A Wonderful Weekend Indeed

dare i say that i actually feel rested after this weekend? it seems like i am in a weird dream, yet it is true my friends...i am like a new person.
friday night was perfect to cookout, and of course, i had just happened to pick up my favs for dinner during my weekly grocery store run...HOT DOGS! yall seriously-i have an addiction. as soon as it's time to grill at our house, i always want a hot dog...random i know. the rest of the night was spent catching up on TV shows, me working on a little craft project, and doing my nightly "exercise routine" of walking around the house in the hopes to get little bit to fall asleep.
saturday we were up early to head back to lowe's to stock up on flowers for the yard, ferns for the porch, and the rest of the necessities for jeff to finish his fire pit in the backyard. here is the {almost} finished product...we still need to get some adirondack chairs and then we'll call this complete!

that afternoon, we got ready, loaded up the car, and headed to mimi and pappy's house so we could have our first official date night. seeing the look on their faces as we pulled up, with cameras in tow nonetheless, was too cute for words. they were in absolute heaven! mom and dad have quite the little setup at their house so when caroline goes to visit everything she needs is there-her own pack n play, bouncy seat, clothes, toys, and anything you could possibly need. can you tell how much they love their grandbaby? ;)

once they kicked us out, we went to the movies to catch an afternoon matinee for the hunger games...i felt like we were the last people on the planet to see the movie, but it was worth the wait! for someone that read the book, i love how the storyline followed it almost verbatim. i've started catching fire and am hooked yet again, so i cannot wait for the next movie!

afterwards, we headed to dinner at one of our favorite little places, boxwood bistro. i indulged {and by that i mean totally ruined my caloric intake for the day} in a gin and tonic, shrimp and grits, and blueberry whiskey bread pudding...heaven on a plate i tell you! it was amazing to be out with my hubby, dressed up, and having adult conversations with just the two of us. although, truth be told, we did have our phones out comparing pictures of just how adorable our baby is and talking about just how much she is changing everyday.
and icing on the cake for a fabulous night? a 4-week old who slept for 6 hours straight... i was so impressed with caroline that i woke her up sunday morning with rounds and rounds of kisses to say thank you for a nice little night of interrupted sleep. now if we could only make that a frequent nightly ritual-haha.

sunday was spent being lazy, taking a walk around the neighborhood for some fresh air, and doing some shopping...it was a successful day, complete with purchasing 2 new bathing suits and a casual sundress!
cheers to the beginning of another week-lots going on!

I'm Not Behind...I'm Taking My Time

Post failure this weekend, but I didn't forget my photo-a-day challenge by any means!

February 4-Stranger: in the produce section...strangers everywhere

February 5-10AM: we were at church, singing our little hearts out

So, happy Super Bowl win to the Giants-I love it when the underdogs win! I couldn't be happier for one of the Mannings to get another ring, especially against the Patriots...we laid low this year, grilling hot dogs and eating ice cream-my how life has changed! I have to admit, I normally watch for the commercials, and except for a few, I was disapppinted. So thanks to M&M, the VW workout dog, David Beckham, and Clint Eastwood for entertaining me-otherwise, I thought the majority were fairly unoriginal and boring.

It was the perfect ending to our weekend, relaxing on the couch, knowing I needed to savor some 'down time'. We were productive around the house, however-cleaning out the refrigerator/kitchen pantry {nesting has commenced in other areas now apparently}, purging through my closet, Jeff assembling the pack 'n play, working on our taxes, and finding the perfect hardware for the nursery window treatments.

We even managed to sneak in brunch at Tavern, which is worth raving about-the ham and brie omelet was amazing! And we rented "How Does She Do It?" with SJP which surprisingly was a really cute movie.

So now, we're back to Monday, and I am chomping at the bit to get going and be productive...coffee time and GO! Have a great week dear friends ;)

Relax...Just Do It!

Rest and relaxation was the major theme of this weekend's fun...I've been told by a good number of people that I need to soak in every ounce of free time I have these next few weeks, so I stuck to it and I am so glad we laid low with just the two of us!

