Weekend Recap

Most weekends the lack of pictures on my phone means that we either had too much fun this weekend or not enough. This weekend certainly leaned toward the former and in my defense, I took several pictures on my real camera Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, but I failed to get the pictures off of the memory card at some point yesterday which is going to be my excuse for the lack of pictures today.  We kicked off our Friday night grilling out with the neighbors which is once again becoming a weekly thing.  I really enjoy having an evening to unwind from the week with friends and good food (of course). We called a night early because Eric was getting up early to round out duck hunting season for the year Saturday morning,

I on the other hand slept in because for some reason 4 day weeks seem to take twice as long as 5 day weeks sometimes and I was exhausted.  I got up and moving eventually because I had a PEO luncheon to attend.  I'd gone back and forth about going, but I am so glad I did.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.  Lunch was delicious and the company was wonderful.  I made it back home to find Eric elbow deep in Boston Butts on his Big Green Egg.  He cooked 3 on Saturday for a surprise birthday party (not his) that we were attending that evening for some friends who were turning 40 and 50. The party was great!  Good music, great company, a ton of fun! We laughed and danced to our hearts' content. And the best part?  It was at the dance studio behind our house so we rode the golf cart there and back.

Our Sunday on the other hand, was absolutely nothing like the rest of the weekend.  We did absolutely nothing. For me that isn't too much of a stretch since I enjoy my quiet Sunday afternoons at home while Eric fishes or hunts, but for Eric to spend the day at home is a big deal. He didn't fish, he didn't hunt.  We left the house to go get his Dad up and that was about it. It was an absolutely beautiful day and we spent the majority of it sitting on the back porch playing with the dogs. Of course that meant I was doing a mad dash Sunday evening to fold all of the laundry that sat in a basket all weekend and put all of the dishes up and get things ready for dinner and such this week, but it was all worth it. The major productivity of our day was making our first batch of homemade kettlecorn, which was absolutely delicious and easier that I would have thought to do (recipe coming soon).

Unfortunately our weekend ended on a not-so-happy note when Eric got a late phone call from one of his cousins letting us know that his aunt who was diagnosed with a brain tumor just last month passed away yesterday.  Although we knew she was sick, her passing this soon was quite unexpected. So please keep Eric's family in your prayers right now, as they really need it.

31 Years Young

Today I want to wish a very Happy Birthday to this wonderfully awesome guy!

He turns the big 31 today and I can't wait to celebrate with him tonight.  He doesn't know it yet but I have a few tricks up my sleeve for his birthday celebration.  =)

As always I just know that this is going to be the best year for him yet!

MLK, Jr. Weekend Recap

Nothing says welcome back from a beautiful relaxing 3 days weekend like forgetting your office keys and having to sit outside your office waiting for your Bureau Director to arrive so they can come unlock your office door first thing in the morning.  I guess I'm still not used to having a door that needs unlocking every morning.  I ALWAYS have my keys on me because they stay with my car keys, however, Eric and I switched vehicles this morning, resulting in my lack of keys and this view for a good 15 minutes this morning.

So about that amazingly beautiful weekend that I am really wishing was still going on....have I mentioned how nice it was?  Because it was gorgeous!  After an entire week of cloudy coldness down here we had 3 days of beautiful sunshine.  We didn't really have much planned for the 3 days weekend so we just rolled with the punches.  Saturday morning I got up and got a quick run in on the treadmill.  Eric and I have been playing Biggest Loser since the New Year (we had a little too much fun around the holidays this year), so I've been working runs and workouts into my weekend routine lately and it's been great! We spent the afternoon hanging around the house while he cooked up a storm on the Big Green Egg. Note to anyone sent to the store to buy meat that has no idea what they're doing (i.e ME): If you husband sends you to get a brisket, know that there are 2 options: an actual brisket and a brisket flat.  I did not know there was a difference, bought a brisket flat because that was the only meat in the store that said brisket on it and was given a hard time all weekend about it. It cooked, just the same and was delicious.  The best part is it was half the size of an actual brisket (apparently) and we don't have a ridiculous amount of leftovers.

Saturday night we got to go to a little get-together that was part of a Wounded Warriors hunt in our part of the world.  It was a lot of fun with live, music, food, and of course a few heroes.  There were several of them there in attendance and they all seemed to enjoy the fun.

