2011 Recap

It's hard to believe that 2012 is almost here! For some reason, 2012 sounds ancient to me, but I don't have any reasoning to feel this way. I thought I'd take a moment and reflect on the past year.

The beginning of the year was uneventful for the most part. I had my 28th birthday in January, and we of course celebrated Valentine's Day in February. Tommy and I were both adapting to married life and it definitely was an adjustment for both of us!

In March, we headed to San Diego, which was gorgeous. We stayed at the Bristol Hotel, which is beautiful by the way. For sightseeing we hit up the famous San Diego Zoo (See Polar Bear photo - they were my favorite) and took the ferry over to Coronado Beach and spent a day. We also had
a dinner on the USS Midway (which is ginormous) and enjoyed a gourmet dinner at The Oceanaire. It was only a 4-day trip, but loads of fun!

April came and flew by. In May, we headed to Pittsburgh for our friend's Leia and Zach's wedding. It was one of the most fun weddings I have ever attended, well, until my foot was completely smashed and bleeding all over the dance floor. However, we had a great time!

Me and Tommy at the wedding

Leia and Zach (not at their wedding)

In June, we headed to St. Pete, FL and stayed at the Loew's Don Cesar's "Pink Palace" hotel for a week of fun, sun, and relaxation. Honestly, we didn't do much on this trip other than eating, drinking, and swimming....which is what I prefer.

We headed back to Nashville, and we sadly went back to work. Well, I didn't go back to work for long, as I was laid off. The first 6 months of 2011 were incredibly stressful due to my job. I was miserable...working 60 hours per week, 7 days per week, without any appreciation or support. I liked my job, except that I was on my own...running my own department in marketing. It put a lot of stress on my personal life as well. I was nightmare to be around at times because of the stress. All in all - I guess it was meant to be that I was laid off. I lasted 5 years, and had some great times, but some not so great times. The same goes for the people. I did make friends along the way, and some people that I despised.

During the summer, I got adjusted to my new schedule. On Fridays, the girls and I would have "Happy Hour" at Crow's Nest in Green Hills and it was so much fun to catch up and just hang out.

Fall came swiftly, and Tommy and I went to the CMA Awards and were sitting in the 2nd row! It was so much fun. In October, we celebrated our 1-year wedding anniversary. We saw "Wicked," which has been on my "must do list" for a very long time. Here a few wedding photos below.

November was a pretty dramatic month for me. I was "jumped" by two girls in a bar who did not like my unsolicited opinion. I was not injured, and considered pressing charges, but it just wasn't worth it in the end. At least I made a report with the police department. Also, I learned to trust my instincts when it comes to friendships.

Soon, the holiday season arrived. Me and Tommy's most favorite time of the year. We spent Thanksgiving at Randy and Sandy's (my aunt and uncle) and my in law's house. After Thanksgiving, we immediately decorated the house with all of our Christmas decor.

I headed to Austin, Houston, and Beaumont the week before Christmas to visit family. Then, came back home and spent Christmas with family. Texas photos:

Me and Michelle at Eddie V's in Austin

Family Christmas Party

December was a life changer for us and we're so excited for what 2012 has in store.

I hope everyone had a great 2011! And no, I don't really have any New Year's resolutions. Just be myself, a wonderful wife, friend, and daughter!

Sunshine

Good Afternoon! Thankfully, the rain has subsided and it's a beautiful 60 degree day - which is odd for us this time of year, but I'm not complaining!

Yesterday, Tommy and I headed off to the gym, then we ate lunch at City Limits, a local bakery/cafe. I'm on a new diet, and I had to ask if one of their meals contained a specific ingredient. The reply I received was "We make it here." Gee, thanks....that was helpful. So, I decided to forego my original meal plan and had a grilled cheese and soup. It was yummy, but nothing to die for.

For dinner, we decided to go to Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse in Green Hills. This is one of our favorite new hibachi places. Originally, I loved Kobe's, but it just hasn't been as great as it used to be. We arrived early at 5:15 and were the only people in the restuarant, as shown. We had a table and private chef for ourselves. I indulged in a tempura shrimp roll for an appetizer, then had shrimp and scallops for my dinner. The tempura shrimp roll was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. I only ended up eating maybe 30% of my hibachi meal, and now have leftovers to consume later.

