MISSISSIPPI CANDICE

Lovely lamp makeover

2011-11-01T17:50:00.002-05:00

So Rick had this ole lamp when I moved in (3 years ago last week). I've been meaning to spray paint it for years, and last week I did it! I walked outside with the lamp, painting tape, and the spray paint, and Rick said "Wait, shouldn't we discuss these things before you just do them?" He insisted this is a "really nice" lamp, so I asked where he acquired this beauty.....Target. Don't get me wrong Target has some nice things, but come on Rick. So I moved on from that convo and started spraying.

Here is the lamp before:

Here is the paint color used:

The finished product:

I still need to get a new lamp shade, but isn't it ADORABLE???!!! I LOVE IT!!! I also LOVE spray paint. That do you guys think?

Chicken Enchilada Soup

2011-10-11T20:37:00.003-05:00

Ok so I know I have been MIA, but I had to share this recipe I found on pinterest. This is not the original recipe, as I have made it my own, but it is DELICIOUS!!! Not to mention it is SUPER easy!!! Hope you guys enjoy. Updates on our life coming soon.

Chicken Enchilada Soup

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 small can whole kernel corn

1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 can enchilada sauce

1 can cream of chicken soup 

1 1/2 cups milk 

2 chicken breasts

Ground red pepper to taste

In crock pot place, Rotel tomatoes, corn, onion, and bell pepper. Place 2 chicken breasts on top of mixture. In a large bowl, whisk together enchilada sauce and soup. Gradually whisk in milk until smooth. Pour sauce mixture over ingredients in crock pot. Cover; cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. Remove chicken and cut or shred into bite sized pieces. Add chicken back into soup. Top with cheese and serve with tortilla chips.

Mississippi to Atlanta via Birmingham

2011-08-05T08:33:00.006-05:00

Last Wednesday I headed south to pick up my nephew, and made a few stops along they way. Wednesday I went to Spanish Fort to stay with my sweet friend from high school Courtney. We had so much fun catching up! I almost never make it over to that area which means I rarely get to see Court. I LOVED IT!

Thursday I headed over to Mississip. I hit ALL my favorite spots. I started with lunch at Manhattan Grill! It was AMAZ as always. Then a stop by Realizations and Lee Tracy (had to get a little shopping in). Thursday night I had dinner at Scranton's with more sweet high school friends Ashley and Brandi. It is crazy to see how our lives have changed in the past 14 years (I know I am dating myself). I love these girls, and when I am with them I feel so myself. It makes me so happy!!!

I spent the night with my brother and his family Thursday, and it was great to catch up with the fam too. My niece, McKenzie has changed to much in the past year, she had really opened up from the shy little girl she was. Not to mention she is absolutely beautiful! Wish I had a pic. Friday morning I played with Kenzie and Drew (nephew), then we headed to my all time fav for lunch, Edd's!!! If you are ever in Pascagoula or surrounding area you MUST go to Edd's. Best chili cheese burger EVER! After all that shopping, visiting, and shopping, Drew and I headed back to Bham. He told me his favorite food is fried rice, so Rick and I took him to P.F. Chang's Friday night then we rested for our big weekend in Atlanta. Saturday we woke up and headed to Atl, checked into the hotel, walked around the city for a while, hit up Rick's fav place, Taco Mac for pre-game wings, then it was time to get ready for the Braves game. Drew is a very talented baseball player, and LOVES MLB. So Rick and I being the super cool aunt and uncle we are took him to his first MLB game! We had great seats and he loved it.

Sunday was Six Flags day! It was sweltering hot, but SO MUCH FUN!!! This was Rick's first trip to Six Flags, and he may have enjoyed it more than 15 year old Drew.

Doesn't he look just like me? I can not believe he is so big!! He was born when I was in 11th grade, and it makes feel so old that he is 15 now and going to my high school.

Rick and I really enjoyed spending the weekend with Drew. He is a GREAT kid, very polite, thankful, and absolutely beautiful! We had so much fun with him, and are so proud he is our nephew. Needless to say I had a much needed week of great family, great friends, and great food! This all made my heart happy!!!

Another survey

2011-06-22T19:03:00.000-05:00

I am nominating Sweet Lilly in the Birmingham Magazine Cutest Pet Contest and need your help. If you were voting in a cutest pet contest which of these pics woud catch your eye, and make you say "DANG, that's one cute dog!"??? Please vote to the right ASAP!

New DO!

2011-06-20T12:25:00.005-05:00

I DID IT!!! I cut 14.5 inches off my hair Friday to donate to Locks of Love. It is a drastic change, but I am getting use to it. Knowing I did it for a good cause makes it a much easier to adjust. Check out the before and after!

BEFORE:

The hair.

AFTER!
What do you think?

Help me pick a hair style!

2011-06-15T09:19:00.006-05:00

I am cutting my hair for Locks of Love Friday afternoon and need help picking a cut. Which do you guys think will look best on me? Please vote in the poll to the right.

#2 PS: I feel sure I will look JUST LIKE these beautiful stars when I have their hair cut!!!

While I was gone....

2011-06-08T12:11:00.012-05:00

In my absence from the blog world, here is what you missed:

I went to Destin with my mom and her girlfriends to celebrate her very special birthday. She has the sweetest, most fabulous group of friends, most of which I have known my entire life. I absolutely adore them all. It was so much fun to spend the weekend with them.

Some of the Bham girls and I went to a Friends of St. Jude event while Rick was traveling for work.

We also went to a couple weddings. One of which was my family friend, Renee's wedding in Bay St. Louis, MS. Renee is my best friend my entire life's older sister. She used to TORTURE us as kids, and is more like a sister to me than just a friend. This was a family affair and we couldn't be happier for Renee & Sam.

Rick, me, my bestie Traci, and my new bestie Paul, at Renee's wedding.

We became members at Trinity United Methodist Church in Homewood, and this was our 1st Easter as official members (and our 1st married Easter). We've been going to Trinity for years, and are so excited about our new Trinity family.

We also attended Cathleen & David's wedding here in Bham at The Club. Good times were had by all, but I didn't get a pic of the bride and groom.

The girls...

And the guys.

Early May we went to RailRoad Park to celebrate our FABULOUS friend Talty's birthday. It was a BEAUTIFUL day with kids, dogs, beer, BBQ, and most of all GREAT company. We had so much fun, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TALTY!!

It was also my WONDERFUL father-in-law's birthday, so in McKibbin fashion we headed to the lake to celebrate sweet John. We got him a kindle from all the kids and he was pretty excited.

Last but not least, we decided last minute to go to Hot Springs, AR to visit my parents for Memorial Day weekend. It was a nice relaxing weekend. As you can see Lilly LOVES the boat. My parents friends Bill & Penny took us out on their boat to watch the fireworks, and Rick and I agreed they were the best fireworks we've ever seen. So nice to watch them from the water, LOVE IT! So, that's what we've been doing. Nothing too exciting, but we enjoyed it all.

Special flowers.....2 years later

2011-06-02T15:36:00.009-05:00

2 years ago today, Rick planted these flowers for me. These weren't just any flowers, they were beautiful hydrangeas that our dear friends Beth & Kyle sent to my dad's memorial service. Beth & Kyle have NO IDEA how much this meant to me and how much these flowers STILL mean to me every time I look at them. The day after the services, I could hardly catch my breath so Rick took another day off work to stay home with me. That day, he said "Do you want me to plant these flowers for you?" I said "YES!". He did have one stipulation, that if the flowers didn't make it, I couldn't blame him. It was possibly one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me. Last year there were leaves but no blooms, and this year look how gorgeous they are (and 3 times the size they were the day they arrived)!

Now every time I look at this sweet plant, I think of my amazing friends, Beth & Kyle, my sweet husband, and my crazy dad. WHAT A GIFT!!!! I still can't believe it's been 2 years since my dad left us. Feels like he is still @ Manhattan Grill feeding the chickens and making everyone laugh.

