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As I've posted before, I've really gotten into cake baking and decorating. I started attending Wilton classes at a local craft store, and it's official; I'm hooked! I was a little nervous at first, but my confidence grew as I was decorating. I'm now doing THREE birthday parties in the next month! WHEW!

I'm really into Fondant, but am learning the basics. I need and want to know everything I can!

Days like today, I like to take a moment and reflect on what I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for:
my life
my family
my country
my FREEDOM
my military who protects and DEFENDS me
my military family
my beloved friends

I will never forget.


Ok, sad times over. Onto what else I've been up to these past weeks!

The past few weeks have been so fun! I've finally landed on a church home; Southlands at the Gallery. It's a super cool, fun, upbeat church. I'm really loving the worship and teaching. Meeting new friends has been SO refreshing! Hard to believe I've been out here almost three months! I was SO ready for people to hang out with.

The last few Saturdays I've been checking out the different beaches in the area with my friend Manny. We've been to Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and Newport Beach so far. Last week, we rented bikes and cruised the boardwalk along Huntington Beach. It was so fun! On Labor Day I was invited to join my new small group out at a fabulous Lake House on Canyon Lake. We spent the day on the boat wake boarding (or attempting to!), relaxing by the pool, playing crazy games off of the dock on the lake, warming up in the jacuzzi, and getting to know new friends.

I'm looking forward to going into Hollywood this weekend. Yes, doing the cheesy tourist things like the Walk of Stars, Hollywood sign, etc. What can I say...I'm a tourist until I've seen it. :)

Hope you have a wonderful weekend, whatever you are doing!

With this recent move, I now am enjoying DirecTV. Not only do I have cable, (gasp, shock!) I even have a fancy schmancy DVR!!! And boy, am I putting it to use! I've gotten addicted to watching any and all shows pertaining to cake baking. In particular, "Cake Boss" on TLC. I love the interaction, love the New Jersey accents, and loooove their work. If you haven't seen it, you can preview the show and Buddy's work here.

I have been thinking and thinking of a new hobby. A project, if you will. Something to challenge myself creatively. After watching these cake shows, it has piqued my interest into Fondant Cake Decorating. Fondant is a "creamed confection". Basically, it's sugar and water, in a certain consistency. Gelatin and Glycerin are added to get that dough-like texture. While I by NO means am aspiring to be a lavish cake decorator as these, I think I can hold my own! So, I'm starting with the basics: a Fondant Cake Decorating class at my local Michael's Arts & Crafts. I could be horrible, I could do just fine. Either way, I'm excited about starting something new!

This is a cake Buddy and his team did for Rachel Ray's 500th Episode. All is edible, impressive, right?

I've missed home a lot this week, craving some familiarity. Luckily, a friend from Tennessee was in town playing a concert at The Troubador with his band Seabird. It was so good to see a familiar face, and a good friend at that! I'm so excited for him, he's engaged to be married in May! I just love weddings, now I just need a date....

BUT-I've been LOVING getting to know the California outdoors! I've been doing my workouts outdoors, since the weather is so fabulous; I'm drinking in the constant sunshine, smell of exotic flowers, and the never-ending cloudless blue skies. I have been dreaming of rain the past few nights! Weird and random, I know, but I think it's because I'm used to seeing rain once or twice a week, and I've been here since the beginning of July-and no rain! Weird.

I'm missing my family so much! 2009 has been such a big year for our family. Sam was engaged, married and enlisted in the Army, Scott is away for a while, and Steph is working on entering the workforce. Mom and Alvin are still recovering from the damaging ice storm in March; having to purchase new farmland. Dad is still working at the same location, not much has changed there.
All of my transitions this year have had my head swimming. Leaving my church, pursuing fresh, true and new beliefs in Christ, deciding to leave Nashville after six years, embarking on a journey across the country.

Fall couldn't be here soon enough. I can't wait to go home and see my little brother graduate from Basic Training!

Video from Christmas Day a few years back. Good times with my sister, my mom's new camera, and the Farm's "Mule".

This past weekend my friend Katie came out to visit me while here on a conference for her work. We had an AMAZING time, as always; and it was SO good to see a familiar face!