After dinner, we headed over to Lance and Shellie's home. Upon arrival, Tyler and Katie wanted to show off all their Christmas gifts that Santa had left for them. They received a large playhouse, which Katie now coins as her "closet" and has stuffed all her toys inside. She is definitely a girly girl right from the start! (To the right, the kids are showing off their new PJs and scooters)! Shellie and I tucked the kids in, then we hung out for a bit. Shellie generously lent me 12 books for my reading entertainment. I definitely have some reading to do in my future! I actually already read two of the books today, alone.

We headed home, and I went straight to bed. I ended up having the most random, crazy nightmares last night. Although, now that I'm awake I cannot remember them any longer. They were definitely terrifying.

Tommy and I headed back to the gym today (I guess I should mention that Tommy is currently on vacation), and then I had a hankering for Sonic...so I blew the 450 calories I burned at the gym on fattening, delicious foods.

I'm not planning on doing much the remainder of the day...perhaps I'll read another book! Tommy is having his friends over to watch the Vandy game, so I plan on hiding out upstairs and catching up on a few girly television shows.

Rain, Rain Go Away

Good Morning! It's a nasty rainy day here today, and it's making me stay indoors. I thought about heading out to the mall, however, I'm sure it will be overwhelmingly packed and I just don't do so well with the crazy after Christmas sale shoppers. Maybe I'll make an attempt to go later this week.

My day until this afternoon is pretty uneventful. I'll workout at the gym later, and then I'm going for a massage...which I'm so excited about it! I haven't had massage in quite awhile, so it will be nice to some pampering at the spa.

Since I've started my blog, I've realized that I haven't posted any photos of my husband. So, now is the perfect opportunity to do so. (Hopefully, he doesn't mind).

And there you have it. Now you get an idea of who this infamous Tommy is that I speak of.

Last night, we decided to order pizza and wings from Papa Johns and we watched The Ghost Writer and it was pretty good, but I was not happy with the ending. I won't give away any spoilers so I'll leave it as that.

Well, that's all I have for today. Sorry for the lack of entertainment. As you can tell, my day has been pretty boring so far!

Christmas Unwrapped

The past week has been crazy busy and exciting for us, and I'm just now getting a break to post about it! After getting back from my trip, I finally caught up on sleep, errands, cleaning, laundry, etc.

Sophie, unfortunately, hurt her neck this week and has been cowering around the house. We decided to give her Christmas presents to her early and here is a photo of her enjoying one! Isn't she just adorable?

Friday morning, Christmas Eve, Tommy kept tempting us to open presents early, and I finally gave in. I got him a Masterbuilt Electric Smoker with digital thermometer (It's super heavy duty) and a money clip, since he loses stuff quite often and will not carry a wallet. Funny thing, my dad went to Lowe's that same day and bought the identical smoker without me telling him which one I got Tommy or where. My dad and I have to research everything prior to a purchase, so sounds like we both made the accurate decision.

Tommy got me a KitchenAid 600 Series Professional Stand Mixer! I am so excited to start using it! He even got me additional attachments to go with it. It's a really cool metallic greyish color. I've always been a huge baker, so this was an awesome gift. I also got a Soda Stream, but Tommy accidentally bought it in red, which doesn't go with any of our decor, so we had to order it in stainless/black. I should receive it this week. I'm so excited to start making my own beverages. The Soda Stream allows you to make all natural drinks and it's lower in calories, so a big plus in my book!

Later that evening, we went over to my in-law's home (Ray and Sandra aka Ray-Ray and So-So for the kiddos) for Christmas dinner and our gift exchange. The night started out with a traditional Christmas dinner that included: tenderloin, sweet potatoes, asparagus, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, etc. For dessert, we enjoyed cheesecake bites. It was so delicious! I could barely move after I finished eating.

Next, we moved onto the gift opening portion of the evening. We received generous gift cards to our two favorite restaurants, Park Cafe and Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse from Ray and Sandra. We actually already made reservations at Park Cafe for New's Years Eve...so that was perfect! They also gifted me the cutest umbrella and evening bag and Tommy a Home Depot gift card (which will get a lot of use). We also got a Viking Cooking School gift card, which we are so excited to use from Lance and Shellie. We've been wanting to take a professional cooking class for awhile. I received a Kiehls gift box from Matthew, an awesome candle from Stan and Carol (this candle smells amazing), and a few other gifts on top of that. Needless to say, we racked up.

