SAVANNAH (some day)

Now that we're settled, Pete, Chubbs and I can't wait to explore Atlanta and all the neat little cities within driving distance of us.


Top on our list right now, though, is Savannah, GA.


I'm thinking Paula Dean, southern cooking, cute little old ladies, tree-lined streets and gorgeous light yellow houses with full wrap-around porches. I've heard such great things about it I can't wait to check it out.


And I might already have my dress picked out for our weekend visit (mind you, no visit is planned yet. I like to take care of the important things first.)

{via Anthropologie}

I saw it perusing through Anthro online and this dress just oozed Savannah.


With these wedges...(and complimentary coral jewelry of course)

{via Amazon}

I might be slightly excited. Now to start planning.

WAFFLE HOUSE

I moved to Georgia exactly one week ago.

Since then I've seen approximately 462 Waffle House Restaurants.

That might be a slight exaggeration, but seriously they're everywhere.

We have 2 grocery stores, but 462 Waffle Houses. 

I've never been to one, but something's telling me that might change real soon.

BIRTHDAY BOY

We Celebrated Pete's birthday yesterday. The big 2-9.

I like to remind him every chance I get that he's pushing 30 :) And he politely reminds me that I've entered my 'late' twenties and am on my way to 30 too. Ok, ok.

Pete worked all day and sadly was stuck at work late on his big night. But luckily he has a girlfriend that likes him a whole lot and brought him lunch and made his office a batch of Chocolate Chip Birthday Cookies. AND we were still able to go out for dinner with a couple friends...our first friends here in Georgia!

Overall I'd call it a success. 

Happy Birthday, Pete, so thankful I can celebrate with you.

MIXERS

My favorite item in the kitchen. My beloved KitchenAid Mixer. Nothing quite compares.

When Pete bought it for me for our anniversary in January there were only six standard colors out in the 600 Series. Or so the store clerk told us.

Now I discover yellow, orange, steel blue...where were these five months ago?!?

I'm loving the yellow that I found on Amazon. So pretty. So refreshing.

APARTMENT LIFE

Everyone's asking me for pictures of the new place.


As much as we're settling in and things are unpacked, there are still some boxes that I'm avoiding like nobody's business because I don't know what to do with them. Out of mind, out of sight, right?


All that to say, I'm not quite ready to show pictures of the full apartment.

A "Welcome back to the South" Homemade BBQ Rub The Mom made for Pete.

Sorry to disappoint.


As much as there are still a few boxes around and nothing on the walls, though, we have had Avocado seeds 'planted' since Sunday night. 

And by we, I mean Pete. It's the important things people! Let's just say I'm learning that men's priorities during moving are quite different than women's priorities - I guess that's how we balance each other :)


p.s. the guest bed is all set up...just sayin'.

SETTLING IN

The I'm-trying-to-sleep-stop-taking-pictures-of-me Face.

Chubbs was our biggest concern coming here. He's already a pretty clingy and neurotic dog (obviously in the cutest way possible), coupled with the Georgia heat we just weren't sure how he'd do. But we came to the conclusion that he'd be more depressed without his momma (me) if we left him with friends in PA than if we moved him with us. So he road (or should I say slept/snored) all the way down in his little bungalow, a.k.a the back of the MINI, and is doing great so far! It's like nothing ever changed. We walk him early in the morning and late at night to keep him out of the sun and he is happy as a clam.


Thank goodness, because I don't know what I'd do without that guy.

MOVING DAY

I forgot to take a picture of the truck fully packed from top to bottom, side-to-side. Mostly because after 4.5 hours of non-stop loading the truck on Wednesday night all I could think about was a warm shower, a cold beer, mexican food, and sleep (in that order). Not to mention the site of the packed truck was quite embarrassing; we not only filled the moving truck, but also had to completely pack the Ford, which thankfully you can not tell in the picture. But seriously people, I was searching for every little inch, like a puppy in the kitchen scouring the floor for any little morsel of food, and so proud when it finds one.


Yep, that was me. Awesome. 


But! It all fit! And we were on our way to Georgia bright and early Thursday morning. After 11 hours of driving (painful in a MINI that can go well over 80mph, but having to follow behind a moving truck that barely tops 60), we made a pit-stop in Charlotte to visit The Mom for her birthday and The Dad for father's day and also got to see Kev, Shannon and Jack.


A pool day with the family was the perfect break in between moving. I don't know if I would've had the energy to unpack right away! Now that I'm 26 and all, my body doesn't work like it did in my younger days ;)

On Saturday morning we got an early start on the rest of our drive. We had about 5 hours from Charlotte to Atlanta, but certain scenery along the way was telling me we were getting close:

And we arrived. Safe and sound on Saturday afternoon.


Thank you all for your help, prayers and support :)

BIRTHDAY: DAY 2

Who gets two days of birthday love, really?!?

But this girl's not complaining...I could definitely get used to this!

On my doorstep after work from The Boy.

