Wow.  So much has been going on.  I hate writing these all-encompassing posts where I throw a million things into one because I haven't posted in so long.  But oh well...here goes....

Wedding planning is in full swing.  We have gotten SO much done...mostly to the credit of our fabulous wedding planner, Kerri Kelley!  All of the big things have been sorted out (ie venue, band, cake, food, decor, etc).  We just have to fill in all the little details.  Unless, of course, it turns out that our venue might not actually exist when our wedding date rolls around.  But I don't want to talk about that right now.  You can read all about THAT fiasco here if you're interested.  I will say this though... we chose B&A for our venue because it's historic, it's in the heart of this city that we love so much, and because it's the ONLY place we could find that had the feel we wanted and that would accommodate everything we envisioned for that day.  I have no idea what we will do if it closes.  

Moving on... it's been an incredibly busy summer with the wedding planning, a family vacation, family reunion, beach trip with friends, and of course...work.  My job has been unusually stressful this summer.  So much so that I've had a few little breakdowns about it.  I won't get into all that here...I just ask that you send positive vibes my way, or prayers or whatever you'd like - I need all the positivity I can get right now!  Arrgghhh there's so much I want to say here but know it's in my best interest not to.  

Eric and Garland played the annual Birmingham Chicks Rockfest this summer.  It was an awesome show and I got some great pics.  I really hope they play more gigs this fall.  Here is a link to that album! 

Anyhoo, my parents were kind and generous enough to take us with them to their house in the Bahamas again this summer.  It was such a wonderful trip.  We fished, we snorkeled, we lobstered, we saw a Junkanoo parade...it was great!  There are so many things I love about the islands of the Bahamas.  But most of all I love how distinctly different the islands are from one another.  If you've only visited the touristy parts of the Bahamas you've got no idea what you're missing.  Each island has it's own little culture and unique qualities.  My parents' house is in an area that's like a very small town...everyone knows everyone.  The people are so wonderful and they've made some great friends there which makes visiting even more special.  You can click here to see the whole album but I've posted some of my faves here.....

**Disclaimer - I look horrid in most of these because I didn't wear any makeup most of the time we were there and I barely came out of a swimsuit....  

Other random thoughts before I go:

1. I've become quite the NASCAR fan and I make no apologies for it.  When you learn alot about it, you realize it's actually really interesting.  I am college educated, I have a masters degree and, yes, I like to watch cars go around and around.  Wheee! 
2. I know I probably say this every August but....I don't think I've ever been MORE ready for football season.  OMG.  The agony of this last week is torture. 
3. Eric got sick every time we traveled this summer.  I never get sick and often brag about the fact that I haven't taken antibiotics or had a single shot since 2005.  But every time he gets sick I get a touch of whatever he's got and it's getting old.  We are about to start working on that boy's immune system.  I'm pumping him full of immune boosting stuff every time we travel from now on.  I ain't about to spend my honeymoon nursing Mr. Sickly!  
4. We saw the final Harry Potter film and, overall, I was pleased with it.  Very sad to see it all end though.  Eric loved the films and really wishes he had read the books now.  I'm still trying to get him to read them.  We'll see.  He does good to read a complete Sports Illustrated magazine. 
5. I haven't laid in the tanning bed since February when I had a little pre-cancer spot burned off of my face.  That was enough.  I realized I had done enough damage to my skin and I had to stop tanning.  I made it through the entire summer using sunless tanner and wearing SPF 30 every time I was in the sun.  It was weird and I felt SO PALE at first but I feel so much better and I like the thought of having nice skin when I'm older and not looking wrinkly and leathery! 
6. Pinterest was an incredible invention and I'm totally hooked. 
7. I took Eric back to my home town a few weeks ago to meet and hang out with some of my old school peeps!  It was great.  I love that town and feel that growing up there had a huge impact on who I am today!  I hope to get down there more this fall.  

I guess that's about it for an update.  New recipes coming soon I PROMISE! 