Tyler and Katie were so cute opening their gifts. I forgot to take photos again...whoopsy.

On Christmas Day we headed over to my parent's house and went straight to unwrapping gifts of course. I received workout clothes, pajamas, Dolce and Gabbana's perfume The One, some shopping money (Yay - I do love to shop) and a Clarisonic Mia. Let me tell you, this Clarisonic Mia is amazing. My face feels as soft as a baby's bottom and I'm all glowy. I highly recommend it this to everyone!
Tommy got a new wardrobe and some shopping cash, too. Once again, we were spoiled rotten! Next, we had our not-so-traditional Christmas Day lunch. We enjoyed my mother's homemade chicken and dumplings, which are one of the most spectacular eats on the planet. I love them and could eat them everyday! Also, my dad cooked a brisket on his new smoker, which was also scrumptious. For dessert, we had my mom's homemade chocolate pies which are a necessity every Christmas. I love non traditional meals on Christmas Day. One year, we even did a fish fry that was awesome. We're just random, I guess!

Later that afternoon we headed over to Tommy's late mother's side of the family's home. We had a great time catching up with everyone, playing with the kids, and the doggies.

By the time we got home, I was exhausted, took a bath and got comfy on the couch. For dinner, I had left over chicken and dumplings and chocolate pie.

This morning, we got up and took the Christmas decor down, cleaned the house, and cooked brunch. I'm about to go eat a late lunch (once again, chicken and dumplings) and then head to the YMCA for a workout.

We are truly blessed and so thankful for everything that we have. We are so lucky to have such an amazing family! Thus far, this was the *best* Christmas we've ever had and it had nothing to do with the gifts (although a bonus). I can't tell you how happy we are right now and we're excited about our new adventures in 2012!!!

I hope everyone had a blessed and happy holiday!

Photos from The Driskill

Sorry for the delay! I was finally able to upload all my Driskill photos and check them out this morning. There are a several eerie photos, and others just random that I am sharing. Sorry for the large sizing, but you'll want to zoom in some of these and check them out.


In this photo, you'll notice two things. First off, the figure low to the ground with eyes...which looks like a cat to me. There is not a light above this area, so that's not what is causing it. Also there's an orb above it. If you zoom into the orb, it actually has a face. Eyes, nose, and mouthIn this photo, you'll notice two things. First off, the figure low to the ground with eyes...which looks like a cat to me. There is not a light above this area, so that's not what is causing it. Also there's an orb above it. If you zoom into the orb, it actually has a face. Eyes, nose, and mouth.


In this photo, you just notice an orb. Once again, if you zoom into this photo, you see eyes, nose, and mouth outlines. This staircase is said to be haunted by Mr. Driskill himself.
This photo is a little hard to see unless you zoom in. You want to zoom into the very back door. You can see a misty figure of a girl. No, this isn't our reflection either, it was taken about 20ft from us, and we were the only ones in the hallway at the time. This photo was taken on the 4th floor where a young girl is said to haunt.And last, I bring you back to the lobby staircase. You'll notice a few orbs in this photo. Also, you'll see a large photo hanging on the wall of Mr. Driskill. If you zoom into the corner right hand side of the photo, you can see the outline in mist of a little boy...at least that's what I see. Then, an orb directly above it.

Luckily, I didn't have any ghostly encounters in our hotel room. We had such a great time! Below you'll see a few random photos.Me

Bran, Dad, and Me

My ParentsMe posing with a Texas Longhorn
And, just sitting hoping to capture something.

Well, that's all the photos for now! After we left Austin, we headed to Houston for a Safer Family Christmas Party. It was so much fun and great to see everyone. The next morning, we headed to Wildwood (about 90 minutes outside of Beaumont - 3 hours from Houston) to visit my Grandparents, Nana and Papa. It was so great to see them, and we got to watch family videos of my brother and I growing up. It was hilarious! On Monday, we got up at 4am and drove back to Houston to catch our flight. I was so excited because I got to eat "breakfast" at Pappadaux's. I enjoyed lobster bisque (my favorite) and I picked at my parent's fried oysters and shrimp. Very good!