Honeymoon, Provo, Turks & Caicos

2011-05-26T12:23:00.006-05:00

8 1/2 months after our wedding we headed to Provo, Turks & Caicos for a much needed honeymoon. Let me tell you this place is AMAZING!!!! We stayed at the Regent Palms and it too was AMAZING!!! Let me start by saying the travel to T & C is SUPER easy and fast, and if you are looking for a tropical vacay, you should definitely check this out. Our flight left from Bham @ 6:10 am CT, after a quick layover in Miami, we landed in T & C @ 11:55 am EST. We took a 15 min cab ride to the resort, and were in the pool by 1:00 pm! THIS IS FABULOUS! So, after 5.5 short hours we were in paradise. Here is our trip:

Our first full day, a guy walking down the beach called Rick out on his Auburn hat (he was a BAMA fan), and we stopped to chat. We instantly made friends, and soon realized he and his wife were from Mobile (and also on their honeymoon). So we made plans to grab dinner with them, and another honeymooning couple from Atlanta at a local dive called Da Conch Shack. Rick and I tried the conch, checked it off our list and will probably never eat it again. Conch is BIG down there, and on pretty much every menu you find in T & C. We had so much fun with our new friends minus the conch.

This was the view from our room, have I said AMAZING yet?

This was dinner @ the Veranda Resort (where our honeymooner friends stayed and 2 resorts down from ours). We loved the Veranda, and they offer an all inclusive package. We pretty much hung out here and our resort. We loved both resorts, and when we go back we will probably try to stay at the Veranda.

Our resort, the Regent Palms, did however have a swim-up bar. Can you say AWESOME!!!??? This came in very handy, and the staff was very nice. They served tasty food and drinks.

We also loved the infinity pool & hot tub overlooking the ocean.

This was at the seated area of the pool bar @ Regent Palms.

We went on a snorkeling trip that was SO MUCH FUN! They took us to the most beautiful coral reef I have ever seen to snorkel for an hour or so. Then they took us to hunt for some conch, I did not participate in this (rum punch and Turks Head beer were served on board). Rick did the conch hunting for the McKib family, and he caught a few, but they were too small to eat, so he had to throw them back.

After all that they took us to a small island off of Provo to hang out, and the water was even more gorgeous than Provo which I didn't think was possible.

The boat captain told us there were iguana on this island, and Rick was ALL over this! He wanted to look for them for hours, but after you see one iguana.....

Can you see how excited he was?

On the way back to the resorts, the capt spotted some starfish, so they stopped and grabbed them. I have never seen this type of starfish in my life, and it was beautiful!!! We had to throw them back as you are not allowed to take these amazing creatures home.

There was some unbelievable sunsets in T & C, so we tried to schedule our dinners around sunset everyday. There's just something about watching sunsets that make me happy.

This was the best honeymoon I could ever imagine! We mostly just relaxed, ate, drank, watched sunsets, took naps, and enjoyed the scenery. I STRONGLY suggest everyone visit the Turks & Caicos if you can. By the end of the trip my outdoorsy, Alaska loving, white water rafting, husband was telling the staff at Regent Palms that we would definitely be back (music to my beach loving ears!). We loved this island, the people, the fact that it is the safest island in the Caribbean, the water, the sunsets, the FABULOUS food, EVERYTHING about it!!! Thank you to my sweet husband for the PERFECT honeymoon, I LOVE YOU!

I'm BACK!

2011-05-26T12:18:00.004-05:00

I know it's been a LONG time, but I purchased a MacBook Pro, so I am back in business!!! I absolutely LOVE my MAC!!! I'm super excited about all that Mac offers, and I look forward to learning more about what I can do with it. I will be randomly posting everything from the last 2 3 months, so check back. Hope you all have a FABULOUS Memorial Day Weekend!

Liar Liar

2011-04-21T08:36:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I lied. I did not post last week as promised, but I have a good excuse. My computer died AGAIN! We are probably going to have to invest in a new one, but we are going to send the ole girl off for one last shot, so stay tuned. I am lost without a computer to upload my pics, blog, print stationary, and most of all SHOP! As for now, I am taking suggestions on what kind of computer to buy if we do have to send the ole girl off to pasture??? WOW! That was a very southern thing I just said. Have I told yall how much I LOVE the South? Well, I DO!!!! I love it, I love it, I love it! (In my "Helen Madden, certified joyoligist" voice from SNL. If you haven't seen this skit, google it, HILARIOUS!!!!) Ok, so that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I do have to give a shout out to my sweet friends Anna & Chip who are in St. Thomas, USVI this week, I am TOTALLY jealous, and I need a FULL report when you guys get back. HAPPY THURSDAY ALL!!! Stay tuned!

Missing

2011-04-11T11:36:00.002-05:00

So sorry I have been missing the past 2 MONTHS!!! We really haven't done much, but I promise I will be back this week. Don't forget about little ole me.

BEST BOOK EVER! WHO DAT!

2011-02-16T09:18:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I am embarrassed to say, I am not much of a reader, but I could not put this one down (Rick gave it to me for Christmas, and I swear it may be the best gift ever)! Sean Payton's Home Team, Coaching the Saints and New Orleans Back to Life. No joke, I had to pace myself while reading this, because I didn't want it to end. Coach was so candid, funny, real, serious, and so much more when he wrote this book. I laughed, I cried, and so many times I got chills. He talked about the oh so bad days of the Saints, which were so much a part of my childhood, that made this book so special to me. If you are a Saints fan, I PROMISE YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. He also talks about trying to get these amazing pro athletes to move to an abandoned city, just after a major disaster, the things I personally didn't think about. That disaster was just life to me as it was the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and Louisiana Coast, but to move to these areas AFTER the storm, no way. I could go on and on about this, but I will just say this book is AMAZING! I LOVE COACH PAYTON AND I LOVE THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS! Now go get this book, then tell me what you think. WHO DAT!

Bathroom #2: Paint color?

2011-02-09T11:04:00.004-06:00

We are about to start a little makeover on our half bath, and we need help! We are not gutting this bathroom like we did the other, so we are stuck with this beautiful blue tile. So the question is, what color do we paint the top half of the walls? I say white, but Rick is totally against this. I seriously think there is no other option?? So bring on the suggestions. Here's the room now:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUPERMOM!!!

2011-02-08T10:29:00.003-06:00

From this:
To this:

Today is my SUPERMom's Birthday! She is, BEAUTIFUL, amazing, talented, smart, kind, generous, strong, hard working, and the best role model any little girl could ask for! I hope that one day I am half the woman my mom is today!!!! I absolutely ADORE you mom, and hope you have the BEST birthday ever. Wish I could be with you to celebrate, can't wait to see you next week!

Bathroom BEFORE and AFTER (1 year later)

2011-02-03T13:11:00.005-06:00

So, I realized I never posted the pics of the completely finished bathroom. All I can say is Rick and I had a VERY busy year. Better late than never. Here is what the bathroom looked like when I moved in to Rick's Bachelor Pad. Let me warn you these pics could offend some.

Are you scared yet?
Notice the beautiful pink tile, EVERYWHERE!
You can uncover your eyes now. After a month of VERY hard work by my very talented, hard working, strong, amazingly handsome, husband (mostly by himself, with a little help here and there), this is the finished bathroom!

My also talented, beautiful mother made the shower curtain for us. I searched high and low for a ceiling length shower curtain, with no luck. This was not only hard because of the length, but because Rick allows no "girly" patterns or textures in our house. Which means no floral, damask, whimsical, polka dots, pin tucks, pleats, it pretty much means only stripes or solids (Auburn patterns are also allowed). I looked into just buying fabric and having her make one, but that would have cost $150 and I couldn't find the perfect fabric either. SO, I found a Pottery Barn duvet on ebay ($60) I thought was perfect, mailed it to my mom, and she made EXACTLY what I was looking for and still not so "girly".

Rick did all the tile work in the shower and the floor.

I did contribute a little with my painting skills. I think the bathroom turned out absolutely PERFECT!!!! I LOVE THIS ROOM!!! I am so proud of the hard work Rick put into this, all while I complained about having to go to a friends house to shower for 23 days in the middle of winter. This room makes me happy and was well worth it! What do you guys think about my handy dandy husband?

Rick's 3rd Annual Bowling Birthday

2011-02-02T11:57:00.003-06:00

Last weekend was Rick's birthday, and as we have the past 3 years, we had a bowling party. I know it sounds silly, but it is REALLY FUN! Not to mention something different. Here are a few pics from the party.

Rick & Walker

Sweet Cameron's first time to bowl. She was SO amazed my the entire thing.

Rick, his dad, his brother, and nephew.

Rick is the most AMAZING man in the world, and I feel so LUCKY to have him as my husband! I get pretty excited about birthdays, and this year, I just felt like I couldn't possibly do enough to make his day special. He does SO much for me, and has made me happier than I ever dreamed! I love him madly, and am so glad I got to spend this day with this fabulous man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICKY BOBBY!!