1. Put the beans in a pot and cover with water the night before (you can do a "quick soak" per the package but if you have time to do an overnight soak do it).  Just leave the pot sitting on the stove and let the beans soak.
2. The next morning drain off the soak water, rinse the beans, refill the pot with fresh water and stick in the fridge as you head out to work.
3. When you get ready to start the dish rinse and drain the beans one more time and cover with fresh water or 1/2 water and 1/2 veggie broth for more flavor.  Turn the temp on high and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and cock the lid but let them simmer pretty hard.
4. When you put the beans on to cook go ahead and start your rice.  I do my rice in a rice cooker but you can do yours in a pot.  For every cup of rice I use about 2-2 1/2 cups of broth or water.  When making this I use 1/2 water and 1/2 broth.  It gives the rice a great flavor.
5. Meanwhile, heat a large dutch oven on med heat.
6. Add EVOO or other oil, garlic and onion and saute a few minutes
7. Add the celery and bell pepper and saute until the celery is tender - celery takes a bit longer than the other stuff but be patient...you don't want crunchy celery :)
8. Once the veggies are tender, add the can of tomatoes, bay leaves, parsley, seasonings and a little veggie broth (about 1/2-1 cup).  If you don't have fresh parsley use dried.  I apologize but I don't measure ANYTHING usually unless I know I'm going to share the recipe at that time and I try to measure.  But know this...I usually lean on the generous side of seasonings so don't go sparingly with it!  I shake the bottle over the pot a few times then as the dish cooks I taste and add more as needed.  I will tell you that I'm much more generous with the garlic powder, Tony's and the sage...if you add too much Thyme you can ruin a dish so add and taste carefully with that one. 
9. Check the beans, once they are starting to get tender, add them to the veggies.  I usually keep about 2/3 of the water they have been cooking in and drain the rest off. 
10. Stir all this together, put on the lid, turn up the heat and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce the heat to med or med-low and keep it at a good roaring simmer.  Stir and taste occasionally and add more Tony's, garlic or sage as needed...I usually add alot more :)
11. Once the broth starts to thicken and it all cooks down a bit, take a potato masher and mash some of the beans then stir well with a big spoon.  I usually try to mash about 1/3 to 1/2 the beans.  The mashed beans mix with the juices and creates that thick, creamy texture we love in traditional red beans and rice :)
12. Keep simmering, stirring, tasting and seasoning until it reaches the flavor and thickness you like! 
13. Serve over rice and top with chopped scallions - this adds great flavor and a freshness to the dish - make sure you don't skip this part!

**note - soaking over night or for 24 hours helps make beans easier to digest... so for those of you that have digestive issues or usually can't tolerate beans very well, try doing it this way.  Also, this dish usually only takes about 45 min to an hour - if you have not soaked the beans as long, it will take longer to get them tender.  Make sure they are tender (will smush to the roof of your mouth pretty easily) before you mash them ;)

Well...lots to catch up on.  I always feel so guilty when I don't blog on a regular basis but this summer has been nuts.  Been traveling and going to shows and when I AM here I'm catching up at work or sleeping because I don't seem to get much of that these days!  BUT....I have thoroughly enjoyed this summer so far and wouldn't trade a minute of it. 

Okay so CC... if you haven't read my previous post, The Music Gods, please do. Anyhoo, The show was exactly what I expected.  The table section was filled with socialites who could care less about the music, talked and sipped wine as expected.  They sat the whole time, had no energy and ignored the band's pleas (along with mine) for them to get up.  So basically the energy sucked and the setlist was composed of alot of crowd-pleasers but I can't complain because I knew that's what it would be.  I still went nuts and soaked in every second of it cuz that's what I do.  But after you've seen as many CC shows as I have, you start to compare and contrast because they are all different.. and some are just simply in a league of their own!  You can view the pics by clicking HERE!  I'm still living for Eric to experience a GA show with me.  Who knows when that'll happen though.  HOPEFULLY when the special guest is no longer freaking AUGUSTANA.  OMG shoot me now if they tour with them ONE MORE TIME. 