Friday night, we finally took advantage of Nashville Original's Restaurant Week by dining out at Holland House. I had been really wanting to try this new local hotspot out, and it was the perfect opportunity! Hands down, best meal I've had in awhile in this wonderful city. A+ for atmosphere, very hip and ecclectic, A+ for service as our server made sure she staged our courses perfectly, and the food was incredible. My stand-out favorites were the baked cheesy crab dip + wontons as an appetizer and the carmelized cranberry and raisin bread pudding for dessert...Jeff said the fun drink concoctions were amazing, as well!
Saturday, we got up early so each of us could check off items of our "honey-do list"...gym, grocery store, laundry, and Target, followed by stroller + carseat assembly=successful day in my book! To reward ourselves, we napped on the couches the rest of the afternoon and rented Moneyball with Brad Pitt--great sports movie, and I can see what all the fuss is about...he was fantastic! That afternoon, my friend Brittany stopped by with her sweet darling Will to give Caroline some much needed necessities and to catch-up before her family moves to Idaho very soon-though we'll miss them, we're hoping they'll be back in the south again soon!

Daddy's assembly line...let's just say he's not the "engineer type"

Yay!! Ready to have our little bambino here for stroller/walk time

Saturday night, Jeff and I made it out to dinner with our friends to celebrate Jules' and Leigh J's birthdays!! We all went to Cantina Laredo and most certainly took over the restaurant...us and the table next to us proved to be too much for everyone to handle, as they had to close the doors to pur private room and tell us to quiet down--haha! After the girls' downed their b-day shots and we all serenaded them with LMFAO's "Shots", they all headed downtown while the Mr. and I went home--it was after midnight at this point and momma needed her rest.

I do have to mention though, I received one funny voicemail late that night...something along the lines of my best friends singing along to "Sweet Caroline" ;).

Me and Bev-best friend time is the greatest!

 Us with the birthday girl...love you Jules!!

 Tequila shots for the birthday ladies

 Love these two SO much

Sunday, we got up early to greet the Pottery Barn Kids delivery men who brought out chair! {and yes, it's all REALLY starting to come together!}. Then we spent the majority of our day resting sleeping and watching Midnight in Paris, which I was a little let down by...mediocre at best. The rest of our night was spent cooking dinner, catching up on weekly shows, and then sleeping on the couches since our crazy weather here in TN just won't end--tornado warnings in January have got to stop.

To say this was a relaxing weekend would be an understatement, but I was so glad to get some items knocked off our list and spend loads of quality time, just the two of us and with some of our dearest friends. Cheers to a great week!

The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly

The Good: I only have to work 2 days this week before we venture off to Hilton Head for the long holiday weekend
The Bad: I have so much to accomplish at work that I am not sure how I can get it all done...busy season is back and rearing its ugly head!
The Ugly: The rainy, gloomy weather that has washed over Nashville the past 24 hours...so much rain, yet it's 70 degrees--what in the world? I hate days and days with rain with no sunshine...kinda hard to get in the "groove"

The Good: Our first Christmas tree is decorated as well as the rest of the house and it made the holidays seem all the much closer...only one tree to go! {pictures to come!}

The Bad: I am completely exhausted from everything we packed into the past 2 days! Junior League volunteering for Tis the Season + decorating the house + hoards of laundry for our trip + registering for Caroline...this lady needs another day to recover

The Ugly: Me at the gym this morning--my eyes were barely open because I was so tired and I didn't even "try" to look semi-decent...but at least I made it, right?

The Good: We are all registered for Miss Caroline and Mom and Jeff treated me to whatever I wanted to eat for dinner after we were done...my first experience at Tavern and the burger with fries was out of this world good!

The Bad: I can't lie, registering wasn't the most enjoyable experience and I am so glad we are done--too overwhelming and let's just say we need some practice when it comes to figuring out how to use 1/2 of the gear we have to get. I felt like a pro when we registered for wedding gifts as I knew everything we needed to complete a formal china placesetting, as for this, I feel as though I am in total unchartered territory

The Ugly: Breast pumps and everything associated with them...who knew trying to feed your baby the "natural" way seems to be more difficult than with formula? Oh vey!