Catching up with Mississip friends

2011-01-31T13:34:00.004-06:00

2 weeks ago I went to Missisip for the weekend to catch up with some of my girlfriends, my family, exchange some wedding gifts, and pick up my new Walter Anderson painting Rick bought me for Christmas. Friday night I stayed in Hattiesburg with Chirissy. We met Bonnie & Taylor for a drink @ Cork. B & T both have 2 little girls that keep them pretty so getting to actually sit down and catch up was FABULOUS!!! Chrissy as always was an amazing host. I LOVE hotel FANCY!

Saturday, I headed to the coast to celebrate my bestie Traic's birthday. It's crazy how many birthdays we have celebrated together. I love her!

After dinner at Manhattan Grill, we headed to the Beau Rivage. It was such a fun night. I also got to catch up with my old friend Leigh.

Sunday I spent the night with my brother and his family. Monday it was back to Bham. It was an exhausting, beautiful, fun, fabulous weekend! GREAT to see everyone. Rick and I will be back for Mardi Gras.

AUBURN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

2011-01-28T12:33:00.004-06:00

I am way behind, but Rick went to Glendale, AZ earlier this month for the BCS National Championship game, and cheer on his Alma Mater Auburn. Rick isn't much on details, so all I know is it was AWESOME. They went to an "AMAZING" party the night before the game that Charles Barkley hosted @ the W hotel, and there were lots of famous professional athletes there, Donavon McNabb was one of the many. Rick was pretty excited about this, well as excited as RB gets. The day of the game they parked at the stadium, and ran in to some old frat brothers who were parked 3 cars down from them, that they hadn't seen in years. I did send my camera with him and threaten his life if he didn't take lots of pics. Here are some of the best:

Outside the stadium.
Old college buds.

College and high school buds.

Rick's friend Andy (above) came through with his ticket 3 days before the game. THANK YOU ECHOLS!!!! I am so glad that Rick went to AZ and was able to be a part of AUBURN becoming the NATIONAL CHAMPION!!! WAR EAGLE RICKY BOBBY!!!

Snow/Ice Day 2011

2011-01-25T12:48:00.004-06:00

While Rick was out of town for the National Championship, Bham got a snow day. It was actually more ice than snow. So I played outside for a few minutes with my ADORABLE neighbors. I just adore them.

This is Chloe.
And this sweet baby is Lola.

They were all bundled up, and so stinking cute. This wasn't very fun for them as all the snow was iced over, and very slippery! I do have to give them credit, they gave it a shot.

P.S. Before Rick left for sunny Arizona, he did ask if I needed any canned goods from the grocery store and said he would go get them for me. He also told me where all his ski gear was in case I had to walk 3 miles to his brother's house. I'm so sure I'm going to open up a can of food eat that, then trek 3 miles in the snow. Thanks RB!

NYE 2011

2011-01-13T13:23:00.004-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! Rick and I along with our friends Beth, Kyle, and Matthew headed to Atlanta to celebrate the new year. I insisted on doing something fun since last year I did absolutely nothing while Rick tiled the bathroom shower. That was ZERO fun! We had so much fun in Atl for the SEC Championship we decided to go back. My friend Liz is from there and told us about this fab party at Park Tavern, so we all went, Liz included. The deal was a set price for all you can drink (top shelf included), food, party favors, and FUN!

The girls.

Our crew.

The AWESOME band. Yacht Rock, if they are ever playing in your town, GO SEE THEM! SO MUCH FUN!!!! We stayed front row all night!!!!

Pics with the band members were a must!

It was a FABULOUS way to end the most amazing year of my life and ring in a new one! I love Atlanta and I LOVED the Atlanta Loews Hotel. Bring on 2011!!!

Our 1st official McKibbin Christmas

2011-01-11T15:08:00.003-06:00

This is the only pic I have from our 1st Christmas. Not good, but it will have to do. Doesn't Rick look thrilled?

We celebrated with Rick's family the Wed before Christmas at our house, then left for my parent's house in Little Rock Christmas Eve. Christmas seemed so short this year since it was on a Saturday. BOO! Short trip to LR, and we were back Sunday, and back at work Monday. Rick did FABULOUS on the gifts this year. He has always been a one gifter (as in he gets me one gift, and that's it). I reminded him that he is now my husband, and he is in charge of the little things too. My gifts were: a dress, the Sean Payton book "HOME TEAM", and a gift certificate for the painting I have been eyeing for a while. I was SO IMPRESSED! Rick's gift: a trip to the national championship. It was definitely a Christmas to remember. Here is the only other pic I have from the holidays, its a pic from my company holiday party.

The McKibbins

Christmas Decor

2011-01-04T10:06:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pics of our Christmas decorations. This was the first year I actually tried to make our house look festive. My mom also came to visit on her way to Destin, and she is SUPER CRAFTY! So anything that looks fab, she probably did. This pic does our supper colorful tree no justice. I LOVE LOTS OF BRIGHT COLORS!!!

Got to have the fleur de lis in there somewhere (WHO DAT!). My mom did this creative masterpiece, and she also made all of our stockings. I did not get my mom's crafty genes. So sad.

Guess who decorated the door??? Yep, super mom. Isn't it so stinking cute!! I was so proud!!!!

THANKS mom for making our house and first married Christmas so festive! LOVE YOU!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE MCKIBBINS

2010-12-24T10:31:00.005-06:00

We hope you all have a WONDERFUL Christmas and an AMAZING New Year!!!

Love,

Rick, Candice, and Lilly McKibbin

"The Crew" Holiday Party

2010-12-21T09:30:00.005-06:00

Rick's crew of guy friends from high school has a holiday party every year, which is so fun, and amazing for a group of guys to keep up. They rotate who host the party every year and this year Rick and I volunteered. WE HAD A BLAST! It is so much fun to see all these guys together, it's like they are teenagers again. Lilly was NOT so excited for the party, she looked to Beth for protection, but this did not last long.

As you can see Matthew & James are pumped for the National Championship, as they practice for Glendale, AZ.

This is my FAV pic of the night, notice Clark Griswold in the background?

Matthew loved the eggnog.

Here are all the girls.

And the guys, James HATES taking pics as you can see in the back.

The party was great fun, with great friends, and something I look forward to all year. I just adore the wonderful group of friends I married into, I am a very lucky girl. LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR!!!!

SEC CHAMPIONS! WAR EAGLE!

2010-12-09T12:43:00.004-06:00

Rick decided Friday about 7pm that we should go to Atlanta for the SEC Championship game the next day. So I jumped online, and booked a room. We didn't have tickets, but felt sure we would be able to find some once we got there. We rode over with one of Rick's friends from Auburn, Healthy, about 8am. Checked into the Melia Hotel (which was 1 mile from the Georgia Dome, and a great deal from Hotels.com $93), and headed to "tailgate." We met up with James (Rick, Healthy, and James were frat brothers),and Abnous, had some lunch and met up with a huge crew of guys from their frat @ Taco Mac. Fun times! Lots of guys Rick hadn't seen in years.

Our friends Burton and Jennifer came to meet us later, and ended up having 1 extra ticket for us. So we looked for 1 more ticket, and found NONE! Didn't see a single person selling tix anywhere!! So I decided to make the ultimate sacrifice for my sweet husband, and told him to go without me. There wasn't much argument, and I am pretty sure I did not get enough credit for this deed. So, I went to a nearby sports bar, STATS and met up with my friend Kelly and her husband, and watch the game there. We had a blast! The sports bar was AMAZING!
After the game, the crew came back to STATS pretty excited that Aub was heading to the National Championship. Obviously proud they were #1!

Here's the crew.

FABULOUS weekend! Next stop Glendale, AZ! (Rick & James are going!)

Our 1st official McKibbin Thanksgiving

2010-12-02T12:44:00.003-06:00

This was our first married Thanksgiving, and I was pretty excited. Neither of us really care for the holiday food, so we don't get very excited about this holiday. BUT this year I was so excited! We went to Rick's brother (Scott) & Sister in law's (Katie) house here in Homewood, and had a FABULOUS DAY! Rick's dad was there, and his aunt, uncle, and cousin from Charleston, SC, along with Katie's mom & aunt. This really was one of the best Thanksgivings EVER (other than not being with my family)! Thank you McKibbins for making me so welcome, I am SO THANKFUL to be a part of such a wonderful family!!!!!
As you can see Lilly made herself at home. What you can't see is Rick made her wear her Auburn jersey, because his Uncle Bill is a huge Bama fan (they really came for the Ironbowl).

