Rocky Top Tennessee

Seriously peeps, check out what I'm giving away this week!

A few weeks ago Natalie and I took our first solo plane ride into Nashville to visit my aunt and uncle.  We had an absolute blast there.  We spent Monday-Wednesday with them in their gorgeous home and soaked up all of our one on one time with them that we could.  I cannot tell you how incredibly these two are.  Do you have those people in your life that you know God hand picked just for you?  Well these two are it for me.  I didn't come from a truly Godly home, but the best decision my parents ever made in terms of my faith was choosing these two as my godparents.  And I'm thrilled Natalie will have them as her examples as well.

before we left for the airport

view from our room onto the golf course

We took nightly walks with their dog Kali, ordered pizza, ate chocolate dipped strawberries, Skyped with my sweet, mama-to-be cousin in South Korea, and just relaxed.  Do you know what a weird feeling it is during nap time not to have something to clean or cook or someone to call?  It was amazing.

this is how Natalie sleeps...head right in the corner...every.single.night.

Thursday, Matt flew into Nashville and we made the drive into Gatlinburg.  His side of the family rented a cabin and we all stayed together.  It was...interesting.  I mean, don't get me wrong, it was lovely to see everyone and I am so glad Natalie got to spend time with her extended family.  But seriously, we did nothing.  All these people want to do is sit in a cabin all day and talk.  Call me crazy but if I'm going to drive my booty all the way to Gatlinburg, I'm going to at least go into the city and get myself some freaking fudge.  So after we put Natalie to bed on Saturday evening, Matt and I headed out by ourselves.  I got fudge, wine, and ended up having just the best night with my hubby.  And let me just add that after I have wine, I am much more open to just sitting around and talking.  Win, win people.  Win, win.

 every good road trip needs a stop at Shoney's right?

 

 someone is rapidly growing out of her clothes...

Our last day we did head out to the outlet mall and enjoyed a full day of shopping.  Somehow only Natalie and Matt ended up with anything.  Not sure how that happened.  Why do moms always get the shaft?  Hm.  We made the drive back to Nashville on Sunday (holy traffic Gatlinburg!) and flew back to Cleveland on Monday.  Although we had some serious travel issues (i.e. flight being delayed then cancelled...and 16 hours of traveling) we made it home in one piece.  My sweetie did develop her first cold when we were away and is still suffering from a runny nose.  And to top it off, we have tooth number 4 coming in.  When it rains it pours, huh?

Matt's sundae.  Perhaps we should've gone with the regular?

And coming up...how I was almost killed by a raccoon.  And no I am not lying. 

My Kitchen is Clean!

So I'm leaving work early on Friday, gearing up to hear my sweet little baby's heart beat when BAM!  I pop a tire. 
No.  I am not joking.

Matt came to the rescue because I couldn't even figure out how to get my tire out of my car, let alone change it.  Turns out I was missing a piece anyway.  Who knew?  So we took off to the appointment and left the Taurus to fend for herself.  (Yes, the Taurus is a girl.  My Shadow was a boy....the Taurus is a girl.  Duh.)

Although late, we had the most wonderful appointment!  We got to hear our little one at 156!!  What a sweet, sweet sound :)

And then we stopped at Outback for a carryout Bloomin' Onion and salad.  I literally could not stop talking about how cool I thought the online ordering and carryout for Outback was the entire way home.  It was to the point I was annoying myself.  But seriously, it's genius.

My in laws were coming for a visit and they arrived Friday evening.  I warned them ahead of time as to the state of our home and of course they didn't mention a thing.  In fact, I woke up Saturday morning to breakfast and my entire kitchen was cleaned.  You have no idea how long it has been since I have seen an empty kitchen counter.  It was glorious.  In fact, I promptly asked them to move in with us. 

The rest of the weekend, Matt and his parents spent some time roaming around the city whilst baby and I rested at home.  We may or may not have gotten Donatos because we know how much Daddy hates it.  And if anyone's keeping track, baby's with me on this one.  Donatos = yum.

So by Monday morning when my in laws left...my kitchen was still spotless, my tire had been fixed, we had food in our fridge, and I didn't have to do a thing.  I seriously could not have been more grateful.  They took one look at me and knew I needed help....and that's exactly what they gave.  And they were ridiculously happy to do it.  I truly do not think I could've married into a better family.  Not possible.

Blessed!

Morning girlies!

Thanks for all of the well wishes yesterday!  I am feeling slightly better today and was able to eat a decent dinner last night (hey...pizza rolls is decent in my book...) so things are looking up!

Forgive me for doing a weekend recap on a Wednesday...but I must share!

Friday Matt and I hit up Dairy Queen for their buy one blizzard, get the other for 25 cents deal.  It was PACKED!  I enjoyed the Turtle Pecan Blizzard and Matt had the Heath.  Delicious....however...I missed my Reese's something fierce.

Saturday I busted out my 8 miles in the morning in a light sprinkle and then headed to Chick-fil-a for breakfast.  Yum!  We spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the house in preparation for Matt's parents to arrive.  It was just fabulous seeing them and was so sweet of them to come up for a visit!