Here are a few snapshots of our "excursion":

 at this point, we were about to throw in the towel ;)

 delirious and ready to get out of that store...NOW

 highchair=torture chamber. Mom said by the time we figured out how to get
the tray on, the baby would've starved...we have a long way to go people!

And because we simply have to end on a positive note, I get to go home tonight, make pumpkin pie, and then pick the hubby up from the airport after a brief travel trip for work...what could be better than that?

Mondays...They Are All The Same

Did you all have a fabulous weekend? I was delighted to spend Friday night with friends, but mostly surrounded with the family for the rest of my time away--weekends like this just don't come around nearly as often as I'd like.
Christmas Village was a crazy fest! There were so many more people than usual, and apparently this was the event's most successful year yet. We were patient in waiting our turn and kindly saying "excuse me" when people gave us a little push, and in turn scored some fun goodies. I bought a holiday burlap nutcracker sign for our front door, a few scarves, the most amazing pumpkin butter, and some fabulous treats for Caroline--her first Wubbanub!

Mom {AKA Mimi} spoiled her rotten with her first monogrammed bloomers and bib, a bib/burp cloth set with her name, and the most adorable smocked dress for next Christmas...cannot wait to show them off once I take some pictures. Afterwards, I met the friends at Chago's to celebrate Candice's 29th birthday! Such a fun time catching up and I think the birthday girl had a wonderful evening out on the town. 

Saturday morning, Jeff went to work on a home project and I went to do more Christmas shopping...stocked up on my wrapping necessities for this year's theme for our presents and then got all dressed up for a night on the town with my hubby. 

Kayne Prime was absolutely AMAZING and the best food we have had in a long time...the atmosphere is uber trendy and I was very much impressed with the entire experience--if you go, you simply MUST try the bacon appetizer served with maple cotton candy and the corn brulee for a side dish...heaven in your mouth I tell you! And of course, we had to dig into a little dessert which substitutes quite nicely for alcohol...the banana bread with ice cream was out of this world!
Sunday morning, we headed to church and then met the family at Mere Bulle's to celebrate Mom. Then we were off to do some bambino shopping...poor hubby got a little overwhelmed, but we picked out the stroller--huge progress I tell you! After endless amounts of research online, polling other mom friends, and doing some trial runs in stores for convenience, weight, practicality, and such, we decided to go with the Britax B Ready and I am SO excited! Just love this system...wow, when did I officially get so OLD. 

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the gym, grocery store, cooking dinner, doing laundry, and then starting my holiday decorating. My goal is to do 1 box/tub a night so I should have it done by Christmas Eve ;)

Odds and Ends

Yall, heavens to betsy my tiredness just can't seem to go away...I think I am still worn out from this weekend's shenanigans and I need major time in bed to recover--life in the fast lane, right?
I simply cannot believe Halloween is next Monday...my days of tearing up the town with hot-to-trot costumes have come and gone my friends, but I'm OK with that...been there, done that, now it's time to move on. Instead, Jeff and I will be at home keeping our fingers crossed for hoards of trick-or-treaters!

This Friday, we're having our annual chili cook-off and Halloween costume contest at work--I can't wait. And of course, I am never one to not participate, so I am sporting the traditional "prego" costume this go around...complete with leggings of course.

However, I am not going to lie--if I was going to a party this year, I would totally rock the "Sophia Grace" ballerina costume and bust out my own version of Nicki Minaj rap songs {and if you have NO idea what I am talking about, get on YouTube now and watch this--too cute for words I tell you!}

Tonight, Candice and I are headed to Girl's Night Out at Melting Pot...I'm super excited because we rarely treat ourselves to this kind of dinner and we are certainly taking advantage--fondue, one of my favorites!

Did anyone watch RHOBH last night? Now I know Kim can be a bit of a looney tune and off her rocker, but that Brandy girl is just horrid...boys that pee in yards, saying she is going to kill someone, and then accusing Kim of being a crystal meth head? Sounds like no lady to me at all. Not to mention her outfit choices look like what I used to dress up for during Halloween ;)

That's all I've got for today friends...I'm working on my gender reveal post, a new sponsor and giveaway, and some other fun stuff that I'm hoping to get out by the end of the week--have a great day!

