Summertime!

I am a lover of all seasons. In the winter, I love winter the most. In the fall, I love fall the most. In the...can you see a pattern?! I guess it's a good thing; to love where you are when you are there the most. Hmm. Deep thought for the day, eh?

Today, I love summer. I have had some wonderful summertime evenings recently, and I wish I could bottle them up and save them forever. A few weeks back I went with a group of friends to the drive-in. We sat in the back of the truck, loaded down with blankets and friends. Perfection.
Curtis, a friend of mine was house-sitting a fabulous home in Green Hills for a couple weeks; so I spent plenty of time over there relaxing by the pool, grilling out, chilling out, and enjoying friends. I'm tellin' ya, bliss. BLISS. There's just something about a warm, balmy evening, a refreshing and fun pool, grilled food, cold beer and good friends. The perfect combination!

A few weekends ago we (Jenni, Katie, and Katie R.) went canoeing; which was SO much fun! I even brought a disposable waterproof camera. How awesome is that?! My computer unfortunately isn't reading the disc that has the photos right now, or I would have some pics to share. We found this great sandbar to stop and have lunch, and the current was rushing pretty strong; so we took the cue from the other boaters and donned out life jackets and floated down the river. Me and my waterproof camera were having such a great time snapping pics that I didn't even see the large rock coming up. Yep, my little knee smacked right into it! OUCH! I think I said a curse word. Or two.

Father's Day weekend I was supposed to go to Kentucky, and I did, but under different circumstances. I won a local radio contest to see Jamey Johnson and Justin Moore at 4th Street Live in Louisville, KY. The bonus? Going to see it in a tour bus. Yep, that's right. Katie went with me, and we joined a few other winners and radio personalities and headed on up to Louisville for the night. We had a BLAST! Great people, fun times on the bus, met and hung out with Jamey and Justin; saw the show from perfect seats (thanks Andie!!), and had the perfect weather. It was a late, late night, but well worth it. We returned to Nashville about 2:30 in the morning, and I went home to sleep for a few hours before getting up and driving BACK to be with my dad for Father's Day. Crazy, I know, but it was worth it.

My sister and I went with my dad to the Shelby County Flea Market for a morning of browsing endless rows of junk. It's a place we used to go to all the time growing up; so we thought it would be fun to return. I bought $20 worth of classic 80's records! Michael Jacksons' Thriller, Styx, The Carpenters, Def Leppard, The Sound of Music Soundtrack, and countless others. I'm looking forward to playing them!

Saturday afternoon my sister, Grandmother and I drove out to Leitchfield for my brothers' wedding shower. It was so cute, and they got tons o' stuff for their new home! What I love about the shower the most was that it was a fire station! How cute! The back side of the fire station has a general room, kind of like a reception hall. It worked perfectly for us! Sam (my brother) took us back to his new apartment to show it off, and it looked awesome! I'm so proud of my baby brother.

Sunday we took dad to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch; he had never been! My older brother joined us, and we were so glad to all be together at one time; it's rare these days! We ended the night by joining my mom and her husband for a late evening Father's Day dinner with him. I loved seeing the sun set over the south...so pretty.
I'll miss this...

I would have posted photos for each event, but I dropped my NEW iPhone last week and I took it to the doctor today to have it's face replaced. I'll post photos later...


...for new iPhone's! Yesterday I walked into an AT&T store...and walked out with an iPhone. Having been a dedicated Sprint subscriber for the past 10 years, I felt a sense of cellular freedom come over me. No more unnecessary fees, no more Sprint calls late at night, no more nonsense!! As soon as I got home I synced, installed, downloaded and uploaded for hours on end.

You see, my iPod was stolen (my fault, really. Left my car unlocked.) about a month ago. I had been toying with the idea of an iPhone, but couldn't gather myself to switch carriers and get all fancy-schmancy. But, when my monthly cell plan was becoming astronomical in price; I decided it was time. And why not combine both phone and iPod? Cheaper in the long run...since all of my family and close friends are on AT&T (free chat time!).