After lunch nap for Uncle Rick.

Our niece Claire came down with this Barbie, and said this was her "Candice" Barbie. I LOVED IT! Katie says she calls it Candice every time she plays with that particular Barbie.

ALWAYS McKibbin wrestling time. All the McKib guys were wrestlers in school.

As most of you know, my all time FAVORITE team, the New Orleans SAINTS, played on Thanksgiving day. Well, Andrew (nephew) played his first year of football

and his team won the championship! So now he is into NFL football. I took this opportunity to influence him on what team should be his #1. I have officially created a SAINTS FAN!!! I am so proud of myself. I taught he and the other kids the Who Dat cheer, and just exactly what tone to use when saying it (they were saying it a little too sweet). I went outside with the rest of the adults, and could hear lots of Who Dating coming from inside, and all I could feel was JOY! I SERIOUSLY LOVED THIS!! Maybe this is why I loved this Thanksgiving so much??? Needless to say, guess what Andrew will be getting for Christmas??? SAINTS GEAR!Here are the McKibbin men that were there this year. What a crew.

LOTS TO BE THANKFUL FOR THIS YEAR!!!

Look what I WON!!!!

2010-11-24T14:27:00.006-06:00

I simply voted for my favorite HOBO International leopard handbag on facebook, and now it's MINE!!! SUPER PUMPED since I never win anything!!!! Happy Thanksgiving to me!!!

PS: This email went out to all HOBO Int. Newsletter subscribers, was on HOBO's Twitter page, and Facebook. I'm semi-famous.

Ole Miss vs Auburn 2010

2010-11-02T12:50:00.004-05:00

Rick and I headed to Oxford, MS Friday after work to see his #1 Auburn Tigers, play my very unranked Ole Miss Rebel Bears. As you can imagine, Rick's team came out with the victory, but luckily as an Ole Miss fan we don't let these things get to us too much. We had an AMAZING time, it made me realize how much I LOVE OXFORD!!!! If you have never been, I STRONGLY suggest if your team ever plays in Oxford, that you make the trip. Our fabulous friend Martin, invited us to come stay with his family, and go to the game with them. The Millettes are the best host ever!!!! They cooked us breakfast, lat us watch the game with them in their end zone suite (the Archie & Eli were 2 suites down from us, I love the Mannings!), and put us up for the weekend, not to mention they provided us with perfect weather. Here are a few pics from this fabulous weekend!

1st thing we ran into on the way to the grove was a Rebel Bear.

We also ran into Angela, a family friend from the coast.

LOVED this REBEL pumpkin.

Lindsey, Martin, and the McKibbins in the grove.

The 3D halftime show.

Rick and the only other Auburn fan in the Suite, celebrating after the game.

Thank you Sam, Lynne, Martin, and Lindsey for a PERFECT weekend! HOTTY TODDY!

Lilly's 6

2010-10-28T14:40:00.011-05:00

Our sweet baby shihtzu Lilly turned 6 last Saturday, October, 23!!! She is so much fun, so loving, & adorable. We love her so much (although I am pretty sure she loves Rick more than me these days). HAPPY BIRTHDAY LILLY DUNN-MCKIBBIN (yes she changed her name too).

Will & Lacey

2010-10-22T11:27:00.003-05:00

Rick and I are heading to Hattiesburg this weekend for our sweet friends Will & Lacey's wedding weekend! Looking forward to celebrating with this fabulous couple. CONGRATS FRIENDS see you in a few hours!!!

Ole Miss vs Bama

2010-10-22T11:13:00.003-05:00

HOTTY TODDY! Last weekend my dear friend Jeni, came up from Biloxi, and Martin came from Jxn, for the game. Martin had tix for us all, and in true Rebel form, we lost. Good news is, we had a GREAT time in Tuscaloosa. This was Jeni's first trip to Tuscaloosa, and it being game day, she was SHOCKED by the abundance of hounds tooth. I am not kidding you, these people LOVE hounds tooth!!!! She LOVED IT!!!

Instead of tailgating, we went to a few bars to meet up with some of Martin and my friends from our ole Oxford years.

Martin was very proud of Rick and my wedding huggies making it to the game.

We met up with Katherine just before the game (she had been tailgating since 12pm), and headed into the sea of BAMERS! I do have to say that stadium is amazing! I have been before, but every year they expand. Like I said, the Rebel Bears lost, but at least we put up a fight. We had a GREAT time, thanks Martin, for the fabulous tix!

Our entire lives in a slideshow

2010-10-18T20:10:00.006-05:00

This is the slideshow that was played at our rehearsal dinner, thanks to our fabulous, talented friend, Sam McAlister.

Candice and Richard McKibbin from McAlister Creative on Vimeo.

OUR WEDDING!!!

2010-10-12T12:32:00.004-05:00

This was the most AMAZING, PERFECT, WONDERFUL, FABULOUS, SWEET, SPECIAL, UNBELIEVABLE DAY OF OUR LIVES!!! Rick and I are SO blessed to have been surrounded by so much love and support on such a special day. All of our friends and family from near and far, beautiful weather, and the man of my dreams, what more could I ask for? We had 13 bridesmaids, 13 groomsmen, 2 flower girls, 1 ring bearer, and 5 ushers. Just a small intimate affair, right? Ok, not really, but I wouldn't have changed a thing!! I seriously can not express in words how amazing this day was, and at the end of the day Rick and I are married. I am such a lucky girl! If you want to see the photographer's pictures click here. Thanks to all who worked so hard to make our day so perfect, my mom, Mrs. Maureen, Angie, all of my mom's friends, and so many more I am sure I have left out. None of it would have been possible without you all! Most of all THANK YOU RICK, for making me the happiest girl in the world!

The Rehearsal Dinner

2010-10-05T13:00:00.006-05:00

Our rehearsal dinner was SO much fun!!! We had buses to take all our guest from the Beau Rivage in Biloxi, to Scranton's in Pascagoula. This was the first bus with the wedding party and dates.

After a quick stop for an actual rehearsal, we were off to Scranton's. I grew up going to Scranton's at least once a week. One of our close family friends/ one of my mom's best friends from high school owns Scranton's. My mom also was there accountant most of my life. Lots of memories there, so it was only appropriate to have the dinner there, not to mention I had to show the out of towners my ole stomping ground. Scranton's building was the fire dept, court house, and police dept back in the day, so its a pretty neat building, not to mention the food was AMAZING!
We decided to invite all out of town guest, the wedding party (plus dates), and everyone involved in the actual wedding, so we had a large dinner. 120 to be exact. I wasn't sure how it would all work out, but it was PERFECT! Seriously, so much fun. It was fun, casual, and we were surrounded by the most important people in our lives. Lots of hilarious, sweet, kind, fabulous speeches, here are a few comments about a few:
1. There was a top 10 list about me, loved it.
2. One speech started with: I was a 1 man wolf pack until I met Rick.
3. LOTS of talk about Rick's high school vehicle.
4. A VERY sweet one by my step-dad about how glad he was that we came into his life.
5. Another from one of my high school friends saying how glad they were that my step dad came into our lives as well, because we had LOTS of parties at my house when my mom was in Little Rock. Actually he said it was the best thing that happened to our high school. Lots of applause from the rest of my high school friends.
6. Lots of talk of Rick running into things.
7. One about a National Geographic show about an antelope getting attacked by an alligator on one end and lion on the other end, this some how related to marriage.
8. Last but not least, a really sweet speech from Rick that ended with, "And that's about it."
There were lots more, we were crying we were laughing so hard. We have AMAZING friends and family!!!!!
Here I am with a few bridesmaids, Traci, Fancy, and Taylor.
And a crew of our Bham friends.
I forgot to mention that my very talented friend Sam, created a slide show of pics from mine and Rick's entire lives. I cannot express to you how fabulous this was! When I get the cd from Sam, I will try to put that on here, because it was really AWESOME. Rick and I also introduced everyone to our wedding party, just so they would all know each other, and how we all know each other. After that, Rick's dad decided to intro all his friends from college. IT WAS HILARIOUS!!! Rick looked at me and said "What is John doing?" He was just having so much fun, he totally forgot to intro his brothers that came from Virginia and South Carolina. The entire night was just SO much fun. I wish we could have a rehearsal dinner every year! After all that perfectness it was back on the buses and back to the Beau. Rick and I had a BLAST!!!!
If you want to see the rest of the pics click here.

