Out with the old and in with the new...

I knew the time when I would no longer be driving the 626 was approaching, given it's 135k miles and deteriorating condition...I just didn't realize how sad I would actually be when that day came. We listed my car on Craigs List on a Saturday afternoon on a whim. All the while Ben was thinking we were never going to be able to sell it and therefore never make money on this ------- (fill in the blank). Much to our surprise, we had a serious buyer call within 20 minutes of having it listed. We arranged a time to meet with this potential buyer on Monday. They offered us exactly what we were asking and, therefore, at 6:00 on Monday I was officially carless...

Getting in the 626 for the very last time! Thanks for the past 8 years of memories!

So, in between these 2 pictures consisted of lots of carpooling, quality husband & wife time, and lots of researching SUVs on the internet. Who knew looking at new cars could be so time consuming and stressful!?! We finally compromised agreed on an SUV -- Volvo XC90 -- so now it was all about finding the right deal and the right color combo.  

So, this past weekend we took a little trip {500 miles one way to be exact} to Wilmington, NC to pick up this...

Just forgive the crazy hair......it was so windy in Wilmington! And although I originally thought it was our compromise vehicle, after 3 days of driving it....I am in love! So, here is to the next 8 years of memories :)

Girls' Spa Getaway

I'm just now getting around to posting about my weekend at the Spa with 2 of my best friends from college and bridesmaids, Lindsey and Keri. We have been talking about doing a girls' trip for a while now but planning proves to be difficult with everyones bustling social calendars. I am so glad we were finally able to make it happen. It. Was. Amazing. We relaxed, laughed, drank way too much vino....but most importantly were just able to be in the same place!  It's hard to believe we met 9 years ago when we were pledging the same sorority, yet it feels like we've been friends our whole life!

Did I mention that we laughed a lot?

Thanks for being such great friends! I'm looking forward to many more girls' trips!

The Queen City

I have been dying to go to Charlotte and visit my good friend Amanda, so when the opportunity presented itself I immediately booked my flight. I went for a quick weekend trip and cannot even put into words how much fun it was! First off, Charlotte. Is. Amazing. It reminded me of a mix of Atlanta (good shopping/restaurants) and Nashville (pretty southern estates). Amanda is one of those friends regardless of how much time passes between seeing each other or talking, we immediately pick back up where we left off. Apparently we were having so much fun talking and catching up, we didn't have time to take a picture of us! We had a full day on Saturday of eating, shopping, more shopping, going to the movies, and last but not least more eating. What more could a girl want?

One of the many places we went shopping at....I mean seriously?

Dean and Deluca :)

Thanks for having me Amanda & Joe-- I can't wait to come back and visit-- maybe next time it will be to move there :)

   

And we're off!

After moving into our house, Ben and I quickly realized that we needed lots of furniture. At least one weekend a month is usually devoted to furniture and antique shopping. Whenever we travel to see family and friends, we always make it a point to do some furniture shopping while we are there. This past weekend we made our biggest purchase thus far....dining room chairs! Who knew how expensive chairs could be?! Ben's sweet grandmother gave us her antique dining room table and china cabinet which we are so grateful for. However, we have been staring at this table since October and have yet to find any chairs that we liked. I'm glad we waited as long as we did, because I love the chairs we found, but it has been very difficult to meet friends when you can't invite anyone over for dinner!

BEFORE

So, where did we end up finding these chairs (after 8 months of searching)...in an antique store in Mobile. So, Mingle Moving Company made a trip to Mobile this past weekend to pick up our dining room chairs. It was a memorable trip to say the least in the "chester the molester" van.  Hopefully, when we make our next furniture purchase it won't be 800 miles away! Poor Ben had to drive the whole trip because anyone who knows my driving record knows it probably would have been a costly trip if I had tried to drive the panel van (drive with your mirrors...whats that all about?).

AFTER

Next items on the wish list are window treatments, artwork, and a more elegant chandelier :)

Last but not least. One other very important thing came back with us.......the top of our wedding cake. Thanks to my parents for storing it in their deep freezer for the past year. We will find out if it is still edible in less than a week!

Hopefully, it will be as yummy as I remember....

The Music City

My sister-in-law, Adrienne, graduated with her Executive M.B.A. from Vandy on Friday (in the top 20% of her class!). We are so proud of her....so the least we could do is drive to Nashville for a celebration dinner!

After working all day in Ryan & A's basement (which was flooded during Nashville's recent floods) we had worked up a pretty voracious appetite. I enjoy going to fine dining restaurants and seeing how creative the food display is and all...but there are times when you just need something a little more filling. This was definitely the case that night! We had great conversations though :)

After dinner, the "kids" (aka Ben & I, Ryan & A) went out for a night on the town. Of all the times we have visited them in Nashville, I don't think we have ever "gone out" with them. So, since we were in a celebratory mood (and it wasn't like we had full stomachs and were ready for bed..ha) we decided to go to Demombreun Street. We started out at Dan McGuinness and ended the night at Patterson House (on total opposite ends of the spectrum....irish pub to swanky intimate lounge). We had so much fun but learned a valuable lesson...there are reasons we don't stay out until 3:30 a.m.! We are obviously not "kids" anymore :) What use to take a morning to recover from will, unfortunately, probably take us all week!

The graduate!

Adrienne's parents and grandmother

Group shot

My meal. Poussin (which I learned is baby chicken)