I've finally recovered from my excursion and getting back to normal today. I'm about to head off to the gym and run a few errands. Have a great day!

Home Sweet Home

Just wanted to pop in and say hello. I had such an awesome time on my trip, and I'll update tomorrow with photos, stories, etc. The weekend was definitely overwhelming, but in a great way! Can't wait to share my trip with everyone!

Food Coma

To catch up from my earlier post, tonight Bran and Michelle treated us to a fabulous dinner at Eddie V's Prime Seafood and Steaks and it was absolutely delicious. (I'll have photos next week up). I enjoyed lobster and shrimp bisque, ahi tuna steak with wasabi mashed potatoes and other side options: twice baked potatoes, crab fried rice with mushrooms, and truffle Mac n cheese. All very tasty. Then, for dessert we split the bananas foster's rum cake which was AMAZING. So good! Have you ever gotten a drunk feeling from eating too much food? That's how i feel right now. I'm on a food high. Needless to say, I probably gained 5lbs from dinner alone. I'm really going to have to get to the gym next week and workout twice as hard.

After dinner, we waddled to the hotel, and then headed to Bran and Michelle's place to open gifts. I got a super cute Lululemon jacket, which I plan on wearing on my flight home :)

As I'm typing, I'm laying in my hotel room bed, with my dad snoring in the bed across the room and my mom is dead asleep next to me. Yes, I made my mom share a bed with me. I'm also going to attempt to sleep with the tv on if I can get away with it, since they both are basically out for the night. Speaking of beds....a queen sized bed seems so small. We have a California King and I'm used to having tons of room....oh well, guess I'm spoiled at home.

I'm really trying to make myself sleepy, but nothing is working! I've been up now for 18 hours going nonstop all day, and you'd think I'd fall right to sleep, but no, of course it couldn't possibly be that easy.

I really wish Tommy and Sophie were with me, but I'll get to see them soon. Well, I'm getting off of here in order to get some beauty sleep. I'm praying that my night is uneventful and full of wonderful sleep. Good night!

Exhausted in Austin

We made it to Austin very early this morning and I've spent the day shopping with my parents and Bran. We had Tex-Mex for lunch and we are supposed to be going somewhere fab for dinner.

We checked into our hotel after walking the downtown streets around 1pm. My mother and I decided to do our own "ghost hunting" with our cameras and took photos of the most haunted areas of the hotel. I must say, I already have a few interesting photos, but I won't be certain until I get back home and see them enlarged. (Sorry, I can't post them just yet)!

I'm very tired today, but having a great time thus far. Looks like I will be sleeping at The Driskill tonight after all.

Random Ramblings

Good Afternoon! I've had a busy day cleaning, packing, running errands, etc. I'm gearing up for my trip to Texas tomorrow, and so far so good. However, I'm dreading my 4:30am alarm clock.

I've had somewhat of a disappointing day. Not to get too TMI or personal, but Tommy and I are trying to conceive our 1st child. (Do NOT mention on Facebook, please). And, let's just say that since going off birth control pills, my body hates me. You'd think that it would be easy considering you've spent over 10 years preventing pregnancy, but not so much. Anyway, I had to go to the doctor today for some blood work testing, and looks like I'll be put on more hormones to regulate my system. I guess I am thankful to have an easy and fixable solution. We'll just have to see how next month goes. Fingers Crossed!!!

Okay, so I am awful at remembering to take photos, so yesterday while I was out, I took a few on my phone. I know photos are really important on any blog. These are so random...but it's what I got.

Here's my sushi from Lucy's Yogurt. Yes, sushi at a yogurt shop. It's formerly Taste of Tokyo which was located in Hillsboro Village (now in Green Hills). Unfortunately, they aren't offering their bento boxes any longer, but I'm happy with sushi. Below is my Ninza Roll: Tuna, Salmon, Crab, Avocado, topped with Sriracha and Aioli. I accidentally ate a piece before I took the photo. Whoops.
And here's me looking crazy at my salon J. Bangs in Green Hills. (Wayne is the best - highly recommend).
And here's the final product below...sorry it's a bad pic!


