6 months. I've also decided that this won't become an "all about our wedding blog."

Absence

2011-10-04T09:40:00.001-04:00

Sorry for my absence. When I cancelled my cable, Comcast (2 weeks after the cable went away) decided I must've meant cancel everything! IDIOTS! So, I am without internet until Thursday (only9 days after I called them.)

The Couch to 5k

2011-09-15T09:26:00.003-04:00

I am training for a 5k. Yes, you read that right. Y'all know I am not a runner. However, I want something to work towards and I need to work out. I have never been a gym rat. I have never been this girl:

But I would like to be. If I do run, I am on the treadmill running a max of 2 minutes. I need the treadmill physically forcing me to run. So, this will be a challenge. I found The Couch to 5k program on another blog, Pawley's Island Posh. Check it out, Julia has fabulous taste in clothing and decorating! I have done two days of the program and so far, so good. It starts out slow, and it's only 20 minutes. It's a 9 week program. I have chosen to participate in the Memphis Grizzlies' 5k. It's part of the St. Jude Marathon. Maybe I'll do that next year. Wait, let's not kid ourselves. I'm excited to have something to work towards and it's a great cause.

I can do this. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

From the halls of Montezuma...

2011-09-07T17:39:00.008-04:00

My little (well not so much anymore!) is officially a US Marine. We all went to San Diego for his graduation. Painful, I know. Although it was a short trip spent mostly on base, we did get to go to the zoo, the beach and eat In N Out twice. Here are the highlights of the graduation:

I thought this was poignant, and pretty much summed up the whole trip.
Here is our first view of him after 3 months. Where'd all that hair go?
Here he is 4 years ago, a month after he graduated high school. Yeah, there's just a slight difference.

After we saw him (from afar) they did a 4 mile "motivational run." He said he can now run 3 miles in 14 minutes. I guess all that track and cross country in high school paid off:
Again, lots more hair back then!

The whole family, after he was finally turned over to us. (Just for the day, and we had to stay on base. PS The base has a department store where everything is super cheap and there's no sales tax. I wish I'd bought the Michael Kors bag, but I did get a Lacoste polo for Christopher. Orange, of course, for trips to Knoxville this fall. Oh! There was a Starbucks on base. God bless the Marines.)

His first Coca Cola in 3 months! (probably the #1 reason I couldn't be a Marine ha!)

Proud big sis! Confession: Everyone made bets on whether our mother would cry or not. We all lost, she didn't. Not that we could tell. They should have bet on me.

End of visitor's day. Kind of a tease, we had to give him back until the next day.

The graduate! (2nd from the back)

Proud family

Of course, I wanted an "An Officer and a Gentleman" picture!

Put the dress blues on just for me, since I wouldn't be flying back to Colorado with the rest of the family. Looks sharp!

Banana Pudding Cupcakes

2011-08-28T12:06:00.006-04:00

So my friend, Katie (check out her blog Confessions of a Suburan Housewife) told me about recipe for banana pudding cupcakes. I think she told me so I would make her some. Just kidding, but seriously. Well, yesterday I ventured out and made them. The result: pretty darm tasty!
Banana pudding cupcakes, how could I resist these cute monkey cups?
Here's the recipe (from food.com):
Cupcakes:
36 vanilla wafers
3 medium ripe bananas
1 (18.25) package yellow cake mix (Yeah, I know I always say I don't use cake mixes, but seeing as it is just one ingredient I don't think it counts)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup milk
3 large eggs at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Filling:
2 cups milk
1 (3 oz) package vanilla pudding mix
3 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
2 medium ripe bananas, cut into 24 slices
*Note: I halved the recipe

1) Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line 24 cupcake wells. Count out 12 vanilla wafers for the garnish and set aside.
2) Place the remaining 24 vanilla wafers flat side down in the bottom of each cupcake well, set pans aside.

3) For the batter, mash the bananas with a fork until smooth, about 1 minute; you will have about 1/4 cups.
4)Place the cake mix, oil, milk, eggs and vanilla in the bowl with the banana puree; blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl.
5) Increase mixer speed to medium and beat another 2 minutes, scraping sides of bowl as needed.
6) Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each cupcake mold, filling 3/4 full. You'll get 22-24 cupcakes.
7) Bake until cupcakes are golden and spring back when touched, 18-20 minutes. Cool on wire racks for 5 minutes; carefully remove the cupcakes from pans and cool 15 minutes of rack before filling.
8) Meanwhile, make the filling. Place the milk in a medium saucepan. Whisk in the pudding mix until blended.
9) Place pan over medium heat and continue to whisk as the mixture comes to a full boil, 3-4 minutes; remove pan from heat and stir in the butter and vanilla. Pour the pudding into a medium bowl and cool for 20 minutes.
Make sure you don't burn it, like I did the first time:

This looks better:

10) While the pudding is cooling (I put it in the fridge to speed up the process), make the topping: Crush the remaining 12 vanilla wafers and set aside.

11) In a large chilled bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer (chilled beaters also) on high speed until thickened.

1 1/2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add the sugar, beat again until stiff peaks form. 1-2 minutes more.

12) To assemble the cupcakes, spoon the pudding into a pastry bag fitted with a wide tip. (I used what's below instead)

13) Pipe a generous amount of pudding into each cupcake (1-2 Tbsp) through the center of the top allowing about 1 tsps of the pudding to overflow onto the surface of the cupcakes.

14) Sprinkle the wafer crumbs on top of the pudding and dollop about 1 tbsp of the whipped cream over the crumbs.

15) Just before serving, stand a banana slice in the whipped cream; serve.

16) Store the cupcakes (without the banana garnish, lightly covered in the refrigerator for 1 day; add the banana slice just before serving.

VOILA!!!

I also have the nutrition info for these, but I think if you saw it they wouldn't taste nearly as good. Enjoy!

It's almost that time of year again!

2011-08-22T22:42:00.002-04:00

You know what I'm talking about... IFTIT!!! (It's football time in Tennessee!) For those of you who weren't blessed to be born in the south, this is a big deal. My Southern Living magazine is all about college football this month. Knoxville made the list of best college towns in the south. There were 2 articles that I found to be the best way to describe SEC football so all of y'all who don't get to experience this amazing phenomenon, maybe this will help you understand it. M Lindsay Bierman, the editor, writes this:(I added my own editions/adjustments in red)

The 10 Commandments of College Football Fandom:

1) Thou shalt wear team colors. But think twice before adorning yourself with body paint - you don't want to be the Internet photo that goes viral. (In the South, we dress up for our teams, all Southern women have at least one sundress in their school colors, and guys will have a tie in his school colors)

2) Thou shalt know - and sing- your team's fight song from beginning to end. Sure, you can "watermelon, watermelon" your way through the alma mater, but not memorizing the fight song is fan failure. (A true fan knows the alma mater)

3) Thou shalt support the coach. Even when his calls are questionable.

4) Thou shalt keep your language clean (unless, of course, the quarterback fumbles on fourth and goal).

5) Thou shalt be respectful to visiting teams. Remember: Southern ladies and gentleman never boo.

6) Thou shalt set up a tailgate no fewer than three hours before kickoff (six if it's a night game). Table linens and matching huggers encourage, not required. (Unless you're at Ole Miss, then table linens and fine china are definitely required)

7) Thou shalt theme your tailgate food around the visiting rival. Gator bites, anyone? (I swear the author of this already had gator bites written, I didn't add it. You could also have BBQ for the hogs, but don't be grilling bull dogs or elephants or tigers, that's just wrong y'all!)

8) Thou shalt stay through the fourth quarter - rain or shine. That's what ponchos are for, y'all. (Or cute trench coats and galoshes in school colors)

9) Thou shalt respect the solemnity of Game Day by planning weddings, births and other life events around the football schedule. (I went to a wedding on Halloween once because the bride and groom were season ticket holders at their alma mater and that was the only weekend that there wasn't a home game, true story.)

10) Thou shalt never covet the other teams' bowl games, national championships, or Heisman Trophy wins. There's alway next year. (This one is hard to abide, I still think Peyton should've gotten the Heisman.)

Wouldn't this orange, Burberry coat be a wonderful way to stay warm and still look fabulous? Yeah, I thought so, too.

10 years later and (hopefully) a little more wiser and a lot more stylish!

2011-08-01T18:58:00.006-04:00

This year marks 10 years since I graduated. After months of planning (which was challenging since 3 of the 4 of us planning lived out of town), the reunion came together.

Flight to Colorado (first one together, awwww!)

Friday night cocktails

Deeanna and Kandy, what in this picture isn't like the others? Me! They were cheerleaders, I wasn't. But I love 'em! Still both very sweet girls.

The whole group

Saturday family event, this is during the tour of our school, which is on the National Register of Historical Places.

With Willy the Wildcat. I sure hope they've cleaned that costume since I wore it. (yes, you can figure that out for yourselves)

Awesome centerpieces Kristen made!

Saturday night event

This girl made high school so memorable!

Christopher and my friend Brandon, who've become buddies. Facebook made it official :)

Our class prez, Zak who planned with me. He got married the next weekend. Congrats to Kelli and Zak!

Sweet Tangier, we had a lot of fun back in high school in theatre.

Ian and I go back to forensics, drama, band and going to lunch while he and some others threw smoke bombs out of my car! It's a wonder we never got caught!
Kristen who was a life saver and not only made the centerpieces, but let me e-mail/call/text her for venting sessions. :)

A great time was had by all, and it was awesome to catch up with everyone!

Tourist in my own city (part deux)

2011-08-01T18:37:00.004-04:00

Please forgive me for the lapse in my posts. Life has continued to remain crazy. Thank you for the prayers for Christopher's granddad, please continue them as he is moved back home today to start hospice care.

2 weeks ago, my dear friend Shannon and her precious girls came to visit (finally!) We've been trying to coordinate our schedules forever for her to get down here and this summer it finally worked out. So, once again I got to be a tourist in my own great city of Memphis as I did here back in January of 2010. PS It's a lot better doing this stuff in January than in July. WHEWEY! Was it ever HOT!

Took them to the zoo. Little did we know it was free day for all TN residents. Let's just say the zoo was a zoo (pun intended)

Doing the Shrinky Dinks they got at The Children's Museum (my mom was still there at that point and took them while I was at work)

Shannon made amazing goulash for dinner and a roach (yes, my house is clean and Terminix does come and spray but it is the south afterall) crawled over her foot, so this was her solution. Don't worry, I killed it!

We all had way too much fun playing "Just Dance," Just Dance 2," and the "Michael Jackson Experience" on the Wii!

Of course we had to go to Graceland!!!!