Weekend Recap and Challenge Day 8

Happy Monday friends! Another weekend, come and gone, but I'm smiling a little bigger this week because it's ALMOST football time in Tennessee..my beloved Vols kick-off this weekend in Knox and I cannot wait to be surrounded by 100,000+ fans in orange...a perfect day if you ask me! {so this week better fly by!!}

This past weekend was JAM packed...Friday night, Jeff and I had date nigh to The Yellow Porch! INCREDIBLE...not only was the food ever so tasty, but the atmosphere is cozy and quaint. We really enjoyed the fried cheddar fritters, the leg of lamb with parmesan risotto, and the homemade peach cobbler was icing on the cake.
Saturday, we headed to Leslie and Dusty's new casa for their housewarming party--a great time spent with friends we hadn't seen in awhile {Lindsay and Shibahn--SO happy to see you both}. That night, we took my parents out to a big "thank-you" dinner for everything they did for our wedding... a late dinner to Park Cafe and then dessert at Melting Pot!
Sunday, we went to church and then Jeff gave in and accompanied me to go see The Help...and just as everyone had told me, it was a great movie! From reading the book, it was fun to see who they cast to play specific roles and I think they did a fantastic job...of course I was the lady balling in the theater like a crazy woman ;). Last night, we took it easy at the house, working on projects, cleaning, and then watching the VMA's which made me realize a few things:
1. Lady Gaga is the epitomy of crazy, but I still love her. Katy Perry and Nicki Minaj, please stop trying to be like Gaga...she'll win every time
2. Adele is TRUE talent...her voice--WHOA! And Chris Brown, though your flying was entertaining, your lack of even trying to look like you were singing was poor
3. Britney Spears needs to take public speaking classes. Your thank-you speeches are horrid
4. Beyonce...the cutest way to announce your prego--she had that "glow" and Jay-Z looked like a proud papa!

For today's challenge, you're to list three films...I'm assuming this is to be my 3 favorites which is hard because we love to watch movies:

1. Love Actually: the best feel-good love/holiday movie... I have to watch it every year

2. Braveheart: best war/love movie ever made (before Mel Gibson went crazy)

3. Forrest Gump: because Tom Hanks is the best, and if it's on, you can't help but watch it

Day 5...Six Places paired with Weekend Fun!

For today's "challenge" post, I wanted to include pictures of places...some could answer this in places they want to go, but I feel like we've got to have a great deal of adventures already so it's worth taking a little looksee into the past, just for fun. In no particular order, some of my favorite places:

San Francisco/Napa Valley Trip--May 2009...this was our first trip together as a couple. So much fun--we tasted wine, we ate incredible food, we took in the sights, and visited some of Jeff's family that lives in California...this is when I knew we had something special.

 New York City--July 2009. Jeff surprised me with a trip to my favorite city for my birthday...staying at the Waldorf, eating at some of the most incredible places in Manhattan, and playing tour guide for him, this was a weekend very much worth remembering!

 Destin, Florida--April 2010...a well deserved vacation. We ventured to Florida with my parents the day after I finished my first 1/2 marathon--talk about a great way to recover from that pain! Perfect weather, perfect company...happiness I tell you!

 Barnsley Gardens, Georgia--October 2010. Deep in the throngs of wedding planning, Jeff decided I needed a break so he planned a fun getaway weekend to this fun resort...couple's massages, golf time, and just time for the two of us was exactly what we needed.

Home Sweet Home...we're here day in and day out and there isn't anyone else I'd rather share it with. I think our house fits our personalities so well and we really enjoy making it "our own"--a happy little place to be!

Scarritt Bennett...the most important day of my life. We "visited" this special place to say our vows in front of our friends and family and make those promises to each other--another place that made all my dreams come true.

We've made it to the weekend friends...thank gosh! Work has taken its toll on both Jeff and I this week so I am excited to spend some time with the hubs--he's had nightly conference activities the past 3 nights so I won't be all aone anymore--yay!