And last, here's Sophie just being cute. For those of you that are curious, she's a Havanese. Don't fret if you haven't heard of this breed....they're pretty rare.
And that's all I have for today. I'll be travelling through Monday, so I might be a little MIA. I'll try to update throughout my trip if WiFi is available for my iPad. I'm still nervous about my stay tomorrow night at the Driskill, but hopefully, it will be uneventful! Be back soon :)

Blah.

I am beyond cranky today. I didn't fall asleep last night, despite going to bed early. On top of that, I haven't slept more than 2 hours per night for a week now. I have insomnia/sleep deprivation and usually get 4-6 hours of sleep per night, but this is getting ridiculous. I have to get some sleep before my trip, otherwise I am going to be not pleasant to be around.

Okay, I'm done complaining. Last night, Shelby and I took Leia to J Alexanders for a belated birthday dinner. I enjoyed a side caesar salad, filet, and their famous gruyere Mac n Cheese. For dessert, we split a vanilla white chocolate cheesecake that was to die for. We had a wonderful time, and it was fun to catch up.

Right now, I'm blogging from my salon, J. Bangs, which I highly recommend. Wayne is the best! After I get my hair done, I am going to grab sushi for lunch, head to the grocery store, then pack for my trip to Texas. Looks like I do not have a nap in my future, but I am going to try my hardest to get to bed super early tonight.

Can't move...

Instead of doing my usual workout at the gym yesterday, I opted to do my workout at home. This time I went for Jillian Michael's workout for the Wii. While the graphics, music, and commentary are not the greatest, the workout itself is amazing. I focused on legs and abs, adding in a little cardio. I probably did around 600 reps of different types of lunges (No, I'm not exaggerating) and I can feel it today. I'm so sore that I cannot walk flat footed. I look ridiculous!

Looks like I'll have to just focus on arms and abs today.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Tommy and I had a wonderful weekend! On Friday night, we went over to Tommy's brother and SIL's home, Lance and Shellie. We played with their two adorable three year old twins, Tyler and Katie. (See Right - I stole this photo from Shellie's page. Aren't they just adorable)? After we put them to bed, we had a delicious shrimp boil and bonfire. We enjoyed a few cocktails, then decided to go home.



On Saturday, we were pretty lazy the majority of the day. We babysat Tyler and Katie Saturday night and enjoyed an order from Loveless Cafe to go. We both had Loveless's half fried chicken, which is scrumptious. I was bummed because they were all out of their chess pie, but I think I'm going to attempt to make my first chess pie next week just for kicks. I had to insert a photo in order to keep me motivated to make this pie. I love to bake, but I'm not a big pie person, well except for Chess Pie of course!


On Sunday, I headed to the gym, and dropped Tommy off at our local hangout, Corner Pub, to watch the midday games. I met him after my workout, enjoyed a few cocktails, then we headed to Kyoto for Japanese hibachi. We came home, and I caught up on a few of my shows, then headed off to bed.

Cut to today. I did not get any sleep last night, and I'm a little cranky today. However, Mondays are my new favorite day of the week. I'm not exactly sure why, but I guess it might have to do with being able to catch up from the weekend. Tonight, I'm going to have a "me" night while Tommy watches football with his boys. I'm cooking a scallop pesto pasta for us, and then enjoying my Monday evening shows.

Tomorrow night, Shelby and I are taking our friend Leia out for a belated birthday dinner. It will be fun to catch up and have a girl's night. Not sure where we are going just yet, but I'm sure whatever Leia decides will be great. I'll have to take a few photos and post.

Anxiously Awaiting Austin

Above photos of The Driskill Hotel in Austin, Texas

So, I posted yesterday about being a tad bit scared about my Austin trip. It just so happens that my mother booked us a hotel room at the famous Driskill Hotel. Not only is this hotel famous for it's beauty and Southern hospital, but for its' ghosts. Yes, I said ghosts. The Driskill Hotel is one of the most haunted hotels in the U.S. Also, The Driskill Hotel has been featured on tv shows such as Ghost Hunters and My Ghost Story. This 5-Star monstrosity even offers it's own Ghost Tours each week.

Why would I be afraid? Ghosts like me. There I said it. I've had countless ghostly encounters since I was a child, and for some reason, maybe I'm sensitive? Who really knows for sure. Anyway, you might be laughing out loud at me right now, and I don't blame you. Skeptics do not bother me one bit. And, if I have not had my many experiences, then I would certainly be skeptical myself. Logically and rationally ghosts cannot be explained. Science cannot prove that ghosts exist. I definitely understand this, however, I have my own theories on ghosts, but I'll share that with you some other time.