Iris with her Icee at the Redbirds game.

Larae got a giant ice cream.

All in all, a good visit. It's been way too long since I've gotten to hang out with my Micklatcher girls!

Everybody! (yeaaah) Rock Your Body!

2011-06-30T09:04:00.007-04:00

I know I put up a preview for this post a looong time ago. Things have been extremely hectic lately. Please keep Christopher's family in your prayers. Okay, here are pics from NKOTBSB!!! I tried to be selective because I think we took over a hundred.
And yes, I do realize my captions to these pics make me sound like a tenny bopper.

The BSB's busses outside the arena pre concert.

Brian getting out of his bus.

Nick Carter.

Howie Dorough (I met him once before in college)

Me and mama #1 fans!

Jordan was my favorite as a kid. Unfortunately, my favorite BSB doesn't tour with them anymore.

The infamous "Right Stuff" dance

My sweet friend April (who was also there that night) and I 2 years ago at a sleepover I hosted showing everyone the "Right Stuff" dance. Sadly, the other girls didn't know what we were talking about. April did tell me she did this dance in her seat and kicked a few people in doing so. Ha!

I've never experienced a celeb coming in the audience by my seat before!

It not only, happened once, but 2 other times! Above with Nick and Joey and then Brian couldn't snap a picture quick enough)

My first BSB concert on Halloween circa 1999. Yes, that is my lil bro.

Guess where I was last night?

2011-06-23T00:44:00.003-04:00

Will post more details later, here's a preview:

Yes, that's my mama. Can you guess who she's standing with? (Hint:It's not Christopher or my brother)

Lakers Inspired Birthday Party for Christopher

2011-06-07T14:01:00.006-04:00

WARNING! PICTURE OVERLOAD!!! Christopher's birthday party was a success and he was very surprised. For those of you who were in on it, thank you for all your help!

Thanks to my friend, Lauren who designed these uber cute drink tags for me!

Everyone signed a birthday greeting on a coach's basketball found at Wal-mart. Of course, I had to get a Wilson, especially since C once tried to convince me he was heir to the Wilson Athletic Company. (Can we say gullible?)

So surprised!

He'd brought clothes to change into because he thought I was making him a dinner (which, technically I did) and then going out with friends. Neither of us knew we'd coordinate!

Sparkler candles, have to be done outside.

Loved the strawberry cake! Best I've ever tasted! Thanks to Donna Enriquez at Aunt Donna's Cakes. If you ever need a cake, I highly recommend her.

Around 9:30 or 10, Whitney asked if I had a pool. We were off! (Did I mention it was over 100 degrees on Friday?!)

Tada! Everyone ended up in the pool. It was quite comical. It was such a great party, I know Christopher felt very blessed to have all his friends there for him.

The start of Christopher's Birthday Festivities (a sneak peek)

2011-06-04T13:50:00.002-04:00

I'll post everything on Monday, but here's a preview of Christopher's surprise party. Yes, he was surprised and around 10pm, we found a great way to beat the 100 degree heat!

"Hey, man. If this is torture, chain me to the wall!"

2011-06-02T08:41:00.006-04:00

The above quote from Oliver and Company kept coming to mind this weekend. After a VERY long Friday and Saturday doing a wedding, I headed down to Sardis to meet Christopher and his fam at their lake house. A (if I do say so myself) well deserved weekend of R &R was just what the doctor ordered.

Second time on the jetski. Remember when I did it here?

First time tubing! I was a little scared, then Christopher said make sure you don't lose your swimsuit. Why would he say that? As I wasn't nervous already!

The after shot: I survived!

Drank 2 orange sodas over the weekend. Forgot how much I love them! It was delish! Remember this sketch on Nickelodeon? Who loves orange soda?

We found a great way to occupy our time at night, too! We played 'til 1am!

I beat Christopher at Duck Hunt, but he slaughtered me in Dr. Mario!

Marty and Libby had their first time on the boat. They loved it! Especially Marty.

A wonderful Memorial Day weekend indeed! I am so grateful to all the men and women who have served and are serving in the military to make this country great. Especially my little brother who leaves for Marine bootcamp next Monday.

BEST SURPRISE EVER!!!!

2011-05-25T09:38:00.004-04:00

Okay, I left you with a teaser for this post last week. So here it is: BON JOVI!!!! I had hemmed and hawed over whether or not I wanted to buy tickets to this. I decided not to since I've seen him 4 times and have met him. I didn't want to be greedy. I did however try to win tickets on the radio every chance I got. Christopher even sat next to me in the car also trying to win them. All the while knowing HE ALREADY HAD THEM!!!! He'd had them for months. So, this was what he came by with Thursday at lunch (day of the show).

Christopher had the recorder on his phone going when I opened it. My reaction was pretty funny. I screamed "No, way!"

Our seats were AMAZING!

I love this sign. David Bryan (the keyboardist) actually wrote the musical "Memphis" and sang one of the songs from it called "Memphis Lives in Me." It talks about how the streets are paved in soul. Love it and can't wait for the show to come to town next season.

He can still rock it! Even without Richie Sambora (who is in rehab) it was a fantastic show.

Me and my other BF, Jon.
Christopher had a great time, too. I've created a monster I think. He keeps singing "Bad Medicine" saying that's his favorite song. (one of mine too, we're made for each other)

PS This makes my 5th Bon Jovi show (well 4 paid for, one being the Inaugural Ball). If you think that's bad, the girl next to me was at her 50th.

A Tidbit

2011-05-20T10:46:00.003-04:00

I am getting ready to leave for Colorado to see baby bro sworn into the Marines. But I will leave you with this:

Given to me yesterday afternoon.

Sorry for all the phone pics, more to follow when I get back. Happy Friday!

Don't Stop, BELIEVING!!!

2011-05-16T09:51:00.006-04:00

I ♥ MEMPHIS! I think I live in one of the greatest cities in America. We have history, culture, it doesn't take forever to get to any one place in town, we have amazing restaurants (and not just the BBQ joints!), lots of famous people are from here (from the obvious ones: Elvis, Justin Timberlake, Al Green to the not so obvious ones like Dixie Carter - LOVE HER!, Wink Martindale, Reggie White) I could go on and on and on.

In the past few weeks, my love has grown even deeper, not just for my city but for my love of NBA basketball. I ♥ The Memphis Grizzlies!!! We have had so much fun following them this season and watching them go on to the NBA finals. Although the loss yesterday was sad, it is so nice to see our beautiful city in the news for something positive. (Having been temporaily displaced from Memphis, and the south for 11 years of my life, I can tell you that the rest of the country has no clue as to what it's really like down here.) Anyway, Christopher and I have had the pleasure of going to several games including 2 playoff games (he actually went to 3 playoff games) I was at Music Fest but I still watched it! Here are some pictures of us this weekend when we watched the Grizzlies win Friday night and then welcomed them back home yesterday:

"Believe Memphis" has been the slogan for the season, it seemed to have worked!

Al Green (a very famous Memphian) sang the National Anthem. I always get goosebumps when I hear it, but especially hearing him sing it!

This was the name of the halftime act, I found it humorous when they said "The Amazing Christopher!" He came out with these bars attached to him with these manaquins dressed like the Village People (he was the Indian) and when he moved they all moved and dance. He lipsynced all (3) of their hits. Check it out here.

With our "Growl Towels" and free "Believe Memphis" shirts. Mine is more like a nightgown.

Grizzlies win!

Where the Grizzlies land, we thought maybe Christopher being a Wilson as well, would hook us up with meeting the players. (okay, not really)

It was unseasonably FREEZING yesterday!

Their plane. The pilot waved his yellow growl towel out the window (unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of that.)

Sorry for the blur, but that's Zack Randolph in the stripes and Mike Conley in the maroon.

Haddadi

OJ Mayo rockin' that Burberry shirt and had Louis Vuitton luggage to DIE for!

Tony Allen also walked by us and Shane Battier (who I met the week before, SO CUTE!) C got pics on his phone.

All in all, a great season for the Grizz. We're looking into getting season tickets for next year. If anyone is interested in sharing with us!

One Last Hurrah (or HU-RAH!)

2011-05-13T18:35:00.005-04:00

My little brother, Kyle, is leaving for bootcamp in 10 days! More power to him, I wouldn't be able to handle it. So, next Friday I leave for Colorado to see him sworn into the United States Marine Corps and leave for Camp Pendleton. (added plus, trip to San Diego in August when he graduates!) For one last hurrah (or Hurah as the USMC say) baby bro came to Memphis for Beale Street Music Fest (BSMF) at Tom Lee Park, downtown. I'm still exhausted! We didn't get in bed before 1 or 2am the whole time he was here. This was taxing on 28-year-old big sis who likes to go to bed at 10. Not to worry, we weren't affected by the flood, nor did we get rained on.

First night at BSMF, we spent a lot of time at the Budweiser tent watching the Grizz game. (We won! So excited to see them in the NBA Finals!)

Day 2 at BSMF, starting out on Beale Street.

Saturday night with my 2 favorite fellas

Kyle's last night in town, dinner at Rendezvous (world famous ribs, if you've never been stop what you're doing and get down there!)

Then on to Silky O'Sullivan's so Kyle could have his first Diver. Thanks to his big sis, Kyle was later pulled up on the stage. All I did was ask if they would play The Marines' Hymn, I had no idea they'd pull him up on stage and embarass him! Of course, a Marine veteran congratulated him later and gave him $20 and said drinks on him. A good visit, all around.

This is Tom Lee Park 1 week after BSMF. Crazy!

Dear Lilly, Where were you 7 years ago?

2011-05-05T09:54:00.004-04:00

Lilly Pulitzer is a staple in the south. Sweet Southern Prep (one of my fave blogs out of Charlotte, NC) often talks about where to find Lilly sales. So, when my dear friend Aimee (who is also my little in DZ) put this on my FB wall. I was in SHOCK:

Where was this 7 years when I was living in my sorority house?!?! Oh, Big Sis Find, Pearl Baskets, Inspirational Sis, etc would've been so much COOLER with this!!!! All you sister DZs (and other sorority girls who probably had similar things) know what I'm talking about.
To my unborn, unconceived, hopefully-I-have-a-girl-someday-daughter:

YOU HAVE TO PLEDGE DELTA ZETA SO I CAN BUY YOU ALL THIS STUFF.

Side note: LOTS went on this weekend! Baby bro came in for Music fest and I didn't go to bed before 1am for the past 6 days. Hence, my absence. I will upload all the pictures and tell y'all all about our crazy weekend (including surviving tornadoes and floods) later.