So far, I'm loving it. All the bells and whistles, all the time consuming yet addicted apps (Paper Toss, anyone?!), it was a good and fun investment.

Here's to you Apple, thanks for creating the iPhone. :)

Redikerous!

Take a look at this amazing light show; made using dorm lights in a building!

Whew! I've been gone the past four weekends in a row; talk about EXHAUSTING! As tired as I was, I wouldn't have had it any other way. I enjoyed every second of it!

Mother's Day weekend I went to Kentucky to visit my family, and had a great time. I spent Friday night with my dad in Louisville, caught a quick breakfast with my grandmother, then saw Star trek with my dad before heading down to Elizabethtown for the remainder of my time in Ky. Went fishing, Mother's Day picnic...it was wonderful.



The following weekend I flew to Washington, D.C. to visit my dad and family. We didn't have an agenda (which was nice!), just attended all the kids softball practices, games, etc. We played so much catch that my arm hurt for a week! Weak, I know. :) We toured a civil war era plantation: The Chatham House. Being a history nerd, I loved every second of it. I took tons of photos, and deemed it my new favorite place to get married. Wait, I think I need to find a man first! We had a great time looking back into the civil wartime, and exploring all the grounds had to offer. I flew back late Sunday night..and was back at work early the next morning.


Former statue pedestal in the gardens over looking the river.


Memorial Day weekend Katie, Jenni and I drove down to Destin, FL. for a little R&R. We had a fabulous time, even amidst the rain. By Saturday evening it had dried up, and Sunday, Monday and Tuesday were perfect Florida days. I've got the tan to prove it! We enjoyed going out to this cool Irish Pub called McGuire's; who hosted a fantastic band called A200. They played SO many great cover songs, and we danced the nights away. I will say, (and Kate and Jenn will laugh at me) that they DID NOT play Summer of 69'! What's up with that?! Any great Southern Rock band needs to know how to play that. Sheesh. I don't get it.

Katie, Jenni and I on the beach

I was planning on staying at home this past weekend, but my mom called and said that all of the family was getting together for a last minute camping trip on the lake. How could I turn THAT down? Lake? Camping? Together? HECK YES!! So, I was off again. We had a BLAST on the lake, camping, sharing stories 'round the fire...and even braved a SERIOUS thunderstorm our second night. I didn't sleep that much that night, camping on the lake made the thunder SO much louder. But, we survived. I had to work on Sunday, so I was up early to book it back to Nashville by 10am.


Enjoying the sunshine on the boat
Tiffany, Sam, Stephanie and I
Tiffany and Sam, to be married on July Fourth!

So, that's my weekends so far! I was supposed to go camping in the Smoky Mountains this coming weekend, but I had to postpone that one. Super tired from the past four! So, I'm looking forward to enjoying going to the Drive In Theater, relaxing by the pool, maybe some hiking in the beautiful TN hills, getting my car detailed (it's still has sea-grime and and sand from Florida!), and hopefully redeeming a massage certificate at a local spa.

I hope you are enjoying this fabulous weather as of late, and are experiencing everything life has to offer!

This morning I decided to venture out and create a healthy alternative to the ever-so-delightful- sugary frozen treats. It was incredibly simple, actually!




I used two containers of low fat, organic blueberry yogurt, and mixed it in a bowl. Then I gently blended the organic mixed berries (Raspberries, blueberries and blackberries) with a hand blender. I didn't want to puree them; I wanted to have some texture in the yogurt once frozen. I mixed the two together , and WOW! what great color the fruit brought. Very rich...I wanted to eat it right then!

I used 2oz Dixie cups for the freezing, and I was out of popsicle sticks...so I used toddler spoons for the handles. Just popped those in the center of the cups, and in to the freezer they went!


*I apologize for the low quality of the photos, as I only use a basic point and shoot digital camera. *

I am really getting into buying local, so I think next time I make these, I'll buy fresh fruit from the local farmers market, freeze it, then use that for the frozen fruit. Right now I've got fresh strawberries, blueberries, grapes, bananas and pineapples on hand...I wonder what tomorrow's concoction will be!




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