The Driskill's website even has its' own photos, video, and blog that feature it's ghostly guests. Visit here for more information.

Of course, I will be bringing my camera and I will snap several photos of the hotel in order to post photos on this blog. And, I might even gain the courage to do one of the ghost tours, but no promises there. My sister-in-law, Michelle, graciously offered up her air mattress if needed. I might taker her up on that, but I'll visit the hotel and get a feel for it myself before I make my final decision.

This trip should be interesting to say the least!

Oh, Happy Day!

So, I've been MIA the past couple of days due to a nasty cold/sinus infection. Today, I'm feeling amazing, in a great mood, etc. Also, all my Christmas shopping is complete and are now wrapped under the tree. Christmas my most favorite time of the year! From drinking highly calorific and fatty eggnog to watching my favorite old school Christmas movies on tv...I love it all :)

Speaking of Christmas, I'm going to Austin, Houston, and Beaumont next week to visit family for the holidays. I haven't been to Texas since 2007, and I'm pumped! Why am I going to so many cities? First stop, Austin, to visit my brother and SIL who just moved from Nashville to Austin last month. I have to admit though, I'm a little scared about my Austin trip....but I'll post about that later since I'm pressed for time at the moment. Second stop, Houston. My Aunt is holding a family Christmas party for my father's side of the family. I haven't seen many of my cousins in 10 years...so I hope everyone can make it. And last, but certainly not least, I'll be going to visiting my awesome grandparent's (mother's side). I'm thrilled to be able to go, but my husband isn't going to make it because of work. Instead, he gets to babysit my parent's dogs, plus our dog, Sophie....so his hands will be full!

Jet's Pizza Review

So, we have been quite lazy today after having a late night out last night and decided to order pizza for dinner. We decided to try the New York Bold Fold from Jet's Pizza. I was excited because I love feta cheese and it just so happens that Jet's offered this as one of their many toppings. We ordered our pepperoni, sausage on half, feta on half, with turbo crust pizza, waited about 1 hour and 15 minutes for the arrival. The box felt somewhat cool. I anxiously took the first bite and "meh." it was disappointing. It tasted like a frozen pizza AND they forgot my feta cheese on my half! Oh well, we won't be ordering that again. Looks like I'll switch back to Papa John's for our next order. (Tip: recently we've received 3 FREE large pizzas from PJ's just from ordering online....just sign up for the program and get a free pizza for every 25 points. It's great)!

Now, off to channel surfing and feeling bloated the rest of the evening from due to my indulgence. Have a great night!

Introduction

Hello there and welcome! I decided to start my blog basically out of boredom. I'll be posting anything from everyday tasks, restaurant reviews, fashion, irrelevant randomness, and hot topics. You must be warned, I may also post about controversial subjects.

A few tidbits about myself:

After getting laid off this summer, I am currently employed as a housewife (thanks to my husband), and I proud mother of my pup, Sophie. My past work experience included everything from a marketing director, retail management, acting and modeling, pro cheerleading, real estate to law! I guess you could say that I never really found the right niche...at least I haven't yet. I've been married to my wonderful husband, Tommy, for just over a year, and hopefully in the future we will be blessed with children.

All in all, I have had amazing opportunities in my life, and am very grateful. I have the best family I could ask for, and awesome friends. However, I have encountered difficult times in my life and I firmly believe that you learn and grow through each experience...negative or positive. At least, this is the choice I make for myself. Of course, I am flawed (as we all are) and make poor decisions and mistakes. But, life isn't about perfection...it's about family, happiness, and living life to the fullest. <<< Wow, okay, that was corny.

I must admit that I can be quite blunt and harsh at times. Although, a rational and logical thinker. I love a challenge, debates, and anything thought provoking...whether I agree or disagree. That's the beauty of great conversations, a difference in opinions, agreements, disagreements, and general entertainment. Oh, did I mention that I'm a bit stubborn? Unfortunately, my stubbornness doesn't come in handy during heated debates! Although, can be entertaining when I'm making a full out of myself! :)

So, I guess you'll find out more about myself throughout future posts!