Wedding Welcome Bags

2010-09-24T15:00:00.002-05:00

I was so excited about the welcome bag for the guest staying at the Beau Rivage for our wedding! I thought they turned our super cute, and we had fun making them too. Rick and I went to SAM's Club an stocked up on goodies, and it cost much less than I expected. So here is what we put in them: Cheez-it, bottled water, granola bars, chips or smartpop popcorn, Advil, mints, laffy taffy, assorted mini candy bars, sweetarts, and a weekend itinerary. I got plain white gift bags, navy and aqua tissue paper, and I printed labels myself. Here is the finished product:

Here is a close up of the label. Sorry I don't have a better picture, but after making 60, we were over it.

Let the Wedding Weekend begin!

2010-09-23T12:40:00.005-05:00

After our night in Meridian, MS, we drove straight to the Beau Rivage, dropped off all our stuff (LOTS OF STUFF! We couldn't even see out of the windows in the car), and headed to the airport to pick up Rick's college roommate Eric and his fabulous wife Rachel. Rick talked about "the Erics" all the time, and I had never met either of the Erics before the weekend, and was pretty pumped to meet these people that meant so much to Rick. Rachel and I had become besties on facebook, so I was beyond thrilled to FINALLY meet my new bestie! Rachel and Eric came all the way from Appleton, Wisconsin to be there with us for 4 days in Biloxi, were the first to book a room, and the first to book flights, I knew I would love this couple! Below are the famous Eric & Rachel.

Aren't they adorable??? I LOVE THEM, and can't wait to see them again soon. We took them to one of the Biloxi staples, the Old Biloxi Schooner for lunch, and caught up, then it was back to the Beau to unload again, then Rick & Eric headed back to the airport to pick up the other Eric. The other Eric is the other college roommate I had yet to meet. Rick, Eric, Eric, and James all lived together at Auburn, and oh the stories they tell. Below is a pic of the 4 of them back together 10 years later.
They were like little kids, so excited to see each other. I was super excited to meet Eric H., but we were sad his wife couldn't make the trip. She stayed home with their 3 kids for football games, back to school, etc. AMY WE MISSED YOU! They live in Cape Coral, FL, by the way. All of Rick's roommates were groomsmen in our wedding as they were all 4 in each other's weddings. They are quite the crew, and it was so fun to see them all together again reminiscing about the good ole days on the plains. To the Erics and Rachel, thank you SO much for coming so far to be there for Rick and me, you have NO IDEA what it meant to us!
Here are Traci, Rachel, and me at eight75 in the Beau.

Our sweet friends Kristen and Brad also made it down from Hattiesburg to get the weekend started early, as you can see Traci, Kristen, and me below.

We had quite the crew on Thursday night, Matthew, Jordan (who came from NYC to be a part of our wedding), Walker & Heather (it was H's birthday!), James & Abnous, Beth & Kyle, Charles & Jennifer all made it down. The few of us that were there in time for dinner went to my dad's (now my step-mom's) restaurant Manhattan Grill. It was so nice to have all these new friends of mine in a place that meant so much to my dad. The dinner was EXCELLENT as always, as was the company. It was a PERFECT way to start off the weekend. Then it was back to the Beau to meet up with the late arrivals at eight75. We had a FABULOUS night, and were so thrilled to have so many amazing friends there to celebrate with us on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the place I love so much. THANK YOU ALL for a weekend we will NEVER FORGET! We are so blessed!

OK, so I had to put this pic on here because it cracked me up when Rachel sent it to me. Apparently, Rach was trying to find something in her purse, but had too much stuff in there. So I helped her out. All the stuff in my hands, and the sunglasses are from her purse. I LOVE IT!

Mississippi Marriage License

2010-09-10T09:23:00.004-05:00

Let me just say getting a Mississippi marriage license while living in Alabama is no easy task. First, Rick and I had to go to the Birmingham health department to have a blood test. Yes, I said a blood test in 2010. I think Mississip is one of the only states that still requires this, and while you may think it is to be sure we are not cousins, it is actually a syphilis test. Is this not the craziest thing you have ever heard? Two weeks later our results came in as "non reactive" so I guess we passed? Then the fun part, we drove to Meridian, MS on a Tuesday night (because it is the closest MS city to Bham), had to get a room, wake up bright and early go to the Meridian Health Dept, to have our blood results verified by the state of Mississippi. As you can see from the picture, Rick was super excited about this. He was seriously asleep in the health department.

We got there at 7:30am, and were about 10th in line. After waiting about 1 1/2 hrs, they called us into a booth, only to tell us "the lady that does that aint here today, you will have to come back another day." WHAT!? I immediately start crying, as the reason we did it this was is I have no vacation time left and had to get back to work ASAP. I told the girl with tears streaming down my face in total panic since we were 2 weeks out from the wedding, we can't come back. I explained it to her, and she said "well I can try to do it, please don't cry." She brought us back a form that literally had 4 blanks she had to fill in, our names, and our current addresses. Now seriously, only 1 lady in that office can do this? On to our next stop, the Lauderdale County Circuit Clerk's office. Filled out a few forms, this took about 3 minutes, and we were done! Well, not actually done, but close. You have to wait 72 hours, then come back to pick up the actual marriage license. SUPER! So the Wednesday before our wedding, after a 3 day work trip for Rick, a 9pm arrival at Bham airport, loading the car (to the rim!), and a 2 hour drive, we were in yet another hotel in Meridian, MS at 1am. Finally the Thursday before the wedding, we wake up bright and early, head to the court house and pick up our official marriage license!!! YAY!!! Then it was off to the Beau Rivage to get the wedding weekend started!

I will be back!

2010-09-09T13:45:00.002-05:00

My computer broke the week before the wedding, so I have been without!!! Just got it back, and I promise I will back to the blog this weekend will all the pics, and details of our FABULOUS wedding weekend! WE HAD THE TIME OF OUR LIVES!!!! Can't wait to share it all! STAY TUNED!!!!

Bachelorette

2010-08-17T10:37:00.003-05:00

Sorry for the lack of post, wedding planning has consumed me. Here are a few pics from my Bachelorette Party in Destin last month.

Crab Island!

Thanks girls for a PERFECT weekend!!! I am so lucky to have such AMAZING friends!!!

Tacos & Margaritas

2010-07-22T07:48:00.005-05:00

Last weekend a big group of our friends here in Birmingham hosted us a Tacos & Margaritas wedding shower. It was SO nice to be home and not have to travel to one of our showers for a change. Not to mention get to see all our friends we have missed in all our travels. The shower was SO much fun, and it was great to see Rick with all "his people." The food was awesome, margaritas were perfect, and the company even better! Thanks to all our sweet friends that hosted. 30 days until the wedding!!!!!

Some of my Mississippi girls.
My love.

All of our wonderful host (minus Vance).

All the girls.

And last but not least, all of the guys. Most of these guys have been best friends since they were kids, and you will never meet a more close knit group of SO many guys. It really is amazing, and I feel so lucky to be a part of that.

Arkansas Shower

2010-07-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

July 4th weekend we when to my parents lake house in Hot Springs, AR, where we continued the shower tour. My sweet step-sisters hosted us a Casino Shower. We had a blast. They really went all out, and that made it so much fun. THANKS GIRLS! WE LOVE YOU!

Here is our little family. My mom put a white bow on Lilly for the party, she was less than thrilled (Rick hated it and took it off when no one was looking)

My mom and me with some of the sweet ladies that traveled to be there for us. Just adore them.

This is my family and host! Love them so much. Just 40 more days until the wedding!!!!

Mississippi Gulf Coast Shower

2010-07-01T09:30:00.003-05:00

Some of my bridesmaids and a couple of my friends parents hosted Rick and me a shower on the coast last weekend, and it was perfect! I know I always say that, but it really was. I was surrounded by tons of people that have known me the most of my life, some since the day I was born. I get so emotional about all things from my home town and childhood, because they all mean so much to me. These people, every single one of them, made me who I am today. The best part of it all, is they all love Rick too! We were literally showered with love last weekend, and I couldn't imagine anything better. Thanks to all that went out of your way to be there for us, especially those that hosted this amazing shower. Once again, Rick and I are SO BLESSED to have such wonderful people in our lives.

Rick and I with my sweet friend since 1st grade, Amanda.
Traci, my MOH, and Martin who I am pretty sure is on the Candice & Rick wedding shower tour.

Rick & me with my brother & sis-in-law.

May adorable parents flew down from Little Rock to be there.