The conference was in Long Beach, so Friday evening we ate at Gladstones and had a great time. We ran down to the Irvine Spectrum for some late night shopping. That place is beautiful at dusk! Ferris Wheels, tinkling lights along the sidewalks...it was great. Saturday we spent the evening in Newport Beach, along the boardwalk. We ate at a place beside the ferry to Balboa Island, so good!
Sunday we spent the day at Manhattan Beach in LA. There was a surfing and sand volleyball competition going on....SO perfect!! After enjoying the sun, we headed back to the house to chill and watch a movie. Monday, the day Katie left (so sad!), we ran down to Laguna Beach for some last minute beach time. It was a slow and relaxing morning, Mimosas and Bloody Mary's on the beach. Perfection!

I had a great time exploring the area around me, and it was so nice to have someone to do the adventuring with! I can't wait to meet more people and go explore some more!

My journey to the west was one in the making for months. I had kept it on the down low for many reasons; and I’m glad I did. I toyed with the idea of moving to California, then found many reasons to stay in Nashville, TN. Back and forth I went, until I finally realized that yes, this is what I wanted, needed to do.
I work for a fabulous family as a nanny to their two small children. In March, they announced that they were moving to Orange County, CA. In that announcement, they asked me to move with them. As stated above, it took a long time for me to come to a decision!
In part, I didn't want to leave Nashville because CA was so foreign, so different to me. It took me realizing that I moved to Nashville knowing no one at 19, and surviving and thriving. Surely I could make this move at 25. So after putting away the weights to weigh my decision, I made with confidence the choice to move to California.
I was born and raised in the South, something I have taken for granted until now. It truly is a way of life that only exists in the South. I can’t wait to return one day. I didn’t want to leave the green, the rolling hills, the farms, the smell, the Fall season, I could go on. Instead, I’ve traded it for weeks and weeks of blue untainted skies, perfect 80-90 degree weather, and winds from the beach. It’s so odd trying to get used to it not raining here!
So, my Journey began on July 9th, 2009. We flew out on a Thursday, and traveled to Palm Desert for a week of relaxing while the new house was being painted and kid-proofed. We’ve been in our new house for over a few weeks now, and I love it. It sits in the hills, we’re on a culdesac and it’s very lush (with the aids of sprinklers, of course!) in the hills around us. We have a pool in the back (which is AWESOME!), and plenty of space for the kiddos to run and play.
I’m getting used to the area, being able to drive myself around and not get lost (ok, ok. I may have to turn around a few times…). As I said before, we live in the Hills, so it’s beautiful to look out and see the cities below us. We are close to Disneyland, so at 9:30 every night you can hear the fireworks. I’m sure if you were in the right spot, you could see them from our neighborhood.
What do I miss? I miss the ever present smiles on strangers faces, not hesitating to smile and say hello. I miss the Southern Hospitality somehow innately ingrained in almost everyone. I miss seeing muddied up trucks, and I even miss that Deer head sticker from Bass Pro that is on the back of tons of trucks! I miss Sweet Tea, Mello Yello, and no, I haven’t seen a Moon Pie. I doubt I will.
But I know I’m here for a reason. When a new chapter of life begins, new characters are added, and old ones exist no more. A good friend recently gave me this analogy: she said that she was scuba diving for the first time, and after about ten minutes underwater; she had a thought to go to the top and take a breath of air. It was then that she realized that she had everything she needed to function, live and thrive in that moment; just with completely different surroundings.
So that’s what I’m doing, I’m learning to breathe.

I've followed Mat Kearney since the beginning of his career, finding success in indie venues in Nashville, to hearing his music on Grey's Anatomy. I love following artists through the years, see how they morph, change, grow.

Mat is one of those artists. While I miss his hip-hop influences, I really love his latest album. It dropped a few weeks ago, and took me a few spins of the disc before I endorsed it fully. But, it's fully of acoustic and piano flavor; enjoy it!

This video I found on his tour blog, and thought it interesting enough to share. It's an impromptu acoustic version of "Closer to Love", with his drummer on basketball percussion. Take a look!

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. :)

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.

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.
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!

This past weekend I traveled to my hometown of Louisville (and surrounding areas), KY for Mother's Day weekend. Whenever I'm in the area, I try to visit as many people as I can, and it gets a little crazy. This weekend I decided to not see any friends, but give all my time to my family. How rewarding it was!