And then dinner with my favorite co-workers.
(NOTE: Never go to the bathroom at your birthday dinner! You will come back to a crowd of people singing you happy birthday. Just kidding, I kind of enjoyed it...and really enjoyed the birthday dessert.) 

NONNAROO 2012

Bonnaroo, as most of you know, is a crazy 3-day music festival held every year in Tennessee. Think Woodstock-ish.

Well I don't know if you're aware, but this girl's getting old and camping, drinking and baking in the sun for 4 days straight, sans shower (at the tune of $350+) is not so much my thing anymore.

Enter 'Non'naroo.

A genious idea our sweet friends Ryan and Mariah thought of to enjoy Bonnaroo from the comfort of their backyard with access to bathrooms, beds and showers. Since Bonnaroo is live-streamed on YouTube, our wonderful hosts set up a big projector screen in the backyard so we could watch like we were at the real thing.

So this past weekend Chubbs and I made the 8-hour trip down to Greensboro, NC for Nonnaroo 2012:

He LOVES the car, but after eight hours was about ready to get out...

Dispatch

Some of the group

The whole group watching the big screen.

Cute little family :)

You can't do this at Bonnaroo!

The wonderful hosts - getting married this time next year!

It's not a music festival without bandanas...

Birthday fireworks at midnight

And birthday cookies with a serenade of Happy Birthday

What a cutie.

And a 6-shot to wrap up the trip...

BIRTHDAYS

Had a wonderful 26th birthday filled with sweet wishes from so many people.

I am one lucky girl.

LET'S PLAY [base]BALL!

My company had a Company Appreciation Day at the Phillies game on thursday. Catered food and drink, covered seats, and private bathroom...now THAT'S the way to enjoy a baseball game. 

I might regret saying this, but I can't hide it: baseball is not my thing. It's just such a slow sport. I think I might've dozed off once or twice in the fifth inning. Oops. I more of a college-football kind of girl anyways :) I might be secretly really excited to move back to the south for the simple fact that they know how to appreciate college football and won't look at me like I'm crazy decked out in burnt orange come football season.

DOGGIE POOLS

This guy is tired of boxes and ready for Georgia (and to see Pete)...just like his Momma!

One thing his Momma is not ready for is the A/C bill to keep this guy cool enough in the Georgia summer heat...that fur is definitely staying buzzed and we might be investing in Chubbs' own kiddie pool (doggie pool?).

If you didn't know Chubbs was a dog before reading this, you'd think I have a child...I pretty much do.

WEEKEND

The weekend; the much-needed weekend. But goodbyes are starting, and that's tough.

We had a wonderful birthday/goodbye dinner at Pietros on Friday night. Complete with a champgane toast...(I have some awesome friends in my life!)

The girls
(Melissa, Heather, and Tiff)

We had a sleepover after dinner because we were waking up bright and early for the 92.5 XTU Anniversary Show.

I was suuuuuuper excited about this. Probably a little too excited. It's just a big free concert that the local country station puts on every year, but you have to win tickets and I've never won. Luckily, my last year in philly, Melissa won four tickets and I got to go!! So we got there early, had time to tailgate and hangout, then enjoyed the live music. My personal favorite? Chris Young. Oh yeah, he's good. We left before Miranda (the headliner), but that was fine by me, I didn't want to ruin the Chris-Young-goodness that played in my head on the ride home.

The girls at our cute little tailgate spot.

Our friends, AJ and Benny.





In honor of my Austinites...live music and PBR...nothin' like it.

Sunday it was back to packing all day. Sad stuff after such a great weekend. But it's getting down to the wire and I have to finish! Nine days and counting :)

CHIA LOVE

 

I don't think I've expressed my love for Kombucha, yet, but there's a lot of it. Love that is. My favorite is the multi-green and I try to buy it when I can, but at $3.69 a bottle, it can quickly become an expensive habit.

Jump now to Chia Seeds. I also don't think I've expressed my love for this mighty little powerhouse of a seed. And yes, I know you're all singing "ch-ch-ch-chia!" in your head, it is the same seed. Weird, I know. They're so good for you, though, in so many ways. Especially for athletes and hydration. Read about them here.

Recently, or at least recently to me, Kombucha has started a line where they add Chia to their Kombucha. And it is SO GOOD!!

I've had the raspberry and grape flavors so far and have cherry waiting in the fridge for a taste test. Since I'm not typically a cherry fan, I think raspberry will remain my favorite.

If you can get past the consistency of chia and swallowing little seeds whole, I highly recommend trying this new Synergy. It's a great way to keep yourself hydrated as we approach these scorching summer months.

Enjopy your Saturday!

HE'S AN ENERGIZER BUNNY

First of all, how cute is my nephew?!?

I got to visit him and his little sister a couple weeks ago, and he is the sweetest little man. But let me tell you, I thought I was in shape...until I had to keep up with this energizer-bunny of a 2-year-old; he has got some energy!

New workout plan? Visit the nieces and nephews more often! :)

And he definitely knows how to make his Aunt Kara melt and wrap her around his little finger. I'm such a sucker for the cuteness.