These girls are have been my best friends since I can remember. I just ADORE them all! Oh, and I think Kristen is on the shower tour with Martin.

Our first wedding shower!

2010-06-22T16:04:00.003-05:00

5 of my bridesmaids (and husbands) hosted Rick and I a wedding shower last weekend in Hattiesburg, and we had SO MUCH FUN!!! The location, the food, drinks, friends, it was PERFECT! There is nothing like have all these people that have meant so much to me for so long, totally welcome Rick in to the crew. It seemed like they had known him for years. It just made me so happy. Rick and I talked about how much fun we had on the way back to Bham and how lucky we are to have all these people who care so much about us in our lives. Thanks to all who traveled to be there, those that hosted, and those that came to be a part of our first shower. WE LOVE YOU!

Here we are with our host: Bonnie, Kelly, Chrissy aka "Fancy", Kristen, and Taylor.

Us with all the guys.

And the girls.

Don't we look like we had fun?

These are my friends from Goula: Martin, Kristen, Allison, and Aaron.

Oh Brother

2010-06-14T10:47:00.003-05:00

Since both of my brothers had birthdays in the past 2 weeks, I thought I would post a few pics of the 3 of us. I just adore my brothers and would not change one minute of the torture they put me through as a child.

I can't believe its been a year since we lost our dad.

Happy birthday brothers! I LOVE YOU!

Save the Date's

2010-06-11T14:01:00.006-05:00

Our Save the Date's went out last week (better late than never), and I think they turned out great! Thanks to our engagement photographer Elizabeth Pettey, she not only took the pics, but she also designed the Save the dates. You can see her site by clicking here. I guess it's official, we are getting married 08.21.10!!! YAY!!!

Destin Memorial Weekend

2010-06-02T10:11:00.004-05:00

My dear friend from high school and college, Martin, invited Rick and I down to Destin last weekended for the holiday, and what a weekend it was! Another one of my dear friends Joe was also down, and staying just down the street from us. It was so awesome for 2 of my best guy friends to get to know Rick and spend the weekend with us together. It made me so happy!

We also got to meet Joe's new girlfriend Anne, and OMG! I LOVE HER! She is so much fun and totally great for Joe.
Saturday we went out to Crab Island.
Joe snorkeled most of the day, pretty sure he thought he was a dolphin. He went around and collected all the hermit crabs he could find and made a hermit crab party. The crabs were not happy about this, but it seemed to really entertain Joe.

We had a PERFECT weekend! I could not have asked for a more perfect Memorial Day weekend! Thanks to Martin, the Millettes, Joe & Anne, for making what would have been a sad weekend for me, a totally awesome one. My dad would want it no other way!

Summer Cut

2010-05-28T12:38:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I tool Lilly to get her summer cut, but not before I snapped this pic:

Then this morning, after I took Lilly in to wake Rick up, I heard in a strange voice "What's she doing?" I walked in to find this:
She LOVES him! She wakes him up with kisses every morning, and if she's not in the bed, he refuses to get up until I get her. I am pretty sure it is just an excuse for a little more sleep. So that's Lilly Bears summer cut! Happy Memorial Day weekend all!

Happy birthday Allison!

2010-05-20T12:03:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday we went to Parkside, a new little bar in my old hood, to celebrate Allison's Birthday! We loved this place! So cute and fun. Thanks for inviting us, we have a new fav bar. HAPPY BIRTHDAY AL!

IP after party

2010-05-14T15:53:00.002-05:00

After the wedding last weekend, we headed to the IP Casino where we were all staying to meet up with the crew. Good times were had by all!

Got to see my sweet maid of honor Traci and my friend Anastasia.
My fabulous fiance' and lifetime best friend are so funny together. They love to pick on each other, it means they like each other, I think? This makes me so happy!!!

Willis-Ashbaker Wedding

2010-05-12T12:19:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we went to our friends Tom & Rachael's wedding in Pascagoula. Tom and I graduated high school together, and Rach and I have known each other since we were kids, and they both live in Bham now. This wedding was BEAUTIFUL! There were TONS of people there, one of which was my adorable mom!

And one of my best friends Aaron and his wife April. Funny note, Aaron and I were in preschool together at the same church where Tom & Rach were married. We sat together at the wedding and I thought my mom was going to cry. She said "I could just picture you and Aaron up there holding hands in the Christmas program when yall were 4." I am very lucky to have such an awesome life long friend.

You knew I had to toss in one if Ricky Bobby and me.

Oh, and my big teddy bear of a friend, Tanner! We were really good friends in college, and he just so happened to marry Rachael's sister. Tan and Katherine just had a little boy that looks JUST LIKE TANNER! It was so great to see him, and he reminded Rick that I was always just one of the guys. I am sure Rick was thrilled to hear that. LOVE IT!

I failed to get a picture of the bride and groom due to the large number of people there, so this is all I've got! The photographer did take one of RB and me with the happy couple so when I get that I will add that.

It was an awesome wedding, and great to see all the smiling faces of Goula. I LOVED catching up with all my friends parents too, they are such sweeties! Every time I see them they say, you know you and Rick can stay with us anytime. Just so sweet! Now the newlyweds are in the Dominican Republic at the same resort where RB and I got engaged!! CONGRATS ASHBAKERS!

Plenty to celebrate!

2010-05-03T18:00:00.004-05:00

Friday before last we had a cookout because we have LOTS to celebrate. It was Eric & Stephen's birthdays, and the first time we've been able to celebrate our engagement with our Bham friends. (Really just an excuse to have everyone over!)

Rick with the birthday boys!
I'm not sure we were ready for this one.

Some of the crew.

All of these guys have been best friends since high school, and they still are. I have never seen a group of guy friends as close as these, it's pretty awesome!! I am so excited to be joining such an awesome group.

Thanks to everyone who came, we had a blast (which made wedding dress shopping a little difficult at 8 am the next morning).

Summer & Jon's wedding

2010-04-22T11:54:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we went to the Mississippi Gulf Coast for my sweet step-sisters wedding, and what a weekend! We stayed at the Beau Rivage, crawfish boil for the rehearsal dinner, good friends, new friends, family, wedding, beautiful weather, beautiful bride, FABULOUS WEEKEND WITH A FABULOUS COUPLE!!!

The happy, beautiful couple.
Ceremony in the backyard, PERFECT!
My georgous sister.

My Love!

Most of the bridesmaids in our yellow dresses.

Easter with the McKibbins 2010

2010-04-15T14:03:00.003-05:00

Better late than never. Here are Claire and Andrew Easter Sunday.

And Rick and me.

McKibbin family celebrations!

2010-04-15T13:53:00.005-05:00

Rick's dad took all the Bham McKibbins out to celebrate our engagement, and it was SO much fun to finally celebrate with family (since we were in another country and could only call a limited # of peeps.). Here is the crew:

Our Congrats cheesecake!
We also went to tell Rick's Grandmother Duffey and take her to dinner. She was SO excited, she said "I didn't think Richard would ever get married." It was so cute!

I am so lucky to be joining such a fabulous family. I love them all and can't wait to be a McKibbin!!!

A Chicago Bachelorette Weekend for sis

2010-04-08T09:12:00.004-05:00

We got back from the Dominican at 12am Friday morning, I unpacked the swim suits, washed a load of clothes, repacked with sweaters, took a 5 hour nap, then I was back at the airport for my 10am flight to Chicago for my sweet step-sister Summer's Bachelorette weekend. I have to say I was EXHAUSTED and less than thrilled to be traveling again so soon, but it was WELL WORTH IT!!! What a weekend, I had a BLAST in the big city. I had more fun than I ever imagined. I didn't really know any of the girls going other than Summer and Stef, but we all were instant best friends, and I couldn't have picked a better group to be with. Friday, after shopping, Summer's Chi town friends hosted a shower, then we went to a fabulous bar. This bar had an adult game room (like chuck e cheese for adults), another area was a dueling piano bar, and downstairs was a dance club. I need one of these places in Bham. Saturday, was more shopping, then resting, then the DRAG SHOW!!!! I LOVED THE DRAG SHOW!!! I am telling you these men look hotter than some women I have met, and they really know how to work it!! I cannot express how much fun this was. After all that, it was off to a few bars, then night 2 of late night pizza. Enjoy the pics:

This really was the PERFECT weekend!!! The perfect ending to the perfect weekend was, in the cab ride Sunday, Summer puked in her cowboy boot she was carrying. Stef and I could not believe this was happening, but it was AWESOME!! I love you Summer and can't wait until the wedding next weekend!!!