I drove in late Friday night, and spent the late evening with my dad. Saturday morning my sister and I took my Grandmother out to breakfast for Mother's Day. I had not seen the new development of Westport Village; usually when I'm home visiting I don't have time to see all the changes to the city! It was so quaint, full of unique boutiques and restaurants. We ate at this fabulous place called "Wild Eggs", which was so different, but completely delicious!

I caught a matinee of the new Star Trek with my dad-and I LOVED it! Being a child of a sci-fi fan dad, I grew up watching all the old ST's with him. I give it a two thumbs up! After the movie, I drove down to Elizabethtown, where my mom and her husband now live. They are in a beautiful farm house temporarily (major damage to their home in the winter ice storm), but we had a fabulous time. Fished, cooked, laughed, cried, sang...we had a wonderful time.
Sunday I was walking back and forth setting the picnic table outside, and it struck me. I miss Kentucky. I looked down at myself and thought how I would never dress this way in Nashville....boots thrown on, jeans haphazardly halfway tucked in or halfway down my leg. Old faded jeans (ok those are a must no matter where you live!), white button down shirt, my hair was all windblown from driving home in the truck. I looked down at myself and I realized how incredibly comfortable and at home I felt. I was in my element.
So WHY am I moving? Well, I know that it's what I'm supposed to do next. I can't describe it, but I just know. I am secretly hoping that my next destiny is to move to a county home in the south....haha.

All in all, I had a wonderful weekend celebrating my mom and grandma. All of my siblings and I bought my mom a beautiful silver diamond necklace, mom loved it. :) Hopefully I'll have some photos up tomorrow.

In the past month I've celebrated my 25th birthday, had family visit from out of town, stayed in a hotel, purchased my first pair of bon-a-fide cowboy boots, went to a new restaraunt, saw three concerts, packed my apartment up to move...and the list goes on. Can you see why I haven't posted?? :)

My 25th birthday party was held at Arrington Vineyards, and what a bash it was! Every Spring and Summer, on the weekends; AV hosts "Music in the Vines", a free live music venue. And WHAT a venue!! A spectacular view, amazing music, and the fabulous wine....oh the wine...

The Tasting Room (aka The Lodge) sits atop a grand hill that overlooks the countryside of Williamson County. So beautiful. The vines were not "leafy" just yet; that's what you get when you have a vineyard in Tennessee! My family came down from Kentucky, and my friends all came with yummy food....I couldn't have asked for a better birthday celebration.
Everyone brought cameras, the scenery was too beautiful not to capture! Enjoy these snapshots from various friends..

The John Boat Experience

It was summertime in the hills of Kentucky, which meant my brother and I were outdoors. It was either be outdoors under the shade the woods provided, or indoors where central A/C was a foreign object and we could quite possibly get sucked into the attic fan in my brothers' room. The fan pulled air so hard through the house, it was scary!

After wandering around one afternoon, my brother Scott and I asked my mom for some help on finding something to do. I'm sure it sounded something like this: (thick Southern accent here) "Mama, we're BOOOOORED!". This particular day mom's idea was for us to carry our little john boat down to the "pond" and go "canoeing". We, of course, thought this was a FABULOUS idea; and quickly ran to the barn to dig out the boat. I'm sure it was buried under all kinds of interesting things in there....I'd rather not think about it.

So, here we were, two little kids struggling to carry this metal boat over our heads and down the hill to the "pond". After what seemed like FOREVER (and I'm sure was only a handful of minutes), and a few drags through the mud, we were here. Our afternoon of bliss. Our boating adventure. We quickly hopped in the boat, so excited to be on our way to expert boatmen. Boatwomen. Boatkids. Aquatic Professionals. Whatever.

We're paddling, paddling, paddling; then all of the sudden "crash! smash! nails on a chalkboard noise! (cattails scratching the sides of the boat)." It seemed that our "pond" was nothing more than a glorified puddle. A sinkhole filled with water. A hole in my heart. But we were not dismayed! We simply reversed positions, and "STROKE! STROKE! STRO"-crash! smash!...we had now arrived at the north end of the "pond". Again, we were not dismayed. we reversed positions, and continued on our journey through the muck.