Easter Weekend (Warning: Picture Overload)

2011-04-28T08:06:00.010-04:00

I had quite a busy Easter weekend. It started out Friday by receiving an Easter package in the mail from my mom. I already knew what part of it would be....

Yes, that's a giant yellow duck. Here's the story: When I was 8 or so, Kyle (who was 1 or 2 at the time) both got stuffed ducks in our Easter baskets. They were so cute, dressed in little raincoats, hats and galoshes. EXCEPT that mine was white and his was yellow. I wanted the yellow one. My mom and dad said I couldn't trade that the bunny had brought me the white one so that's the one I got. I might've pitched a teeny little fit about this. Well lesson learned! 20 years later I still receive a yellow duck in some form or fashion on Easter. One year, my mom was visiting me and left 36 mini yellow rubber ducks in my bathtub, one year I was visiting them and she put yellow duck window clings all over my bathroom mirror. I have A LOT of yellow stuffed ducks. She asked Kyle if I could now have the yellow duck and he said no. Little turkey, like he actually wants it, he just doesn't want me to have it. Ha, ha! Sibling love!

Then it was on to dying eggs! After carving pumpkins, we decided we needed to start another tradition.

Notice there are 3 missing, yeah we cracked them. They were delicious!

On to Easter dinner... I offered to host Christopher's family for dinner. Needless to say, I had fun preparing everything. I especially loved getting to use my china, now that I have it all out of the boxes now that I have my china cabinet.

Southern Living, no?

The other eggs I dyed, for place cards. (And yes, I poked holes in them and blew them out and used them for my cake. THAT was a task!)

Christopher's grandparents, Ed & Betty, with their eggs. Aren't they precious?

Okay, so I ended up not wearing the hat to church. I didn't want to stick out. I went with Christopher to his church and I could just imagine what people would say: "Did you meet Christopher's girlfriend?" "Oh, yes, The girl whose hat blocked our view?" Good thing I didn't wear it. I would've been the only one. I'm hoping Kate Middleton will help bring back the hat. As previously posted, I have a thing for hats.

On to Monday night. Our lovely city is in the news for something besides pregnant teenagers and murder (this is how others view my lovely city, I love where I live I don't want anyone to think otherwise, if you don't believe me read this). The Grizzlies are in the playoffs!!!!!

We believe Memphis!

The Forum was packed!

BIG WIN!!!! WOOOO HOOOOO!!!!

HE IS RISEN!!!

2011-04-22T10:34:00.004-04:00

My daily devotional today (I do it out of Our Daily Bread: Daily Readings from the Popular Devotional), focused on 2 Timothy 1:7-12. It was a story about starting the day in the middle of a power outage and how when we start the day reading the paper and listening to the news instead of starting our day with God and prayer, we end up reacting to difficult people and circumstances with a spirit of fear rather than the spirit of "power and of love and of a sound mind." To sum up, we need to start our day with our heavenly Father to ensure a good day. How true this is in my life. When I start my day in prayer and study of His word how smooth my days are!

As I read the verse, I thought how it aptly applies to this weekend and the celebration of the resurrection of our Savior all those many years ago. No matter how times and technology have changed, He remains the same.

2 Timothy 1:7-12

"For the spirit God gaveus does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or his prisoner. Rather, join me in suffering for the Gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life-not because of anything we have done but because of His own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Jesus Christ who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. And of this gospel I was appointed a herald, and an apostle and a teacher. That is why I am suffering why I am. Yet this is not cause for shame, because I know who I have believed and am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day."

Spring has sprung!

2011-04-18T13:32:00.004-04:00

I think I've used this title before, oops! Anyway, as promised here are pics of all my hardwork I put in on Thursday. Last year, my mom came down and visited and completely re-did my patio. I said I was going to post on it and never did. So, I'll post pictures of that as well.

Last year:

Putting in the sand to lay bricks to put under the glider.

Mom did a majority of all this (including pulling up a ton of monkey grass - HATE the stuff!)

Attempting to drill a whole for window basket.

Slowly but surely!

This year!

Finally got the window box hung and full of geraniums, my fave!

A sneak peek

2011-04-15T09:15:00.001-04:00

I'm busy working and gearing up for my weekend of weddings, but I thought I'd give you a sneak peek as to what I did yesterday... (you can see my little helpers in the corner) More pictures to come! Have a wonderful weekend!

It is officially wedding season!!!

2011-04-12T18:14:00.005-04:00

Christopher and I have 7 weddings to attend between April and August. Yeah, I know we're at that age. It's a cliche everyone keeps telling me, but it's true. These 7 aren't including any of the ones I get paid to do for Andria. Check out her website. Obviously, I LOVE weddings, if I didn't it would've been a poor career choice. 2 weeks ago, Christopher's childhood friend from Scouts, then later college roommate, Andy got married. Christopher served as best man. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see itbecause I was in Tunica at the River Park working a wedding that was absolutely gorgeous. It was definitely a weekend of weddings!

Christopher with the groom. I know I'm biased, but doesn't C look so handsome in his suit?

Jarvis, me and Andria with the happy couple.

A peek at the decor of Jasmine and Reg's reception.

Next weekend is another wedding filled weekend. Not only do I have a wedding on Sunday to coordinate, we have a couple's shower Saturday afternoon and then our good friends Ryan and Jessica are getting married Saturday night at the zoo. They're the (inadvertent) reason Christopher and I met. Well, them and Billy Idol.

Aren't they cute?

A whole month?! YIKES!

2011-04-07T09:13:00.003-04:00

I go to my blog page daily, and I read all the blogs I follow daily. I get agitated when people go months at a time without updating. Hey, kettle? This is pot. You're black. I haven't blogged in a month! (as of tomorrow) I need to be more consistent with my blogging. I like the blogs that are always consistent with their posts. Always something new everyday. A few of my favorites are Pawley's Island Posh and Sweet Southern Prep. I ran across them while reading other blogs. I don't even know either of these ladies but I enjoy reading about other southern belles. Julia over at "Posh" always has inspiring decorating ideas and Lindsey over at "Prep" has theme days: "Wednesday Whereabouts" where she posts pics of places she's been and has you guess where it is and "Monday Manners" where she posts different southern traditions. Go check out these 2 ladies' blogs. I think you'll enjoy them as much as I do!

ABC's of Me (thanks to Katie)

2011-03-08T21:18:00.005-05:00

Saw this over at Confession of a Suburban Housewife I thought it looked fun and a nice break from blogging about cupcakes.

A - Age: 28 I'd probably struggle with this more, but I'm in a great relationship and loving life right now. That helps me forget how close I am to 20.

B - Bed size: double Yeah, I know it's small but it's antique, my great-grandparents. I love it.

My walls are a lot more turquoise than this picture portrays.

C - chore you hate: I'm not crazy about emptying the dishwasher.

D - dogs: Libby and Marty!

E - Essential to start the day: Starbucks' vanilla no water chai (this is changing tomorrow due to Lent)

F - Favorite Color: ORANGE!!!!! (and not just because of UT, although that helps!)

G - Gold or Silver: just depends, I like the look of silver but gold is more precious, so white gold.

H - Height: 5'4"

I - Instruments played: the clarinet

J - Job: Customer Relations Specialist and Event Planner for Andria Lewis Events

K - Kids: Let's get engaged first :)

L - Live: MEMPHIS

M - Mom's Name: Willma

N - Nickname: Jen, Jenny, Boo

O - Overnight hospital stay: not since I was born

P - Pet Peeve: the misspelling of words, especially you're and your and their, they're and there This really bothers me on Facebook statuses. I also don't care for abbreviations like LOL, OMG, etc. I have a lot of pet peeves, I'll leave it at this for now.

Q - Quote from a movie: "You know what they say, 'If you can't say anything nice about anybody, come sit by me!" - Clairee Belcher, Steel Magnolias

"He helped Joshua fight the battle of Jericho, He helped Daniel get out of the lion's den, He helped Gilligan get off the island!" - Coming to America

R - Right or lefty: Righty

S - Sibling: one brother

T - Time you wake up: between 7 or 8 every single day

U - Underwear: anything comfy, not crazy about thongs but I will do it to avoid a VPL

V - Veggies you dislike: tomatoes (technically a fruit)

W - What makes you run late: taking the dogs out, curling my hair

X - X rays you've had: teeth, lungs and ribs (after a car wreck)

Y - Yummy food you make: Cupcakes! Christopher would say King Ranch Chicken

Z - Zoo animal: lions and flamingos

Cupcake Week! day 6: King Cake

2011-03-07T19:09:00.005-05:00

In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to make a King's Cake cupcake. Forgive me, I can't find the link to the recipe now. It's a spice cake with buttercream frosting. I was going to make the glaze but then you could see the hole in the top for the baby.

I dipped them in sugar to decorate them in traditional King's Cake colors of green, purple and gold. Purple represents justice, gold represents power and green represents faith.

I got the cute mardi gras masks from Mary Carter Paints. LOVE this store! Everything baking related.

My mom got into town Saturday, so she got to be the taste audience. I also saved her one from everyday to taste.

Yup! There's a baby in it! The baby (or other trinkets) mean if you find one in your piece of King Cake (or in this case, cupcake) means you have to provide the King Cake next year, or host the mardi gras party.

Happy Mardi Gras!

Cupcake Week! day 5: elvis

2011-03-05T18:34:00.002-05:00

I'm just a hunka, hunka burnin' cupcake! After the succes with the peanut butter icing for the pb & j I knew the Elvis would be equally as good. For those of you who don't know, Elvis loved peanut butter and banana sandwiches. So I decided a banana cupcake with peanut butter icing would be a great way to honor the King. We take him pretty seriously here in Memphis. I got my recipe from "Hello, Cupcake!" (again).

Mashing the bananas (potato masher worked then the recommended spoon)

Voila!!!

I ended up making these a lot later in the day than the past 4 (late being 9:30pm) so Christopher got to be the official taste audience of the day. He's tasted them all, but not officially.

They were a hit!

I told him I needed a picture with him like I have with all the other taste audiences. He thought smashing it in my face would be funny.

Stay tuned for a Mardi Gras themed day 6!

Cupcake Week! day 4: carrot cake!!!

2011-03-04T18:17:00.004-05:00

I have been really good about not eating more than 1 of the cupcakes that I make. Of course I taste the batter and icing numerous times, but that's for research purposes of course. I have to make it taste just right. But then came, day 4: carrot. cake. This is my weakness. This is my favorite flavor of all time. I usually request carrot cake for my birthday cake, even though it's in December and not in season. Anyway, let's just say I ate A LOT more than 1 cupcake. I'll have to pay for this at the gym.