Heather & Walker's wedding, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

2010-04-06T11:38:00.001-05:00

We had a BLAST at the Excellence Resort Punta Cana, with all our friends celebrating The Adams/May Wedding!!! As you can see I took WAY TOO MANY pics. Everything was perfect and this was the most beautiful wedding I have ever been to by far. The trip was awesome, and I'm not just saying that because I came back engaged. It was definitely a trip to remember. Enjoy the pics:

Congrats to Mr. & Mrs. Walker May, we adore you both! Thanks for providing the scene for our engagement (Rick asked Walker's permission to do it on his wedding trip, but waited until everyone from the wedding left Punta Cana).

WE ARE GETTING MARRIED!!!!!

2010-03-30T13:11:00.003-05:00

While we were in the Dominican Republic for Walker & Heather's wedding ( I will post that later), Rick asked me to marry him, and I said YES!!!! We stayed a few extra days after everyone else left Punta Cana, and they day they all left we got engaged. We were sitting on the beach after dinner, the nightly show, and the beach party, and I said OK, I need to go to the ladies room, so lets go back to the room. He said well before we go, I need to ask you something. He dropped to one knee, and said "Will you marry me?" I thought he was kidding. I said, this is not a funny joke! He said I'm not kidding, and he reached in his pocket and put the most beautiful ring I have ever seen (I couldn't see it at the time because it was dark) on my finger. I have never been happier in my entire life!!!

This was the day after.

Isn't it AMAZING???
I just couldn't resist!!

I haven't stopped smiling yet!

I feel so lucky, happy, blessed, wonderful, excited, loved, I could go on for days. I just adore Rick, and can't wait to be his wife. We are thinking August, yes August of this year, but I will keep you posted.

Bathroom uptade: FINISHED......well almost!

2010-03-17T14:13:00.003-05:00

Rick put a BIG push on finishing the bathroom before we leave for our trip, and we did! Well all we are waiting on is the shower curtain, and my mom is making that. So here is the pretty much finished product, and as you can see it's the little things that matter.

Like a toilet paper holder.

A mirror on the wall.
The light switch cover.
Towel rack and robe hook.

Oh, and PAINT (we went with a pale grey)! What do yall think of the pain color? And all the fixtures for that matter?

Showering Rachael & Tom

2010-03-17T14:08:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we helped host a wedding shower for our friends Tom & Rachael at Rojo here in Birmingham. Tom and I graduated high school together, and Rach & my parents are friends from high school. Another happy Pascagoula couple (but here in Bham). We are so excited for them (especially since we set them up), and can't wait for the wedding May 8, in Goula.

This is the only pic I have from the shower, and I look HORRIBLE, Sorry!

2 years!

2010-03-15T16:00:00.003-05:00

2 years ago today I went on my first date with Rick! My how time flies when you're having fun, and that I have. I just adore him!

Heather's Bachelorette

2010-03-12T16:48:00.003-06:00

Last weekend Kelly and I headed to Nashville to celebrate Heather's last nights as a single lady.

Party's not complete without a limo.
I was so excited to see Cam!

A friend of ours owns the Stage on Broadway, and was nice enough to reserve us some prime tables. THANKS BRAD!!! (As you can see heather was excited about this)

What a fun night, that's all I have to say. Now just counting down the days until we all are in the Dominican Republic!!!!

Biggest deal of the bathroom....THE MIRROR

2010-03-03T08:52:00.005-06:00

We looked EVERYWHERE for the perfect mirror for the new bathroom, I mean everywhere, with no luck. The problems was that it had to be approximately 30" x 42", and we were looking for brushed nickel, or towards the end white, or some color to match the cabinets. I did find one that was perfect, but it was $589! Rick said absolutely not. Then I found this one at Pottery Barn for $329, and we thought what a deal, right?

In the parking lot of Pottery Barn I said, lets just run to Homegoods and just see what they have. Rick was over it, and just wanted to get the mirror and go. After talking him into it LOOK WHAT WE FOUND!!!!

The above mirror was ONLY $29.99!!! I said, Rick lets make sure to get a good one without any scratches, he said, we got a good one, IT'S $29.99!

We also found this one, and decided to get it too, just in case the brushed nickel one didn't look good with whatever shade of gray I decided to paint the walls. This beauty was only $59.99. So in total with both mirrors we only spent $100. MUCH better than the $350 we would have spent at PB, and we are returning whichever one doesn't work. I WAS SO PROUD of myself! I think Rick was excited too, but he doesn't show too much excitement ever, so I had to share with you guys. YAY ME!!! My mom taught me well. I another bargin story to tell on the shower curtain but that will come later.

Busy Mississippi Weekend

2010-03-02T10:55:00.004-06:00

Rick and I had a VERY BUSY WEEKEND in Mississip! Friday we stopped in Hattiesburg to stay with Fancy and celebrate her birthday. Then Saturday we headed south to Pascagoula. We went to see my older brother's new house he's building, and visit for a little while. Saturday night was one of my favorite people, Brent Lachaussee's wedding. Brent & Leslie's wedding was so nice, and we got to catch up with tons of my fabulous friends from Goula. After the wedding we headed to the casinos to meet up with Traci and the crew to celebrate her birthday. Traci and I have been friends since she was born, so this was a big birthday. Not many 30 year olds can say they have a best friend of 30 years. Sunday, I helped host a shower for my sweet step sis, Summer, in Biloxi. What a weekend! Rick and I were exhausted, but we squeezed a LOT into our 48 hours in Mississip. I'm already missing the coast! It was GREAT to see everyone, and we will be back for Summer's wedding April 16th weekend to do it all over again. CAN'T WAIT!

Bathroom update after who knows how long...

2010-02-25T08:59:00.003-06:00

I haven't posted the latest pics of the bathroom, mostly because the updates were slow and small. So here is what it looks like as of this morning.

This is a temporary mirror we already had, so that little guy is not staying. We are still looking for a large mirror, unfortunately the only one I found was $600, and Rick said NO WAY! So still on the hunt. Before he left for a bachelor party in Orlando last weekend he installed the light, and I LOVE IT!! It was cheap, and EXACTLY what we looked all over for!

Oh, the faucet. Well the guys put the WRONG holes in the marble counter tops, and I was VERY sad about it. So we had to send the original faucet that I loved back because it would not fit, and we had to get this one, that I do not love. We had planned to have a widespread setting, since we had a long sink, and this one was a real pain. It took Rick about 10 hours to install it because the settings were so close together. In the long run, it doesn't matter, and it's done.

Everything is really coming together.

Rick has worked SO HARD on this project, and he has done a FABULOUS job. I am a lucky girl! All we have left is the shower curtain, painting the top half of the walls, and hardware (towel rack, toilet paper holder, etc.). Stay tuned.

Shower curtain question

2010-02-23T10:55:00.002-06:00

Is this fabric ok for our shower curtain? The reason I ask is, the bottom half of our walls have white b-board, and this fabric has cream stripes, thoughts? I need to know asap. THANKS!

Our little SNOWDAY!

2010-02-12T17:31:00.003-06:00

Yes, we actually got snow!! Not just a little dusting, but actual snow, probably the most snow I have ever seen (I don't really like cold much). Rick and I got off work early, and played in the snowstorm with our neighbors. We had SO much fun!!! I usually don't want anything to do with going outside, but this was really fun.

Our little family. Lilly has little snowballs stuck to her paws.

Rick in our back yard.

Our ADORABLE neighbors, Chloe & Lola. I just adore them.

Lilly L-O-V-E-D the snow!!!

Rick would throw snowballs, Lilly chased them, tried to carry them around as long as possible, then sneezed from a nose full of snow. She had so much fun. WE ALL LOVED SNOW DAY!!!!

W & H's Stock the Bar Shower

2010-02-12T10:58:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we helped host a Bar Shower for Walker & Heather at Fuego Cantina. There was a great turnout, and I think everyone had a great time! Rick and I are in the middle of wedding/baby shower/wedding shower season, and we are booked pretty much until the end of May. So expect much more on this busy season.

Congrats again Walker & Heather, we CAN'T WAIT for the Dominican Republic next month!!!