Moving on!  Our trip to the bahamas was blissful.  There was a teensy tropical depression named something that moved over us and brought some wind and rain.  I was very upset because I had planned on getting alot of sun and the water was too rough for us to do alot of the water activities we had planned...BUT we still got to fish and snorkel and I got PLENTY of sun.  It was in and out, but lord when it was out it was strong!  Unfortunately, Eric got a bit sea sick when we were fishing.  The water was rough and he hadn't been boating much in his life.  Bless his heart.  But he was a trooper.  Puked off the side of the boat then grabbed his rod and went back at it!  He even got back on the boat the next day in even rougher water.  I heart him!  But all in all it was awesome.  We got to spend some quality time with mom and Greg and we ate some amazing food.  The chef at the lodge cooked special for me the first two nights and then on the last 2 nights we cooked at the house because Greg had caught so much freaking fish.  I just love it down there so much.  Their place is so far from everything touristy and developed.  It's untouched and beautiful.  We saw sharks, sting rays, dolphins, star fish...the whole nine.  We even tried to save a beached dolphin that was stuck up on a sand bar.  You can see all the pics from the trip by clicking HERE!  And visit the club's website here:  www.deepwatercay.com! 

What else?  Oh we are going to New Orleans in a few weeks.  Just the two of us.  Just for a weekend trip.  It's one of my favorite cities EVER and Eric has never been.  I usually prefer to go in the spring or fall and I know it's going to be dreadfully hot and muggy right now, but we are going anyway.  Once football season starts up there won't be much traveling going on except to Tuscaloosa or Auburn.  Then the holidays will be here!  So it's our last chance for the 2 of us to get away and I'm just dying to get back to NOLA! 

One last thing...

Eric and I are coming up on the 1 year mark and I just want to say that this past year has been the best of my life.  Every day I am more and more amazed by him and I feel so incredibly blessed to have him in my life.  He is an amazing human being and I have absolutely no idea how I managed to find him.  But I did!  I'm so excited about embarking on another year with him...another football season, holidays, birthdays...all of it is better because of him! 

Okay enough mushy stuff. 

BTW ..Football is in the air people..can you feel it!?!  35 more days!  GET READY!!!  ROLL TIDE ROLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Overall it was a great trip.  There are a few things I would've done differently in terms of planning/navigating but that's the OCD in me..  Let it go Katie.  I didn't get in as much shopping as I wanted and didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted on certain things...but we didn't have alot of time in general.  Definitely have to set aside a few extra days next time.  OH, and Long Beach is really cool.  I think with the whole gulf oil spill crisis, I will focus my next few beach vacations for New England coastal towns.  I'm thinking another Boston trip is in order too...HUGE Little Italy there, tons of history...............  we shall see :)

So...just a quick update from New York.  We were delayed a few hours getting here yesterday but finally made it around 4 local time.  We are staying at Joey's place in Long Beach and then headed into the city tomorrow.  I am SO glad we decided to do it this way.  We get a few days out on the beach, enjoying the weather, soaking in the sun, etc. then we head into the city for the spa, tons of shopping and sight seeing.  What a perfect combination.  Relaxed, laid back pace of the beach, then the fast pace of the city.  So...I LOVE Long Beach.  It's the quaint little beach community with neat shops, restaurants and bars along the beach, little cottages with white picket fences, people riding bikes everywhere, etc.  There is NO humidity.  Like for real.  Last night we sat outside and had a few beers and chatted.  I wasn't cold or hot...it was perfect.  Today it's hot but not humid.  We got up, made breakfast, then went for a run on the boardwalk.  Well, I ran and Joey and Abby rode bikes.  It was so neat to look out and see the waves crashing as I ran.  I was rocking my awesome new New York playlist too so that was great!  I must say this...Abby and I were totally judgmental on our way up here about "east coast beaches."  We were talking about how the sand is brown and not fine like in the gulf.  I was in Myrtle Beach last year and it was so gross...more like dirt than sand that we are used to.  But the freaking beaches here are so different.  I know it's not like this in most places up north or along the east coast but the sand is FINE and WHITE...it looks just like Pcola...I swear.  I will take pics to show everyone!  So that's about it so far.  I'm also enjoying Joey's MacBook quite a bit.  Sigh.....

Pics to come soon.  Love to all...