The recipe I used is my mom's/Mawgie's recipe. No problems with this one!

Using my Tupperware to get the carrot chopped up finely.

Victornox vegetable peeler I bought in Switzerland. A staple tool in my kitchen.

TA DA! I had a lot of extra batter so I made mini cupcakes, too. Aren't they cute?

I took the cupcakes over to my friend Jessica's house for "Margarita Thursday." They were welcomed warmly.

Pop quiz: I use a secret ingredient to inhance the cinnamon flavor. Any guesses as to what it is???

Cupcake Week! day 3: Key Lime Cupcakes

2011-03-03T17:19:00.003-05:00

A special thanks to my friend Lindy who gave me the recipe for day 3. key lime cupcakes with lime zest cream cheese icing, recipe found here.

Forgive me, I forgot to take pictures. I also made a few mistakes. I used skim milk instead of buttermilk and then I used all purpose flour for everything instead of the self rising. I also added a lot more sugar. They taste okay. I should've left out the extra sugar so they stayed on the tart side. I think because of the alterations I made with the flour and milk the texture was off. But again, they were okay. The icing however, was FABULOUS! Although, as Katie Bailey pointed out (I'd thought the same thing) the icing looks like sour cream with chives because of the lime zest in it. Ha! Next time I will follow the recipe exactly.

Please excuse the one on the bottom left. It fell on the counter so I had to smooth the icing out with a knife.

Katie was my taste audience. She approved!!!

Stay tuned for my absolute favorite flavor of cupcakes for day 4!

Cupcake Week! day 2: PB& J

2011-03-02T12:08:00.003-05:00

Day 2 was National Peanut Butter Lover's Day. In honor of the day, I made PB&J cupcakes. CONFESSION: I actually didn't know it was National Peanut Butter Lover's Day until Christopher told me last night and I'd already made the cupcakes. Whatever. PB&J cupcakes are white cupcakes with grape jelly filling and peanutbutter frosting. I concocted this recipe myself by taking parts from different recipes. I got the white cake recipe from "Hello, Cupcake!." I adapted their buttercream icing recipe by adding a cup of peanut butter.

Ready to be filled. When it comes to grape anything, Welch's is best.

Voila!

We went over to Cousin Pam's so she could be my taste audience.

"It's like a sandwich dessert."

-Christopher A. Wilson

PB&J was a success!

Cupcake Week! Day 1: Raspberry Lemonade

2011-03-01T17:01:00.006-05:00

Day 1 was successful. In fact, it's going to be very hard to top. I love anything lemon flavored and I love raspberry filling. So, the natural thing to do was to put them together. Thus the raspberry lemonade cupcake was born. Lemon cake filled +raspberry filling topped with lemon buttercream icing = DELISH!

I got my lemon cake recipe adapted from Hello, Cupcake!'s lemon poppyseed recipe. I got the lemon buttercream recipe from here. You can't go wrong with Wilton. They practically invented icing. So! Here we go!
The ingredients

Into the oven they go (forgot to take a pic of mixing the ingredients)

How approriate to burn my lemon cupcake candle while baking?

Icing (had a little help thanks to yellow food coloring)

Raspberry filling Normally I use seedless jam, but I decided to give

this pastry filling a try. It takes the cake! (sorry, I couldn't resist)

Filling the cupcakes with my Wilton cake decorator

thanks to C's Grandad and Grandmom. (yes that is Crystal

Light Lemonade I'm drinking, I wasn't kidding about my love

of lemon).

All filled up

VOILA!!!!

Bethany, my taste audience.

Success! Raspberry Lemonade was a hit!

Cupcake Week!

2011-02-28T20:01:00.005-05:00

" Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery."
- Charles Caleb Cotton

If Mr. Cotton is correct, I hope Leslie, over at Sharp Stick in the Eye is extremely flattered. In 2009, she had "Pie Week." I thought it was such a cute idea, I decided a cupcake week was in order.

I love cupcakes and I have for some time. I wish I had known that the cupcake industry was going to take off like it has because I could be a rich chica right now. I've thought for a long time that a cupcake store would be a good idea. Apparently so did a lot of people. But, I digress.

The Rules: [again, I'm taking a cue from Leslie here]

1. Everything must be homemade. No cupcakes made with cake mixes or canned frosting. I know many people do this and it's fine for them. It's not for me. I like the challenge (and satisfaction) of making things from scratch.

2. Cupcakes will be seasonal. Since spring is coming I'm going to try and stick with this theme. No peppermint or pumpkin cupcakes [although I love ANYTHING pumpkin]

3. 7 days, a different kind of cupcake per day. Keep in mind I'm making a dozen cupcakes per day, so at the end of the week I will have made 84 cupcakes.

4. Recipes are coming from multiple sources, more than likely I'll make little changes to all of them.

ARE YOU READY???!!!

Spring!

2011-01-26T11:28:00.004-05:00

I apologize for my extended absence. There's really no excuse for it, especially since I'm not working right now. I often wonder if anyone really reads this? But, I'm back for now.

Moving on...

As much as I get tired of hearing all the whining on Facebook statuses about the cold, snow, etc. I am so ready for spring! Spring in Memphis is beautiful! These are the things I'm looking forward to:

My friend Jessica's bachelorette weekend here: (Gulfshores)

Going out one night in this:

Going out one day wearing this:

While riding this:

Playing tennis in a cute dress like this:

Only about 6 more weeks hopefully!

Arrivederci 2010, Buon Giorno 2011!

2011-01-01T19:00:00.000-05:00

2010 blessed me with many things. Yes, there were some unexpected things that weren't so eccellente but I'm going to just focus on the eccellente (and no, I have no idea why I am throwing things out there in Italian).

January:
Went to see Jersey Boys at The Orpheum. LOVED it! I highly recommend it. Yes, I am a huge Frankie Valli fan but even if you aren't, you'll still enjoy it.

February:
1st trip to New Orleans and first (and only I might add) Mardi Gras

March:
Went to Natchez for the pilgrimage of homes and stayed at Dunleith Plantation

April:
BON JOVI concert in Nashville with mom

May:
NRA convention in Charlotte with mom and dad

June:
Closed on my first house!!!!!

July:
Trip to Colorado to surprise my [not so] little brother for his 21st birthday

August:
Billy Idol concert where I met Christopher. I had no idea that my life would change that night.

September:
1st trip to NYC and 2nd trip to New Orleans for my friend Katie's birthday.

October:
1st Ole Miss game at The Grove and trip to Knoxville for the UT v Alabama game

November:
Saw Kevin James and Vince Vaughn's comedy show

December:
First Christmas with Christopher in Colorado (first Christmas bringing anyone home, that's because Christopher is a BFD)

So excited for all the blessings 2011 will bring!

"I've always depended on the kindness of strangers."

2010-12-31T16:47:00.004-05:00

Wouldn't you just LOVE to be wearing these gorgeous Louboutins as 2011 rolls around? But I digress...

There are good people still out and about in this world! I must tell everyone about the wonderful thing that happened to me this morning: I went to get a mani/pedi and I was feeling a little guilty about it. It's not that I don't have the money but since I don't have a job right now I kept thinking I should spend the money on something else. But, I decided to go ahead and do it. I made no mention of this to anyone at the nail spa. As I was getting my toes done, a lady walked in with her mom and aunt. I recognized her from another time I was getting my nails done this summer. It was right around the time I closed on my townhome and we had chatted about it. I had run into her a few weeks later at Pottery Barn Outlet. She had been getting things to redecorate her grandmother's house. So, she came in and we chatted a bit. She asked how my townhome was coming along and told me she'd finally gotten her grandmother's house done. I finished up and grabbed my purse across the room and she said something to me. I walked back to her pedi chair and asked what she'd said because I didn't hear her. She said, "I got it, Happy New Year!" I was so taken aback by this sweet gesture I said "What? Are you sure? I don't even know your name!" She said I'm Amanda. I told her thank you and happy new year and so on. I don't even remember because I was so touched by her sweetness.

Like I mentioned before, I never once told anyone about my job or anything. It just goes to show that nice people are out there and that God looks out for us in many ways. He even looks out for us in the smallest pleasures (ie starting the new year out with pretty hands and toes). As we start 2011, I encourage everyone to pay it forward! See you in 2011!

25 Days of Christmas: 20-25

2010-12-28T10:59:00.008-05:00

I did complete my Christmas challenge. However, with travelling and getting ready to go out of town I didn't have time to blog it. So here it is:

Day 20: Annual Christmas baking with Bethany!

Red velvet cookies (among the many things we baked that day!)

Emory was our little helper!

Day 21: Christmas with my good friends, the Candys.

Lauren and Rachel got me the greatest gift! I can't wait to start using it:

Day 22: Arrive in Colorado and Trans Siberian Orchestra concert!

Day 23: Getting together with old friends and picking up Christopher from the airport for his first Colorado Christmas!
I got to spend time with Jill, my best friend from high school and Justin my best friend ever and my dear friend Conni and dinner with my dear friend Heather. Nothing like getting in the Christmas spirit like getting together with loved ones.

My friend Conni:

Picking up CW from the airport:

Day 24: Christmas Eve!

We went on a hayride at church and went around the neighborhood carolling to the neighbors before the service.

Christmas tradition: receiving pajamas every year to wear Christmas Eve. CW was included in on the tradition.

Day 25: Christmas Day (obviously)

Opening presents!

Next stop: Estes Park and the Rocky Mountains!

The Stanley Hotel:

Rocky Mountain National Park:

There wasn't any snow at my parents' house, but at least we could drive to some so C could see a white Christmas!
Christmas night, we went and looked at Christmas lights. This is the Greeley Griswolds:

What a wonderful Christmas season! I know I say this every year, but I can't believe it's already over! Here's to 2011, I know it'll be a great one!

25 Days of Christmas: Days 17,18 & 19

2010-12-20T21:38:00.008-05:00

Day 17: Christmas cupcakes!
Last year I got this book for Christmas:

It has amazing recipes in it for cupcakes. They even have cupcakes that look like Chinese take out and everything is made from candy and is edible. So I tried one of their simpler recipes and I have to say I am pretty darn impressed with myself!

Poinsettias!

Big red gum and M&Ms. Who knew? The inside is gingerbread flavored and then iced with vanilla icing and rolled in white coarse sugar crystals.

Day 18: MY 28TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I had a great day that included lunch with C, a little Christmas shopping (so I did do something Christmassy, which I normally don't like to do on my birthday.) Then I went and watched C coach his 9th grade church basketball game.