Sunday we trotted over to the model home to show off our new digs.  We also hit up Lowe's and a local gardening center in search of some veggies and herbs for our garden.  We now have little baby tomatoes, basil, onion, and garlic on the way :)

We went to the evening service at church on Sunday because we were getting baptized!  Oh what a fabulous experience that was!  My MIL snapped a few photos of the process and I am so glad she did!

Just before this...I missed the last step into the pool and almost fell.  According to my MIL she didn't even notice...so hopefully she wasn't fibbing :)  Oh how embarrassing that would've been....

Hubs is up next!

What an amazing day to share together as believers!  And it was glorious to have Matt's parents there with us to celebrate!  They even brought us brand new bibles :)  So sweet!

But the highlight our night, we got to shake our pastor's hand!  I know that sounds a little weird...but our church is HUGE.  Like, thousands of people, huge.  And our pastor is very well known in the Christian community as he is on the radio and travels all over the world spreading the good news..so he is constantly being pulling in a million directions and is very busy.  He's just fantastic and we are so blessed to be able to hear him preach.  But we were all nervous to meet him!  It was kind of like meeting a celebrity!  Ha!  But he was super cool and really encouraging of us on that night.  Definitely an experience I will remember forever!

Magic Pants!

This morning, Matt and I were discussing last minute gift ideas for his parents. Clearly, he is in charge of this task...seeing as we are days away from Christmas and his dad is giftless and his mother has two small gifts from me that I just happened to see in the fall. Waiting until the last minute is just Matt's way. I'm a planner, he is not. I'm dealing with it (slowly).

He saw a Blue-Ray player online and suggested that as a way to go. Well, that reminded me of a gem of a story that happened over Thanksgiving. We stay with Matt's parents when we are in Indianapolis. They have a little bit more room than my parents...not to mention they have a shower that actually has water pressure. Anyways, his dad is pretty into Netflix and always has movies waiting for us to choose from when we are visiting. Well this year, the selection included this:

What? My FIL rented The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants?

Admittedly, I have not seen this movie. But the description alone was priceless:

Based on Anne Brashares's young-adult novel, this coming-of-age tale centers on four best friends who buy a mysterious pair of pants that fits each of them, despite their differing sizes, and makes whoever wears them feel fabulous. When faced with the prospect of spending their first summer apart, the pals decide they'll swap the pants so that each girl in turn can enjoy the magic.

So Phil. You're telling me that upon reading that description you thought, "Hey! That sounds like a movie I'd like to see! Four best friends! Mysterious pants! Magic! What could be better!?!"

Obviously Matt and I had quite the giggle fit about this pick. My FIL claims he rented it for my MIL.

Likely story Phil. Likely story.

Long, Long Weekend

It feels like a Monday and I am beat! Thank goodness it's Tuesday. My Labor Day=Relaxation was a lie and we were on the go seemingly nonstop. Next holiday I'm hiding in my room and not coming out until it's over.

But some exciting news! They just opened a Sonic within reasonable driving distance from our house!! And...it's only approximately 10 minutes from my work! So, being the lovely wife that I am, I headed there after work on Friday to surprise my husband with a Cherry Limeade, his very favorite. To my chagrin, this is what I found.




That's right, the place was packed! At 3 p.m.! Who eats at 3 p.m.? And why aren't you people at work?? They had a "staging area" with cones and everything and I had to wait 20 minutes for two drinks! Not cool, Sonic. Not cool. But, hubs was happy so I was happy.


My in-laws came up for a visit over the holiday weekend. I hit the gym on Saturday morning, did some last minute party shopping, and headed home to make some fruit salad and Oreo Truffles for the get together we were going to. Yum!


We took Matt's parents to the party and it turned out to be a really nice time. My truffles were gone before I could get one (sad face) but everyone LOVED them! One girl even thought they were from Godiva! And then proceeded to ask me for my hand in marriage when she found out I made them. Ha! I spent almost the entire party holding the newest edition to our group, little Braden, a 4 month old of one of our friends. Oh my goodness, he is the cutest thing in the world. He smiled and laughed and was just the sweetest little boy. I really don't think I could want a little one of my own more.

Sunday we went to church. Then as soon as we got home and I was in my yoga pants, snuggled up to my honey on the couch, head on his shoulder, my official napping position, my dear MIL asked me to go shopping with her. Ugh. So, I put on some jeans and headed out the door for a quick trip to Michael's...which, of course, turned out to not only be a trip to Michael's...but to JoAnn's and the grocery as well. Sundays are my day of rest. That is what God intended. In fact, I rarely leave the house let alone shower if I can get away with it...but I obliged...and tried to do so with a smile. But all I could think about was my yoga pants...

That evening, the four of us went to a minor league baseball game in our city. Matt and I had been meaning to go for some time but just never got around to it. Good thing we did...seeing as it was the last game of the season :) It was a good time, the weather was super nice, and the game flew by. We ended the evening by watching Duplicity. Just okay in my book...