Left: The Heros; Right: The oh-so-talented Kevin Adair who played at the party.

We didn't get a long time to recover from it because Sunday morning was D-Day (Discharge Day) for Eric's Dad.  We brought him home and got him all set up at his house.  He is doing  much better, but it just really weak from his ordeal in the hospital.  I know that just being home is going to help his spirits and hopefully get him motivated to get better.  If anything, knowing that the spring/prime fishing time is near should get him motivated.

We could not have asked for more perfect walking weather!

I was off yesterday for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  I had plans to stay at home and do nothing, but then I remembered Eric's birthday is this week and I needed to pick up a few things in preparation for that so I headed to Montgomery to knock those errands out. The rest of my afternoon was spent walking puppy dogs outside and playing with my new camera.  I don't have a lot of human subjects to photograph so get ready for an onslaught of puppy pictures.

I didn't realize how gray he has gotten until I was looking at this picture.  

This knuckle head on the other hand is only 3 months younger than his brother and doesn't show any signs on gray yet.

The many faces of Hawk.  This goofball doesn't know how to sit still. 

This week is going to be a bit of a doozy, but hopefully that will help it go be fast because those first 2 weeks back from Christmas were the longest weeks of my life!

Best buds. =)

Happy Tuesday!

Fuh-Reezing

I think it's safe to say that it is freezing outside right now in most places. I know all of my northern dwelling relatives will laugh at our measly temps in the teens while they suffer in the negative digits without factoring in the windchill. But I am pretty sure it's about as cold as I can recall it being down here since I've lived in Alabama, and Alabamians just aren't equipped to handle this crazy cold.  I am not sure if it's related to the cold but I work in a building with 9 elevators and there were only 3 working this morning.  I get to work before most of the rush and am used to having an elevator to myself so you can imagine my shock of having to wait several minutes for an elevator, not to mention cramming into an elevator with 10 other people is not something I am accustomed to that early in the morning. Mainly because I don't drink my coffee until I get into the office and polite smiles and small talk are very difficult before coffee as all coffee drinkers know.  The crowded ride did provide some entertainment; particularly the woman who was completely bundled from head to toe who voiced her opinion about how crazy it was that we had to come to work in the cold this morning.  I wanted to tell her that people do this every winter for months in even colder temperatures, but again I had not had my coffee at this point so forming words was not in the cards for me.

Eric on the other hand decided this morning would be a great morning to duck hunt (I told him he was nuts). Thankfully he left Hawk at home because it would be way to cold for him to go pick them up in the water. However that left me with AM doggie duty and they were pretty oblivious to the cold. And I'm not saying they have me trained or anything but we didn't miss our walk yesterday afternoon.  I bundled up as soon as I got home and off we went.

The things I do for those two...I did have to thank them for getting me outside to see the beautiful sunset.

Happy Thursday and Stay Warm!

Weekend Recap

Another Christmas season is officially in the books. Today is back to the grind, back to the real world, back to not wearing jeans or workout pants every day, and back to wearing heels [honestly those last two are probably my least favorite part]. I actually had to go through my closet and pull out my dress pants because it's been so long since I've worn them.  But you do what you have to do, right?

Post workout puppy snuggles are the best, aren't they!?

Since we were just coming off an extra day off with New Years last week, this weekend felt a little out of sorts. All of the normal things I would have done on the weekend were pretty much done, so I was able to do whatever I wanted. Eric fished (what else?) in the mornings so I was left to my own devices. I managed to fill my time with extra long puppy dog walks and runs on the treadmill.  We grilled out some delicious steaks Saturday night along with some sides perfectly seasoned with Penzey's spices, and took some of the leftovers to the hospital to visit Eric's Dad on Sunday.  He is doing much better.  He is still there to do some physical therapy for a couple of weeks so he can get around by himself when he gets back home.

We're bracing for a taste of polar vortex this week and I'm excited!  No snow chances in the forecast, but lots of winter cold! I pulled out all of my sweaters last night and plan on plowing through ALL of them this week.  Call me crazy, but I love when the forecast in January actually calls for winter weather down here.  I guess it's the Midwestern girl in me.

Happy Monday!