I got some surprises throughout the week leading up to my big day. Including this cute "Birthday Girl" wine glass from my mom:

Then onto dinner at Ruth's Chris.

Where C got me a new camera and it's orange!

I had a great birthday. Christopher went to a lot of trouble to give me a very special day.

Day 19: Christmas and my birthday with C's family.

Carrot cake cupcakes! My favorite!

C's sweet grandfather made me his delicious homemade spaghetti. Yum!

25 Days of Christmas: Days 15 & 16

2010-12-17T14:57:00.004-05:00

Day 15: Christmas Shopping!!!

Sadly, I have no picture of this. My stupid phone has sent it somewhere into cyberspace. But, in case you were wondering it's a cute picture of Christopher in Dillard's, trying on a hat with earflaps. Similar to this:

We got most of our Christmas shopping done, and then had yummy Mexican food for dinner at La Hacienda.

Day 16: Christmas cards finished!

I love the Victorian look to these cards.

25 Days of Christmas: Days 13 & 14

2010-12-15T10:49:00.003-05:00

Day 13:

After eating a delicious Papa John's sausage pizza (it was way too cold to leave the house!)

I spent a relaxing evening, cuddled up on the couch watching a Christmas staple:

It wouldn't be Christmas without it!

I had my movie buddies to cuddle with:

Day 14:

Christmas sing-a-long! After a late (and fancy, I might add) dinner of Tuna Helper, Christopher got out his guitar and we sat around singing different Christmas carols. It was a fun, impromptu evening.

Oh, and I finally finished the wreath!

25 Days of Christmas: Days 8-12

2010-12-12T23:10:00.006-05:00

Day 8: Made wreath for backdoor. (stay tuned for finished product pic, I need to get more ornaments). Found idea here.

Take plain ball, ornaments. I found mine at the dollar store.

Hot glue the topper to the ornament so it won't fall off when you put it on the hanger.

Bend hanger into a circle and untwist the top.

String ornaments on the hanger.

Day 9: Gingerbread house and "Christmas Vacation"

Day 10: Celebrated my friend Jessica's birthday. Not really a Christmas thing, but a December occurance.

Day 11: Ice skating at zoo lights

(followed by chicken and rice night at Cracker Barrel, yum!)

Day 12: Christmas card picture and "Christmas with the Kranks"

25 Days of Christmas: Day 7

2010-12-08T10:50:00.005-05:00

Confession: I didn't do anything on Day 6. It was a blah day. Moving on...

Day 7: After a dinner of King Ranch Chicken (Christopher's favorite) we went and looked at Christmas lights. I love looking at Christmas lights. While, on my own house I would choose tasteful, simple lights. On other people's house, the tackier the better! For example, this house in east Memphis:

(I actually took this picture a few years ago, but it's the same every year.)

And of course, the most popular house in the country (after the White House)...

I LOVE the lifesize nativity.

25 Days of Christmas: Days 4 & 5

2010-12-07T13:39:00.005-05:00

Day 4 was filled with lots of Christmas activities. I started off the day attending Christopher's company Christmas party. It was a breakfast with Santa. We ate lots of yummy breakfast foods, played bingo and we both won things in the raffle! I won a cute Santa platter (which came in handy the next day at my cookie exchange) and Christopher won a $50 Visa gift card).

Day 5 was my annual cookie exchange. I am stocked up on cookies for the season for sure!

Before all the cookies arrived. That's my Santa platter covered in my nutella pistachio icebox-butter cookies and madeleines.

Libby and Marty supervised my party preparations.

25 Days of Christmas

2010-12-02T09:25:00.008-05:00

Okay, I'm a little behind. I started this post 3 days ago and got caught up in things. So here's the plan: 25 Days of Christmas. I am going to do one (or maybe more) Christmasy thing each day til Christmas. Hence, the name 25 Days of Christmas. Yes, I realize this is what the ABC Family Channel does when they show a Christmas movie each night until Christmas. Mine is different. Besides, as much as I love it, "Harry Potter" is not a Christmas movie! Ugh! Okay, that's a soapbox for another day.

Here is what I did for Day 1:

Christmas tree and decorations up!

My entertainment center is the closest I have to a mantle.

Day 2: Baked cookies for Sunday's 2nd Annual Cookie Exchange

Nutella-Pistachio Icebox Butter Cookies found here.

Petite Madeleines au Nutella found here (which might be my new favorite blog).

Day 3: Finished decorations.

Nativity I've had since childhood.

Pink tree in my room!

Stay tuned for Day 4!

(Soon to be) Princess Kate

2010-11-17T15:59:00.005-05:00

We all knew the day would come when Prince William would get engaged. I'm not really sad about this, I always thought Harry was better looking. I have become obsessed with this in the past 2 days. I had the misfortune of being born after Princess Di's wedding, so I missed getting up at 2 in the morning to watch it. When William and Kate's big day comes, I'll definitely be up to catch the nuptials. I think Kate Middleton is absolutely beautiful. The girl has got style! She dons many hats (literally, not figuratively) which I absolutely love, as previously posted.

Here are some pictures of Kate's style. She will be a beautiful bride and princess.

I think it's so sweet William gave Kate his mother's engagement ring.

Cute jacket! LOVE the beret!

There are no words for this hat.

Cute!

Gorgeous dress, yet she still looks like she's just the girl next door.

Um, hello! Summer? You need to leave!

2010-11-12T16:17:00.006-05:00

I would like to preface this post with an apology. I apologize if I sound like I'm whining because I normally hate when people complain about the weather, or gush on and on about it. I especially hate when it's on Facebook. BUT, with that being said: I'M SO FREAKING READY FOR COLD WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!! As most of you know, I live in the south for a reason. I like warm weather. But as I sat on the patio of a restaurant today I thought to myself: "I wish it were cold enough where I at least need a coat on." It's beautiful outside, but I'm over it. I want to wear my cute, black Jessica Simpson coat and my Burberry scarf. As I keep hearing from friends in Colorado about all teh snow they're getting it makes me want it to be cold even more. I know come March I'll be ready for warm weather, like I've stated before. But for the time being, I'm ready for it to be like this:

View from my parents' deck a few Christmases ago.

Libby in the snow.

Again, I'm really hoping we'll get a snow like this for Christmas because 1, white Christmases are best and 2, Christopher's never seen snow at Christmas. Here's hoping!

Christmas is coming because Starbucks says so!

2010-11-10T10:51:00.005-05:00

Don't get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving. It's the kick-off of the holiday season and I refuse to put up Christmas decorations until the day after. In my case, it's later than that because I am always at my parents' house in Colorado. But I am so excited for Christmas this year! The first thing that gets me in the holiday spirit each year is...

However, another reason I am super excited for Christmas this year is...

Christopher is coming home with me for Christmas!!! This will be his first trip to Colorado. So everyone please pray that it snows this year. I really want him to experience a white Christmas.

Fall = Football

2010-10-26T11:59:00.005-04:00

Christopher and I have a deal: We will always root for each other's teams unless they play each other. PS November 13th will be interesting when the Tennessee Volunteers host the Ole Miss Rebels (er, I mean Black Bears. Don't even get me started!)

First Stop: Ole Miss and The Grove. Had a blast! They have great tailgating because it's all in one big area.

#18 was Archie Manning's #.

Next Stop: Rocky Top!

Christopher looks great in BIG ORANGE!

It was great to see all my Knoxville friends! This guy single-handedly introduced me to everyone I know in Knoxville.

I even got to hang with a high school buddy! Eric (who you'll remember took me to the Inaugural Ball) was in town, too. This was his first college football game ever and he sported the orange.

All in all, we have a great time cheering on our college teams. Obviously, we love our Mannings!

October is finally here! Hip, hip hooray!!!!

2010-10-01T14:34:00.002-04:00

It's fall, y'all! I probably say this every year. I just can't help myself. I love it. As a type this it's a beautiful sunny day in Memphis, Tennessee. It's in the low 70s and there's a cool breeze and no humidity. What's not to love? This weekend I will be partaking in one of my favorite fall activities: COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!!! Sadly, no it will not be in Neyland Stadium (GO VOLS!). I will be there in 3 weeks cheering them on against the Crimson Tide (with bleach). No, this weekend I will be attending my first Ole Miss football game. I am excited to experience "The Grove," and all its festivities.

Here are a few of my favorite things about fall (in no particular order):

- pumpkins (anything that has to do with them, scent, flavor, actual pumpkins themselves, etc)

- changing leaves

- crunchy leaves under my feet

- apple cider

- hoodies

- boots

- tights/leggings

- sweaters

- football

- Uggs

- soups and stews

- Halloween

- crisp evenings

- fires (a fireplace is the one thing my house is missing)

- the anticipation of Christmas!

What's everyone else's favorite things about fall?

September, a month of firsts!

2010-09-23T11:10:00.004-04:00

I have been so bad at keeping up with this blog. Let's just say that aside from being so busy, I now have a job where I don't have as much down time. But, today I have carved out a little time to make sure I post something.

As the title insinuates, it's a month of firsts. Labor Day weekend, I took my first trip to New York. Yeah, I know I had been everywhere but New York. My big sister (sorority, that is) lives there. I've always wanted to go (it's a bucket list item) and so I decided there's no time like the present. Sandy (another DZ sister who lives in Austin) flew out and spent the weekend and it was awesome. The highlight had to be meeting Kelsey Grammer, after seeing him La Cage Aux Folles. It's the musical the movie Birdcage is based on and is hilarious. I highly recommend it!

Empire State Building

Bike ride through Times Square.

FRASIER!!! Horrible picture of me (we had to snap it fast) but who cares? It's Frasier!

Okay, so onto the second, first thing I did this month. I jet skiied! I am not a thrill-seeker. I don't like motorcycles, I've only ridden the rollercoasters at Disney World, I have no desire to bungee jump, skydive, etc. However, jetskiing is awesome! You have all the control. It was a good day of being on the water, listening/watching football and spending quality time with special people.

Yeah, even got to take it out all by myself!

Christopher pretty much let me drive it the whole time.

53 MPH!!!

Stella & Dot!!!

2010-08-12T11:48:00.002-04:00

I am launching a new (side) business and I am so excited about it! It's called Stella & Dot and it is very stylish, posh jewelry. I am having a launch party August 24th at 7 at my house, but you can get a sneak peek of everything here: www.stelladot.com/heckman You can also order straight from the website.

Here is the Stella & Dot I am wearing today:

Jet Faceted Necklace with Maltese Brooch

Soiree Pave Bracelets in coral and black

Deco Drop Earrings

Busy, Busy, Busy!