I'm not sure how long we continued this back and forth process, but eventually, our trusty john boat began to fill with water. Being the girl in this situation, I began to panic. Even though our "pond" wasn't really a pond, it was oddly deep and over my head. As my heroic brother was so frantically trying to bail out the water, I was concerned with getting my feet on dry land as soon as possible. Being the sweet brother he was, Scott paddled enough to get me to the bank just before the unthinkable happened. The trusty john boat sank, and took my brother down with it! While the entire time this tragedy is happening, I was screaming bloody murder for my mom. Soon enough, Scott's head popped up from under the nasty greenish brown murky gag-me water.

He was standing up, his feet stuck in the mud below the waters surface. Ol' Trusty John Boat was stuck in the mud below the water as well. My mom came running, and helped pull my brother out of the mud. I'm sure my dad came home that evening, driving up the dirt road to our house, and was perplexed to see the corner of a familiar john boat sticking out of a really big puddle.
He never asked what happened, and I never returned to the "pond".

Got 30-40 minutes? Live near a park? Want to be active and enjoy the outdoors?

Well, have I got a little present for you! I thought I would share my workout today; so simple and effective! Having a best friend for a personal trainer; I've learned a few good things over the years. One of them is how to have a quick, yet effective and enjoyable workout. Did I just say enjoyable workout? I did.

Items you will need:
Park with a picnic table (Or backyard, whatever works for you)
Beach towel (or yoga mat)
Water
Medicine ball (I used a 6lb today, it's the only one I have)
iPod

Start by warming up with a light jog for 2 songs. I'm BIG into having a good playlist to work out to, and also use it to judge my time by.
You can do the following exercises in any sequence, but I prefer to alternate legs and arms.
Here is what I did today:

20 Walking Lunges w/ medicine ball (MB) over head (be sure to keep your arms straight, and sit down through your butt.)

20 Incline Push Ups-use the end of the picnic table and place your arms shoulder-width apart. For a harder workout, scoot your feet farther away from the table. Be sure to keep your back straight, don't let your lower back and butt sag towards the ground. This can cause back pain!

20 Sit Ups w/ MB. Find a flat spot on the ground and use your towel (or yoga mat) to lay on. Grasping the ball between your hands, be sure to keep it directly over your chest. Let yourself feel the additional weight as you sit up. Do not strain with your neck; let your muscles in your core do the working!

10 Single Leg Squats-lightly holding on to the end of the picnic table, sit down as you would sit in a chair. Feel your you glutes burrrrrrrn (at least mine do)! Be careful not to hold too tightly, rather grasp lightly and let your leg do the work. Switch legs after 10 reps.

Repeat workout as many times as you like. I did this workout 5 cycles today, and finished with a brisk walk around the parks' trail. Be sure to stretch!

My playlist for today:
Dancing Generation-Matt Redman
Bigger Than My Body-John Mayer
Miles to Go-Dave Barnes
These Days-Rascal Flatts
Up and Away-Dave Matthews
Sovereign Hands-Hillsong
Back At your Door-Maroon 5
Angel-Jack Johnson
Yes-Coldplay

Now some thoughts on Twitter....

Twitter has now become a verb. To "twitter", or more recently shortened to "tweet"; means to update your status. What is status you ask? Whatever the heck you want it to be. My status today (on facebook. I don't know how to sync the two...) was "Stacey just saw a Segway roll by. Nice.". You can tweet about whatever you want, share a link, a photo, etc. The funniest of it all today was someone's tweet of this : "...let me know if you do a tweet up. i'll join and invite my tweeps aswell."
Let me break it down for you: a tweet up is speaking of a meeting, or joining together of people. Tweeps is a description for the people (aka Twitter'ers) who follow one another.

Clear as mud? I'm glad we had this talk.

Tweet ya later.

After years of dreaming, hoping and wishing I could attend a Brad Paisley concert, my dream is becoming a reality! Thanks to a good friend (and his good friend) for incredible seats at a ridiculous price! I'm super excited, we're talking ever since Brad came on the country music scene I've been dying to see him live. He is an incredible guitarist, songwriter, and just plain funny. Opening for him is Darius Rucker (more commonly known as the Hootie and the Blowfish frontman), whose country debut cd was pretty good! I'll admit, every time I play his cd I'm taken back to the "Hold Myyyyyyyy Haaaaand!" days...
Also opening for Brad is Dierks Bentley. While I enjoy his music, I'm not a super huge fan. I do like his new single out on the radio right now though "Feel This Fire". All in all, I'm super excited and can't wait for Saturday! Good times to be had!
See below for yourself :)