Tonight, we're headed to a restaurant I have been eyeing for quite some time...The Yellow Porch Cafe. Everyone says it's fantastic so I have a feeling it's going to be a fun treat. Then tomorrow, we've got a fun housewarming party for Leslie and Dusty--so excited to see their new place, followed by all sorts of errands we need to run. We're hoping to drop by Jocelyn's birthday celebration, too--parties everywhere I tell you!
Sunday's lineup includes church and then Jeff promised to take me to see The Help...I cannot wait! Hope you all have a great weekend, too ;)

Well, Hello! There

So, what do you think of the new and improved blog design? Lindsey worked her magic this weekend and now it's almost close to complete. I am absolutely in love with the fresh colors, and more so, the big new name change. 

First of all, I loved the comments about what to call my dear little blog. It was a very hard decision to change what had been "mine" for so long, but with a new chapter, I think I needed something totally different that spoke to everything that encompasses my life...family, friends, food, fashion, and how to take in the all the happiness life has to offer.

With that, I also bought my very own custom website domain--fancy, right? So you'll automatically be switched over to my new site via Google Reader and such, but for those that wish to bookmark, it's:

http://www.hellohappinessblog.com/

So how was everyone's weekend? Mine basically involved consuming as much food as possible with my dear friends, oh, and a little wedding picture action! We had our meeting on Friday night and officially walked away with about 1,000 pictures to call our own. Chris and Adrienne took almost 3,000 shots of our big day, but then after all the editing and such, we've got a FABULOUS assortment of pictures and I cannot wait to share lots of them. It's going to take awhile for me to get them all sorted and blogged, so give me some time, but I promise to make it happen ASAP. Here are just a few just to give you a peak:

This could be my favorite picture from the entire day--my handsome groom

The altar for the I-Do's

Officially husband and wife!!

Garter Time...love this picture

Vintage Rools Royce Getaway Car to the Hotel

Now, back to the important stuff...food and friends! We tried out Bella Napoli so another check off my local restaurant to-do list. Very authentic italian food--think antipasti, thin pizzas, and yummy pastas and you've got the jist of it...live music, too!

We also ventured to our little slice of brunch heaven--Sky Blue Cafe--though after waiting 2 hours to be seated and get our food, we walked away thinking that was our last time to visit my former favorite place...boo to poor customer service.

So it's Monday and I'm back at work trying to be productive, though all I can think about is meeting up with my ladies tonight to watch the finale of The Bachelorette!! Team JP for all of us and to be honest, I'm so glad we've got a new installment of Bachelor Pad to look forward to in the coming weeks...happy day friends!! OXOX

Feeling Good Friday!

Can you believe how quickly this week just floated on by? This girl is grinning due to the fact we have a FREE weekend...yes, you read that correctly. And what do I plan on doing? A whole bunch of nada.

But before I jump any further, I wanted to say a big thanks to everyone for all their sweet sentiments about my bridal portraits...and for those of you who emailed me about the particulars, here are the specifics:
Dress: Watters Style Torreon via Arzelle's {if I could wear this dress everyday for the rest of my life, I totally would...that's the way you're supposed to feel, right?}
Shoes: Badgley Mischka via Piperlime 
Earrings: via Arzelle's {loved them, though for the big day, the hubby surprised me with antique diamond baubles--will post those beauties, soon!}
Flowers: Caprice via Enchanted Florist
Brooch: my sweet Daddy bought me a beautiful brooch to commemorate this special day...it's by PARIS by Debra Moreland via The Bride Room

Ok back to nothingness...the only action items we have planned are a stop to the Farmers Market to stock up on all those fresh fruits and veggies I'm craving, movie time on the couch since this week's nightly activities have worn us out, cleaning out the LAST closet and then the mister is taking me to Loveless Cafe for date night tomorrow.

Scared to admit this since I am born and raised in Nashville, but I've never eaten at the local favorite...shocked, huh? This will be my first experience with their famous fried chicken and biscuits and my stomach is already growling in anticipation! Then on Sunday, we'll be heading to church and hopefully finding a way to sneak in  pool time because our honeymoon tans are officially gone...if that appears to be unsuccessful, this lady isn't opposed to venturing to Target to purchase a wannabe kiddie pool--haha. Hope you have a marvelous weekend!!

P.S. loving all of the incredible blog name suggestions ladies...you are VERY creative and really seem to like anything with Nashville and "southern"!! Keep them coming and I can't wait to share with you what I pick ;)