2010-07-27T22:34:00.005-04:00

Well, a month has passed since I started my new job. I absolutely love it! It keeps me busy and I get to work with brides and help them plan their special days! Unfortunately, it doesn't give me much time to update my blog while I'm at work. I went home a few weeks ago for my little brother's birthday. I can't believe he's 21!

Needless to say he was surprised!

It was a quick trip, but it was great to spend time with my family. Here we all are at Texas de Brazil in Denver:

Oh, and a monumental thing happened! I finally went to Jerry's Sno Cones.(Yes, I got pickle flavored.)

My friend Katie and I spent the day shopping and the night pigging out on junk and watching Great Balls of Fire. After, we just HAD to go to Jerry's!

Kiss of Death: Part Deux

2010-07-19T15:55:00.003-04:00

2 years ago, right after Bryan and I started dating, we went to Spring River in Arkansas on a rafting trip. Our good friend, Marcus (who we owe our meeting to) told us both it could be the kiss of death for us. I think he was kidding, and obviously since it's 2 years later, it wasn't the kiss of death. So, we went back this year and I had these shirts made for us:

Much awaited post!

2010-07-07T16:50:00.004-04:00

Okay, I have been a slacker! It's been a crazy summer thus far. I started a new job last month! I am now the sales and marketing manager at The Cadre Building downtown. I've been here for 3 weeks, and I absolutely love it. The most exciting part? I have my own office! Although it came at cost: the lady who had it before me was a complete pack rat. I'm talking hoarders nominee. Food pantyhose, puppy pads, dog food (no, we're not allowed to bring our dogs here) and a bunch of other random junk all in the credenza. On top of all that, before her it hadn't been cleaned out in 4 years! YIKES! But, after a week of organizing, cleaning and going through things it has really come around.
Before:

After:

Love having an office! See my pretty flowers? They were sent to me from Michael Doyle of Lynn Doyle's Flowers congratulating me on joining The Cadre. So sweet of him! He's one of our floral vendors.

Au Revoir Blanche Devereaux

2010-06-03T13:29:00.003-04:00

Hollywood lost another star, today. These things seem to happen in threes, first Gary Coleman, then Dennis Hopper and now Rue McClanahan. I got 3 texts within 2 minutes of each other about it today. My friends know I am a Golden Girls fan. For those of you who don't know Rue played Blanche Devereaux on the Golden Girls, the over-sexed, man crazy landlord to the 3 others living in the house. Golden Girls was a break-through in television that opened doors for shows like Sex and the City.

Let's not forget Rue in Mama's Family:

This is her autobiography that my brother gave me for my birthday 2 years ago. Great read, but I must warn you: Rue makes Blanche look like Gidget.

Here's a great spoof of Clueless done Golden Girl style.

And here is another great Blanche moment.

Sorry it's taken so long for a new post, I've been crazy busy with work and house stuff. But, I am now officially a homeowner and will try to have some pictures up soon.

Tamera Alexander

2010-04-28T18:05:00.004-04:00

Last week, my mom was in town. She spent a week here helping me with my patio at my town home (more on that in a later post). Wednesday night we saw Bon Jovi in Nashville and stayed at my good friend Rachel's house. Thursday, we had lunch at Puckett's on the Franklin square with our friend Tamera Alexander. She is an amazing author who writes Christian-based historical fiction. Her book "Inheritance," is my favorite and Miss Tammy was sweet enough to sign it for me. Check out her blog, "Writing Perspectives," it's great! Where the books she's written so far are set in Colorado (hence how we know her, my mom was her kids' teacher), the next series are going to be based around old homes in the Nashville area. These include Belle Meade Plantation and The Hermitage! I cannot wait to read them! Pics below of our day with Miss Tammy. By the way, can you tell I'm really into hyperlinking today?

This is mom and I with the sugar chest she bought the day before. Yes, she's putting a sugar packet into it. Sugar chests were where people in antebellum days (and earlier) stored their sugar (duh). They locked it up because sugar was so expensive back then. Anyway, I've heard mom go on and on about this for years how she's always wanted one. She hit the jackpot in Jackson, and hauled it back with her to CO. I tried to convince her it would be better off in my townhome, but no dice. Okay, I'm done with the gambling references.

Back to ol' reliable

2010-04-07T10:24:00.004-04:00

After trying to do the 4 Day Diet, and the I'll just-try-to-eat-healthier-I'm-not-really-on-a-diet, diet I've decided to go back to what works....

I have done it several times, and I always go back to it. I like counting the points and writing everything down. Also, knowing that I have to go weigh in every week holds me accountable (not to mention the $12 each week). So, I'm on day 3 and so far so good. If I keep it up, I should reach my goal weight by the time we go to Spring River.

Here's a picture of us the first time we went in '08. (Sorry it's blurry, condensation had gotten on my camera)

Sunday Night Tradition

2010-04-03T13:11:00.004-04:00

The Pacific is a new series that comes on HBO every Sunday night. It's amazing. It's like Band of Brothers, except it's about the pacific theatre during WWII (hence the name, The Pacific.) Bryan and I have made it a tradition of having frozen pizza for dinner on Sunday nights while we watch it. The first 2 weeks were at his house, this last week was at mine. On a side note, I caught a stomach bug last night (Friday), so I might have to forego the pizza tomorrow night. Boo. Who wants to be sick on Easter?

Archer Farms frozen pizza from Target. The absolute BEST!

Pizza stone cooks it to perfection (sorry for the fuzzy pic)

Springing into Spring

2010-03-29T22:00:00.007-04:00

This weekend I began my spring cleaning. Inspired by Leslie's spring cleaning post, I decided to blog about my own spring cleaning ventures. I started the following list this weekend:

Fridge before:

Fridge after:

Clean windows:

Closet after (forgot to take before pics, it wasn't really all that bad. I'm just very OCD)

First bedroom closet: (I'm fortunate to have 2, and of course they're both filled to the brim)

2nd bedroom closet (my pride and joy)

Spring cleaning projects for next weekend: pantry and guestroom(this is a BIG one)

Bryan's Birthday

2010-03-28T14:00:00.004-04:00

May 18th was Bryan's 28th birthday. This is my second birthday of his to celebrate with him. Not to get too mushy, but I just think he's the sweetest, funniest (not to mention cutest) guy I could possibly have. He's too good to me. Anyway, on his actual birthday we drove down to Natchez and Vicksburg for the weekend (I'll post pictures of that later). So, the night before we had a little party at my house with his brother Chris, Chris' girlfriend Stephanie and Bryan's mom, and of course Libby and Marty.

For Bryan's birthday, I got him a trip to Boston to take in August. So, the theme of the menu was all "Boston foods." The fare included Boston butt, Boston baked beans and Boston cream pie.

Laura Petrie Pants

2010-03-17T10:04:00.003-04:00

As most of you know, I LOVE classic TV. I particularly like Mary Tyler Moore. Not just in the Mary Tyler Moore show, but when she played Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke show. I think she was just beautiful on both shows and had great style. So, today I am channeling Laura's fashion sense by wearing these:

I wasn't brave enough to tuck them in, I have on a pink button down and black leather pumps. (all from Banana)

Similar to Laura's, no?

And let's not forget the ultimate style icon: AUDREY.

Progress on New Year's Goals Thus Far

2010-03-02T19:26:00.002-05:00

As I mentioned in a prior post, I have decided to read all the unread books I own before acquiring any new ones. This means no random books tossed in the cart while perusing Target, no trips to the library, no borrowed books on friends' recommendations. This hasn't been too hard, yet. I decided to start out easy. I have had the Anne of Green Gables series since I was a child and I've never read it. I realize this is insane because I think most little girls have read these by the time they're 11. I never got around to it. So, I have just completed the third book (Anne of the Island) in the series and they are delightful!

I did have a dilemma last month, however. I was taking a road trip to New Orleans (horrible place, I don't recommend it but I digress) and I love to have an audio book when I travel. But, I was determined to stay true to my goal. So, I got the first two books in the Anne series (Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea) on audio from the library. I continued to ponder if I was really reading the book if I listened to it instead. But, as my cousin Gary said, "When you read a book you acquire the information between the 2 covers and listening to a book affords you the same goal." My cousin Pam reiterated this, and she is the Library Director at Crichton College, so I consider her an expert.

So, now as the rest of the Anne series isn't on audio book I am reading the rest of the "real" books at home. I enjoy having an audio book while I drive from appointment to appointment (in sales, you spend a lot of time on the car) so I got The Secret Garden on audio for during the work day. Yes, I know it's a travesty I've never read it either. Don't worry, my childhood wasn't completely void of children's classics. I read and re-read the Little House series, all the Roald Dahl books and others.

After I finish Anne and The Secret Garden, I am going to start Sherlock Holmes.

Text Etiquette

2010-02-04T22:28:00.002-05:00

When I text message I have to type out things correctly. I cannot send messages that look like the following:
where r u?
lol
omg
and so on and so on

I must always use correct punctuation and capitalization. Sure, there are a few times (ie while driving) where I might slip up and not capitalize. But, for the most part I must text just like I write. Am I the only person out there that feels this way?

Tourist in my own city

2010-01-27T16:22:00.006-05:00

This past weekend my good friend Lisa came into town. We had so much fun staying up til 2am her first night, catching up. Friday we went to the Grizzlies game and Saturday we went to Graceland. Saturday night we went down to Hernando and cooked out and played games at Brett and EmilyBlair's house. Lots of fun! Graceland was awesome. I felt like Chandler on Friends when complains about going to the Statue of Liberty and all the touristy stuff in NYC and then comes back decked out in all the NYC merchandise and says "New York City is awesome!" I always say that native Memphians don't do Graceland, yada yada yada... But I forgot how good of a tour it is! They have put a lot of effort into it. Lisa and I found ourselves wanting to buy everything in the giftshop. We refrained and only left with Elvis 75th birthday koozies, magnets and matches. A good time had by all!

Grizzlies game

Graceland!

Lisa Marie Delozier with the "Lisa Marie"

Peacock living room

Stairway up to the secret upstairs they won't take you to.

Dining room.

Pool room. Note how the fabric on the walls and ceiling is the same as the furniture.

The infamous Jungle Room.

Me and Lisa with our 75th Birthday koozies on our Woodchucks.

I don't know why Bryan looks so unhappy, the boys won Trivial Pursuit.

