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!