Monday we went to Chick-fil-a for lunch. They were giving away free chicken sandwiches...and who in their right mind would turn that down? Um, no one! Matt's parents left around 2, and I proceeded to lay around on the couch for the rest of the day simply enjoying my husband. Oh how I love that man. He made me dinner, delicious chicken tacos, and we watched a marathon of The Office on TBS.

Seriously, if I could've just done that all weekend I would've been the happiest girl. Don't get me wrong, I love my in-laws. I mean my MIL is the only person I know who would exclaim the moment I walk into a room from just waking up, "Oh my, don't you look beautiful!" and totally mean it. It's not them at all. But being a hostess simply exhausts me. With visitors it's a 24 hour job. I'm always worried about what we are going to do, what we are going to eat, how to entertain everyone, if my house is clean or not, is there enough toilet paper in their bathroom, do they have towels, should I be offering to get them more to drink...and to do this over a holiday weekend leaves me a little blah. I just can't relax and I am easily irritated. I end up bickering with my husband about things that don't matter and I hate that. But I'm stuck. We live far enough away that visiting over regular weekends is tough so holidays are the only time we have for such visits. Matt and I have never had a holiday to ourselves at our own house and I feel selfish for wanting it. It's just us everyday...but to me it's not the same.

But I think I'll just have to suck it up and deal. I need to quit thinking about what I want all the time and focus on other people. I'm sure Matt loves when his parents have the opportunity to come...and I know they would come every weekend if they could...and who am I to stand in the way of that? And I don't want to...really. I am blessed with loving people around me and that's what counts. With all of the things others are going through, my "problems" are so minimal they are not even worth mentioning.

Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend and a wonderful day off work! Here's to a short week!! :)

Labor Day=Relaxation Central!

I cannot tell you how excited I am that a holiday weekend is upon us! And the best part? We aren't traveling anywhere! Matt's parents are driving up this evening (at least I assume they are coming this evening...since I have asked my husband repeatedly to check with them and do you think he has done so? Answer=no.)

We're bring them along to a party we were invited to with some of Matt's work friends which should be a blast. We really have met some fantastic people here from his firm and I'm so happy we have the opportunity to hang out with them over the holiday. I'm bringing along my ever so famous Oreo truffles and I'm going to make a humongous fruit salad. I always bring food to parties that I can't eat myself (or that I end up eating and regretting later). So this time, it's a different story. Along with the fruit, I'm packing up my own 98% fat free hot dogs and lite buns. They should help keep my WW points in check during the party. And corn hole counts as cardio, right? Thought so.

source

We'll probably head to church on Sunday and there has been talk about my dear MIL making some nasty squash dish that Matt loves (I'll be eating leftovers!), but other than that, I plan on relaxing my butt off.

I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend! The rest of our September is pretty hectic (in fact glancing at my calendar just now made my heart rate quicken) so I intend to make this holiday count!

Loves!

A Holiday Weekend

So...my long overdue Memorial Day recap!

My weekend was just about as relaxing as it could be with visitors in town. My in-laws came in from Indianapolis on Friday evening so there wasn't much time to do anything but chit chat until it was time for bed. Saturday morning I went for a run whilst Matt and his parents headed off to the West Side Market to pick up some goodies for lunch. They came back with watermelon, chicken, roast beef, cheese, potatoes...all sorts of loveliness! I even had time to run to Costco and finish our making our dessert for dinner before they got back. I made a WW dessert and it was fabulous. It was a frozen yogurt raspberry pie with a graham cracker crust. Yum! And...it was only 2 pts. per slice!! What, what!

Lately, the hubs has been itching to do some gardening, so we headed out to Lowe's to get some herbs, veggies, and fruit as well as some wood and dirt to make our own little garden! We don't really have the yard for one right now, so this is what he came up with!




Isn't it fabulous!?! Matt and his dad built this little beauty while his mother and I finished preparing the meatloaf (courtesy of Paula Deen) for dinner. It was the only thing in her cookbook without a stick of butter! I also fixed some baby red potatoes and our night was complete.

Here's another look at our "garden."




It will have to do for now, since the view from our porch is this...which leaves no room for a garden!





Sunday, we got up early for church and I snuck in a workout at the gym when we got back home. Matt's parents look me out for a little pre-birthday celebration (almost my birthdy week!) at a wonderful seafood restaurant for dinner and then out for ice cream! I stuck with the sugar free ice cream...but I opted for Moosetracks instead of just plain vanilla. Hey...a girl's gotta splurge for her birthday celebration, right?!?

After another early trek to the gym on Monday morning for me, we spent the rest of the early afternoon relaxing. Matt grilled chicken and corn on the cob for lunch (fabulous by the way!) and his parents were on the road by 2 p.m. I spent the rest of the day stuck to the couch watching reruns of Jon and Kate Plus 8 until the season premiere started that evening. Did anyone watch it? I just became a fan of the show last season, but I have been practically obsessed and I always watch the reruns when they are on. Well, I was just so torn up when the two of them couldn't even look at each other during the interviews or even say each other's names! It really just broke my heart, and I said a little prayer for Jon and Kate before I went to bed.

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend! Hope everyone's was the same!!