Resolution vs. Goal

2010-01-27T15:23:00.000-05:00

I've decided not to make New Year's Resolutions this year, but goals for 2010 instead. You can break a resolution, but a goal is just something you strive for. That being said, one major goal for 2010 is to read all the books I have (that I haven't read yet) before I buy any books or check any out from the library. This is somewhat of a challenge for two reasons: 1, I have A LOT of books and 2, I LOVE getting new books. But, I am determined to stick with this. So far, I have read 2 books this year out of a 3 book series called The Heritage of Lancaster County, by Beverly Lewis. The first 2 books, The Shunning and The Confession, were wonderful, and the third one, The Reckoning, so far is equally as good. It's about an Amish girl, and well I don't want to say much more because I don't want to give it away. They're really well-written and you can tell Ms. Lewis did lots of research on the Amish culture.

Next up: The Anne of Green Gables series. Surprisingly, I've never read them even though I've owned the series since childhood. I love the mini-series that Kevin Sullivan did for Disney and had so much fun watching it with Lisa this weekend.

Grillin'

2010-01-19T11:59:00.002-05:00

My new grill was delievered last week and christened this past Sunday:

Ribeye

Lemon Pepper tilapia + cedar plank = DELICIOUS!

The Weber-Q 320. So far, I am impressed.

It's Christmas... all over... again!

2010-01-05T13:59:00.004-05:00

The downside to spending Christmas in a location where you have to fly to get there is you can't get any big presents in your luggage. The upside is my mom ships them to me and I get to open packages with Christmas presents all over! Here's the piece de resistance:

I asked for a wooden recipe box that I'd seen on Etsy.com My mother gave me this one, it was my grandmother's. I absolutely LOVE it! So much more meaningful, knowing that it help all my grandmother's recipes.

My mom also made me these cute cards to put in it.

Bryan's mom got me this adorable phone for my kitchen (notice it matches my mixer perfectly)

Can't wait for my new grill to come in, so I can start having grilled fish and veggies for dinner. However, I found a great alternative until then. Humdinger's. It's DELICIOUS! It's fast (similar to Jason's) but it's all healthy food. They have grilled fish, chicken, grilled veggies, etc. It is so good that I had it yesterday for lunch and then took Bryan back there for dinner. For lunch I had grilled tilapia, grilled zuchini and rice. For dinner, I had the shrimp tacos and fries (I'd been good all day I deserved the fries!) It's absolutely scrumptious, so go check it out!

Arrivederci 2009!

2009-12-28T11:22:00.003-05:00

As we say farewell to 2009 and get ready to ring in 2010 (a new decade already!) I would like to look back over the past year. Thanks Beth, for the idea!

2009:
1) Went to the US Military Inaugural Ball with my friend, Eric.
2)Met Jon Bon Jovi! (1 Bucket List Item)
3) Saw Billy Joel and Elton John in Atlanta with Bryan.
4) Celebrated Bryan's 27th birthday in Walt Disney World.
5) Saw Springsteen in Denver with my mom.
6) Saw Springsteen in Atlanta with Bryan.
7) Threw a lingerie shower for my friend, Heather in Colorado.
8) Adopted another "child," Marty, my maltese-yorkie mix.
9) Went to Heather's wedding in Colorado.
10) Celebrated one year of dating with Bryan at The Pier.
11) Saw Blondie and Pat Benatar at Mud Island
12) Travelled with Bryan to Colorado to visit my friends and family for a week.
13) Went to the Coors Brewery
14) Spent a week with my parents here in Tennessee
15) Introduced my parents to Bryan's parents
16) Went to a few UT football games (Go Vols!)
17) Spent a weekend in Nashville with Rachel and Lauren and little Kai.
18) Moved back to Memphis. YEA! I love it here!
19) Visited Shannon, Larae and Iris in Michigan.
20) Went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame with Shannon and the girls (another Bucket List item)
21) Made mine and Bryan's Halloween costumes
22) Went to EmilyBlair and Brett's wedding in Oxford (it was one of the prettiest weddings I've seen)
23) Got a new job at Entercom Radio, which I love!
24) Spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my dad's whole family
25) Used my sewing maching A LOT
26) Held my first annual Cookie Swap party
27) Turned 27 (ugh), but like Bryan, I got to do it in Walt Disney World.
28) Went on a great vacation in Disney with my family and Bryan
29) Had a wonderful, [cold] white Christmas with my family in Colorado.
30) Got to spend time with Jake and Meagan, whom I used to baby-sit (they're now 15 and 13, this didn't help with turing 27)

It has been a wonderful year and I have been so blessed to have gotten to do all the things I've done over the past year. I can't wait to see what 2010 holds.

Happy New Year to all!

Office Shananigans

2009-12-24T07:12:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you're gone the week of Christmas:

ALL ABOUT STEVE!!!

2009-12-23T17:16:00.007-05:00

Today I made the unfortunate mistake of telling my boss I have a blog. After hearing this, he proceeded to go on and read all my posts, with commentary. His first question was "Why haven't you blogged about me?" So, hear he is ladies and gentlemen....

STEVE WILLIAMS!!!

Steve is the Director of Strategic Sales and Marketing here at Entercom. He's originally from Missouri (GO CARDS!) where he attended Southeast Missouri State (go Redhawks!) and pledged Lambda Chi Alpha. While in college he also was a Presidential Ambassador and a student advisor to the North Central Accreditation Committee. Before coming to Memphis, he and his family lived in Orlando where Steve worked at Cox Communications, as a general sales manager. While there he earned the "Highest Growth" station award out of 85 Cox Communications stations.

He resides in Germantown with his wife Alison and their 2 kids, Katie and Steve, Jr. Steve even has a celebrity neighbor! Former Memphis Tigers football coach, Tommy West lives next door to the Williams family.

Steve says he's been told he looks like a young Harrison Ford, I say he looks like Crispin Glover as George McFly in Back to the Future. You decide:

P.S. Don't think I'm being mean by any of this. The man makes fun of me daily for playing the clarinet.

She's Crafty

2009-12-23T11:45:00.002-05:00

Flatiron/curling iron covers:

Don't you hate when you travel and you need to pack your flatiron and/or curling iron and it's still hot? These cute little covers are insultated so you don't have to worry about throwing the the hot metal in with the rest of your stuff!

I made these for Lauren and Rachel for Christmas. They seemed really happy with them!

I'm so excited to go to Colorado tomorrow. It's snowing!! I will get a white Christmas.

Vacation

2009-12-22T11:41:00.003-05:00

I've decided that a week long vacation at Christmas might not be the best idea. I'm struggling to get everything done before the big day. But, with that being said we did have a great time! I promise to post more pictures later but here' a preview:

Happy Birthday, Marty!

2009-12-21T11:04:00.002-05:00

Today is little Marty's 1st birthday. I got him when he was 5 months old, so I haven't had him the full year, but the past 7 months have been wonderful!

New Blog

2009-12-10T14:37:00.001-05:00

I have a new blog. Don't worry, I'm still going to keep us with this one. I wanted to do a blog devoted entirely to fashion, trends, etc. Check it out, tell me what you think!
Fashion Plate

Getting ready to go to Walt Disney World on Saturday with Bryan and my family to celebrate my birthday. Can't wait!

Thanksgiving

2009-12-04T08:35:00.007-05:00

I'm a little late with this post, but I was waiting for my mom to e-mail me the pics. This year was a first for us: My dad's whole family convened at my parents' house in Colorado. Normally we spend Thanksgiving just the 4 of us. This year, however, we actually got all of us together. People came from all over. Here is the cast list for Thanksgiving 2009:

Me (duh) Memphis, TN

Sandy Heckman (my dad) Windsor, CO

Willma Heckman (my mom)Windsor, CO

Kyle Heckman (my little brother) Greeley, CO

Grandma (dad's mom) Quincy, IL

Chuck (dad's stepdad) Quincy, IL

Aunt Cindy (dad's sister) Salt Lake City, UT

Uncle Arlyn (Aunt Cindy's husband) Salt Lake City, UT

Aunt Tammy (dad's sister) North Hampton, MA
Uncle Thad (dad's brother) Carbondale, IL

Aunt Patty (Thad's wife) Carbondale, IL

Asa (Thad and Patty's son) Carbondale, IL

Sierra (Thad and Patty's daughter) Carbondale, IL

Sadly, there were a few people missing. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Arlyn's daughters and their familes couldn't make it. But there's always next year!

Here are some highlights:

Me with the second batch of pumpkin pie. The first one turned green. Note: Do not use Kroger brand pumpkin, always stick with Libby's.

Making the pie. This is a secret family recipe belonging to my great-aunt Willma (Mom's namesake). So, I cannot share. However, if you want a good recipe my friend, Leslie made one during her pie week. I'm sure it's delish.

Kyle and I doing the "Tonto" dance. What can we say? We're both hams and we like to have fun. You should've seen us swing dancing. It's a very weird feeling when you're little brother gets big enough to pick you and and throw you in the air. (Let me make it clear that this was to the tune of "In the Mood," while we were dancing. He wasn't beating me up.) Aunt Patty and Sierra are cracking up over us.

Asa, Sierra, me, Aunt Patty, Kyle and Uncle Arlyn eating our yummy dinner. The grandkids and in-laws sat in the kitchen so Grandma could eat with all her kids in the dining room, since it's so are she has them all together.

From left-right, front row:Uncle Thad, Grandma, my Dad second row: Aunt Cindy, Aunt Tammy

Grandma and (almost) all her grandkids.

It was a great holiday, and I hope we make it an annual thing!

D.I.Y not?

2009-12-01T10:27:00.003-05:00

I am still in the process of decorating my townhome. I don't have it near to what I want it to be ( Ikeep thinking of more and more things to do). I really hate my coffee table. It's Queen Anne, "early garage sale" style. I've had it since college and it's seen better days. So, as I was looking for a new one. I ran across this idea:

So, that gave me an idea. I have my grandmother's hopechest. It's always been at the foot of my bed. But, I got to thinking it hold all the extra throwns and blankets I use when I'm on the couch. So, shouldn't it be downstairs? Again, I'm not near done decorating. But, I thought it looked at home in the living room.

Thoughts and opinions please.

New Job!

2009-11-18T14:38:00.002-05:00

Yes, I have abandoned my blog. Not to make excuses, but I have good reason. 1: I got a job! Yea! I am now an account executive for Entercom Radio. In other words, I work for FM100 and ESPN FM. 2: I have been very ill which caused me to miss two days during my first week. Great timing, huh? Anyway, I love my new job. I am still training, but from what I've experienced so far it's awesome. The company is so organized with their training. I have a weekly agenda, and I know what I need to get done. This is great because I don't sit around and wait for someone to tell me what to do next. Anyway, I will blog more later. Back to work!

Fun Halloween Weekend in Oxford

2009-11-03T00:48:00.006-05:00

This weekend we were in Oxford for the wedding of our friends Emily James and Brett Brown. Otherwise known as the James/Brown wedding. We all had a lot of fun with that one! The rehearsal dinner was at the Downtown Grille on the square and was wonderful despite the rain. God smiled on us and blessed the couple on Saturday with a goregeous, sunny day. The ceremony was beautiful. The recetion was at the Castle Hills Resort. It was amazing. We had a great time. Thursday, we went to a costume party in downtown Memphis. Even though Bryan didn't win the costume contest (boo!) we had a good time. We even went out on the square in Oxford Saturday night after the wedding so he could sport his costume on actual Halloween. What a great weekend! I love autumn! Rehearsal dinner (I love this picture!) The bouquet (I love how she had peacock feathers in all her flowers) Collin "slipping" the garter on my leg

Candy station at the reception for us to "trick or treat"

Bryan giving his very sweet (and a little humorous) toast One of the wonderful outdoor heaters me with the beautiful bride

Marty McFly Me trying to make my best Zuul face

The new "like"

2009-10-30T11:09:00.000-04:00

There are two phrases I've heard way too often lately and I can't stand them. "Or whatver" and "I know, right?" Ugh! People use "or whatever" as a filler all the time now. I think it's the "like" that was used way too often in the nineties. The phrase, "I know, right?" makes me want to run down the street screaming and pull all my hair out. I believe these two phrases need to be taken out of the English language. Am I blowing this out of proportion, or am I right in thinking it sounds a little uneducated? Opinions, please.

Secret Memphis Treasure

2009-10-28T11:01:00.001-04:00

This weekend when Bryan and I were at a Halloween party, we were told about an estate sale we should go check out. So, Sunday we went to the Annesdale house right at the corner where Lamar and Central meet. What a gem! The house is goregeous and you'd never know it was there. The house is going up for sale, I hope whoever buys it does something really cool. It would make a great B & B or a great wedding venue. There was an article written about it in The Memphis Flyer on Friday.

Front of the house

Side view

Driveway

Potential Seamstress?

2009-10-26T09:57:00.010-04:00

As I have yet to land a job (I do have a third interview with Entercom Communications today, cross your fingers!) I have kept myself busy with lots of projects. I know people always say if they didn't work they'd go crazy with boredom. Well, I don't know who these people are because everyday I have tons of stuff on the to-do list and never get it all done. Cooking, baking and sewing have become regular items on the to-do list. I especially like sewing. This is what I've made so far:

quilted fall pot holder

quilted pot holder in the making

vests for Larae and Iris' halloween costumes

(they're going as Flying Monkeys from The Wizard of Oz) see future post

I made my dress and sewed on the patches on Bryan's. We went as Zuul and Venkman from

Ghostbusters. I think I made the dress pretty similar.

Bryan is crafty, too! He made his proton pack for his costume from scratch.

It even lights up. He did an amazing job, I'm so proud of him! Everyone keeps

telling him he should make props at a studio. Someone at the party we went to

thought he rented it, what a compliment!

They're identical!!

One More for the Bucket List

2009-10-19T08:34:00.004-04:00

Last week, I was in Michigan visiting my best friend (actually she's more like a big sister). We had so much fun playing with her girls Larae (8) and Iris (6), they're so cute! We carved pumpkins, watched movies, colored (in case you didn't know I don't need kids around for an excuse to color) but Monday we did one of my Bucket List items. We took the girls out of school (which they thought was so cool) and drove to Cleveland and went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. It was amazing. If you love any form of rock (classic, oldies, etc) and memorbilia you need to go. Of course the main reason I wanted to go is that there is a temporary Bruce Springsteen exhibit. It was amazing. There were 2 whole floors of Bruce "stuff." It was all from him private collection, there was even a scrapbook from his 19th birthday. Everything was original, old notebooks with lyrics, clothes, instruments, everything you can think of. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures but I did sneak a few on my phone. Afterwards, we took the girls to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. I figured it was the only place to eat after experiencing the hall of fame.

Larae playing soccer. The blonde in purple in the middle.

Iris playing goalie.

Larae and Iris with the pumpkins they carved.

Mine's the monster in the middle.

The Bruce exhibit. And I now realize this sweater isn't

very flattering.

The outfit from the Born in the USA album.

She's my cherry pie

2009-10-08T10:48:00.003-04:00

Last night I decided to make a cherry pie for dessert. I'd never made one before and when I had to do the crust I got creative. It turned out really good and delicious!

Filling: sweet black cherries, sugar and flour

Crust: leaf cookie cutters

Voila! The finished product

Put on my blue suede shoes...

2009-09-28T13:33:00.002-04:00

After 3 jobs falling through in Knoxville, and no other prospects I have made a decision: I am moving back to Memphis! I figured this is the best time to do it and after over a year of Bryan and I commuting back and forth it's time to make a move, literally. There are so many things I love about Memphis so I decided to list a few:
1) The trees in bloom in the spring on Belvedere in Central Gardens.
2) Grissanti's in Embassy Suites
3) The Collierville Square
4) The Zoo
5) The Enchanted Forest
6) Shelby Farms (especially these swings that Kyle and I discovered when we were little that have handles to "pump" the swing for you)
7) Getting a drink at the Peabody and then going up to the roof and seeing the whole city
8) BBQ (need I say more?)
9) The shopping (there are so many great little local shops in Memphis)
10) The fact that there are more songs with Memphis mentioned in them than any other city.

There are over 850 songs with Memphis mentioned in them. I noticed there are a lot of duplicates because many artists have covered the same song. You can see them all listed here.
(Memphis Lives in Me by Bon Jovi is GREAT.)

I have loved my time in Knoxville and it is a great city but I am so excited to go back to the homeland! I know my friends who aren't from Memphis might not quite understand my enthusiasm, but I know all my fellow Memphians will join me in my excitement.

Fried green battery

2009-09-25T14:25:00.002-04:00

Whatever you do, DO NOT charge your cell phone on a cheap car charger from Target. I found out too late that this can fry your battery. As a result of this, I had to get a new phone because they don't make my phone (or the battery for it) anymore. Of course my upgrade is not until December, but Jay at Verizon helped me get a very nice one for not too much. I hope everyone learns from my mistake!

Fall has fell

2009-09-06T08:33:00.003-04:00

Ok, I realize that fall is technically not here yet. But, it's pretty darn close. I've seen a few trees with leaves that have turned a lovely shade of red and I went to the first UT game of the season yesterday. Also, since it is now September I have broken out the boots. It's fall, y'all. This makes me so excited! It is my absolute favorite season. So bring on the orange, the pumpkins, the leaves, the sweaters, and most importantly the football. I am ready!
What are everyone's favorite things about fall? Or do you call it autumn?

Safe travel

2009-08-31T21:19:00.002-04:00

I have the opportunity to go to either Israel in February on a tour that Mike Huckabee is doing, or to Colombia with Compassion International in June to visit Melanny, the little girl I sponsor. I realize safety is an issue. Any thoughts about which is safer? Just so you know, they are both guided tours. I wouldn't just be wandering around by myself.

I'm a Hungry Girl

2009-08-16T08:37:00.003-04:00

So, after a month of travelling/visiting Bryan/just plain being lazy and enjoying summer, I have completely abandoned working out and of course while on vacation I eat more and never healthy. Now that summer is coming to a close and I'm back in a routine, I decided it was time to get back to cooking and making healthier choices. I went to Barnes and Noble and found the best cookbook. The Hungry Girl cookbook is AMAZING! It has great recipe ideas for simple things that we all like to eat anyway, adjusted so they're healthier. The best part is all the recipes make just 1 or 2 servings. So far, I've made lox and cream cheese tortilla roll up (yummy for breakfast!), chicken tortilla soup, mini pizzas and banana fritters with sweet cream cheese icing. Yes, I know all this sounds too good to be true but they include all the nutrition facts for what you're making. The key is all the recipes are made with ingredients that have extra fiber, less fat and less sugar. Go check it out!

Marty

2009-08-11T21:45:00.002-04:00

Let me preface this post with an apology to my friends who read my blog, Facebook, MySpace and whom I send e-mails to. You've probably already heard this.

Ok, I've become one of "those" dog owners. I have entered Marty in a contest to win a million dollars. The Cutest Dog Competition is an online contest where people can vote once, daily and the winner of that week (there are 4 weekly contests) wins $500. The final winner gets a million. I figured, why not? Seriously, people. You all know that Marty is the cutest dog you've ever seen. I know I'm slightly biased but he is so doggone cute! (pun intended). I did speak to Libby about this, and she is totally ok with it. She supports her brother and said it's really not her thing anyway. Gosh! I really have become one of "those" haven't I?! Anyway, there's a link on the sidebar where you can vote for Marty or you can go here.

Please vote! And please tell you friends to vote and have their friends and their friends and so on.

Love this!

2009-07-29T13:44:00.008-04:00

Just found this great website, Modcloth.com Lots of cute, unique clothes with a vintage look. Thet also have some authentic vintage clothes. Just bought this sweater vest:
When I was in LA, Lisa and I went to Loehmann's in Pasadena. I got this BB Dakota dress:

Too bad I'm not an Auburn on Gator fan (perish the thought!) it'd be perfect for a game. I don't think sandals do it much justice. I think pumps are much better (I always prefer heels, they make my legs look longer and I have better posture). So, I paired it with these:

Any thoughts?

New Look

2009-07-22T18:56:00.003-04:00

So, I get bored frequently and like to change the background on my blog. I decided to change the name. I wanted to make it shorter. I wasn't sure if I could because I didn't know the protocol for blog name-changing. But, when Leslie changed hers I thought I'd follow her lead. You know, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery! Any thoughts on the new look?

I just can't get enough...

2009-07-21T19:37:00.004-04:00

I went to see my friend Lisa in LA last week. She goes out there every summer as a speech/hearing therapist with the LA Unified school district during summer school. Always a fun trip to LA!

Me in front of the downtown apartment in the

beautiful rental car!

Me, Kim and Lisa shopping on Melrose!

T_R-O-U-B-L-E!!!

Lisa and I on the Pacific Coast HIghway

Kim, Lisa and I at Paradise Cove in Malibu

Bike ride in Marina Del Rey

Symphony and fireworks at the Hollywood Bowl

Kim and I cruising Sunset Blvd

Bruce Springsteen cover band. They were amazing!

Southern Belles

2009-07-16T11:53:00.003-04:00

I know I promised this post awhile ago, I must apologize for being so behind. It's been a very busy summer. Anyway, here are some pictures from the Civil War fashion show that took place a few weekends ago.