SAINTS WIN THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010-02-08T20:40:00.002-06:00

As you all know I am a serious SAINTS fan, so I am the HAPPIEST GIRL ALIVE!!! My New Orleans Saints have not only made their 1st Super Bowl appearance in the teams 43 year history, but THEY WON!!!!! I was SO EXCITED and sad at the same time. I can't believe that my dad's not hear to see what his favorite team has done, it totally breaks my heart. He was such a die hard fan, and always had been. He was their #1 FAN!! A few years back, I gave my dad a Saints shirt for Christmas, he called me after their 1st ever playoff win, and said, "SIS, I'M NOT TAKING THIS SHIRT OFF UNTIL WE GO TO THE SUPER BOWL!!! WHO DAT, WHO DAT!!!" As my older brother said Monday, I really hope dad knows what happened last night. My younger brother said, don't be sad you aren't going to Miami, Dad is going to be there and he will handle it. My best friend said, Roy will have the best seat in Miami. I sure hope all these things are true. SO, I was VERY emotional after the game. I have never been so happy about a sporting event. I have been a SAINTS fan my entire 30 years of existence, and now WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!! That's right THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!! WHO DAT? WHO DAT? WHO DAT SAY DEY GONNA BEAT DEM SAINTS?"

Here are a few pics from the celebration, that just make me so happy!!!

I LOVE you Coach Peyton!!
I LOVE YOU DREW BREES!!!

How sweet is this?

This says it all....

I LOVE YOU NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!

Rick's 2nd Annual Bowling Birthday

2010-02-08T13:22:00.002-06:00

We decided to make Rick's Birthday a bowling party again this year. He dominated the game, people were even asking if he was in a league. I was horrible, but had a great time. Here are a few pics:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICK!!! I LOVE YOU!!!

DEAR MIAMI,

2010-02-04T18:46:00.000-06:00

The Saints are coming. And so are we, their loyal, long-suffering and slightly discombobulated Super Bowl-bound fans.

While there's still time to prepare -- although a few hard-core Who Dats will begin trickling in Monday, most of us won't arrive until Thursday or Friday -- we thought we'd give you a heads-up about what you should expect.

First things first: You need more beer.

Yeah, we know. You ordered extra. You think you have more than any group of humans could possibly consume in one week. Trust us. You don't.

New Orleans was a drinking town long before the Saints drove us to drink. But it turns out beer tastes better when you're winning. (Who knew?) So let's just say we're thirsty for more than a championship; adjust your stockpiles accordingly.

And look. When we ask you for a go-cup, be nice to us. We don't even know what "open container law" means. Is that anything like "last call"?

It's Carnival season in New Orleans (that's Mardi Gras to you), and we'll be taking the celebration on the road. So don't be startled if you walk past us and we throw stuff at you; that's just our way of saying hello.

Oh, and sorry in advance about those beads we leave dangling from your palm trees. We just can't help ourselves.

February is also crawfish season, and you can be sure that more than one enterprising tailgater will figure out a way to transport a couple sacks of live mudbugs and a boiling pot to Miami.

When the dude in the 'Who Dat' T-shirt asks if you want to suck da head and pinch da tail, resist the urge to punch him. He's not propositioning you. He's inviting you to dinner.

And if you see a big Cajun guy who looks exactly like an old Saints quarterback walking around town in a dress ... don't ask. It's a long story.

We know that crowd control is a major concern for any Super Bowl host city. Our advice? Put away the riot gear.

Reason No. 1: Indianapolis is going to lose, and their fans are way too dull to start a riot.

Reason No. 2: New Orleans showed the world on Sunday that we know how to throw a victory party. We don't burn cars. We dance on them.

Reason No. 3: Even if we did lose, which we won't, leaving the stadium would be like leaving a funeral, and our typical response to that is to have a parade.

Speaking of which: If you happen to see a brass band roll by, followed by a line of folks waving their handkerchiefs, you're not supposed to just stand there and watch. As our own Irma Thomas would say, get your backfield in motion.

And hey, Mister DJ! Yes, we know you've already played that stupid Ying Yang Twins song 10 times tonight, but indulge us just one more time.

To us, "Halftime (Stand Up and Get Crunk)" isn't just a song; it's 576 points of good memories. It's the sound of a Drew Brees touchdown pass to Devery Henderson, a Pierre Thomas dive for first down on 4th-and-1, a Garrett Hartley field goal sailing through the uprights in overtime.

It's what a championship sounds like. You may get sick of hearing it. We won't. Encore, dammit.

Inside Sun Life Stadium, you may find your ears ringing more than usual. We're louder than other fans. Seven thousand of ours sound like 70,000 of theirs.

Don't believe us? Ask the 12th man in the Vikings huddle.

Some people think it's just the Dome that heightens our volume. But you're about to discover a little secret: We can scream loud enough to make your head explode, indoors or out.

It's not the roof. It's the heart.

Well, OK, and the beer.

Don't be surprised if there are more Saints fans outside the stadium than inside. A lot of us are coming just to say we were part of history, even if we can't witness it up close. The Saints are family to us, and you know how it is with family: We want to be there for them, whether they really need us or not. Because we know our presence will mean something to them, whether they can see us or not.

Come to think of it, seeing as how you're taking us in for the week, we pretty much regard you as family, too. So we're warning you now: If you're within hugging distance, you're fair game.

Hugging strangers is a proud Who Dat tradition, right up there with crying when we win.

Most sports fans cry when their teams lose. Not us. We've been losing gracefully and with good humor for 43 years. Tragedy and disappointment don't faze us. It's success that makes us go to pieces.

Hurricane Katrina? We got that under control. The Saints in the Super Bowl? SOMEBODY CALL A PARAMEDIC!!!

So anyway, don't let the tears of joy freak you out. We're just ... disoriented.

OK. Let's review:

Order more beer. Throw me something, mister. Suck da heads. Wear da dress. Stand up. Get crunk. Hug it out. Protect your eardrums. Pass the Kleenex. Hoist the trophy.

See you at the victory party.

Faithfully yours,

The Who Dat Nation

Bathroom progress 2 months later:

2010-02-04T12:25:00.002-06:00

WE HAVE CABINETS!!! Our cabinets and counter tops were installed yesterday, and they look GREAT!!! I was a little nervous about the stain color, since the cabinet maker couldn't show me a sample, but he did great! I wanted them a little darker, but they look awesome, so I am happy. They did put the wrong faucet holes in the marble counter, and I am VERY UNHAPPY about this, so stay tuned on that. Next projects are hardware, lighting, and a mirror. I can now see the light at the end of the tunnel!! WOO HOO!! So what do you guys think? Hmmmm?

WHO DAT!!!!! NFC CHAMPS!!!!

2010-01-25T13:19:00.005-06:00

Yesterday was a GOOD DAY!!! My favorite football team of all time, The NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, are NFC CHAMPS and, are heading to the Superbowl for the first time in team history!!!! I can't express to you what this means to me. Here are a few reasons this is so special to me: 1. I have been a Saints fan my ENTIRE life! 2. Most of my life the Saints have has losing seasons, to the point that people wore paper bags on their heads, and they were called the AINTS. 3. My dad worshiped the SAINTS like nothing I have ever seen before, and sadly he passed away last May, before he got to see his beloved NEW ORLEANS SAINTS head to their first Superbowl (I seriously think he has been up there pulling some strings to get them this far). He would have been SO PROUD!! The list could go on and on, but those are the most important. I was so excited last night, that I couldn't help but cry. Yes, I said it, I cried over a football game. My dog was in my lap when they kicked the field goal to win the game, and I may or may not have tossed her around a little. Rick, Lilly, and I all had on our SAINTS gear, and it just made my heart smile. I am so lucky to have found possibly the only true SAINTS fan in Bham, Rick! I AM A HAPPY GIRL!!! WHO DAT!!!! WHO DAT!!! WHO DAT!!! WHO DAT!!! I LOVE YOU NEW ORLEANS SAINTS!!!

Enjoy a few pics from last night celebration:

Congrats Mr & Mrs Kelly!!!!

2010-01-21T21:14:00.005-06:00

Last weekend we had our dear friends Eric and Michelle's wedding, and what a weekend!!! We celebrated Thursday to Saturday, and had to stay in bed all day Sunday completely exhausted. The rehearsal was a fabulous, the wedding was perfect, and the reception was a blast. We couldn't be happier for this couple, we just hope they don't go into hibernation like lots of our other married friends. Here is the happy couple.

My 11th run as a bridesmaid (actually honorary bridesmaid this time, but bridesmaid none the less).
Here is one of our new FABULOUS friends from Baton Rouge, Lauren.
Some new Bham friends, Christie and Shea. Love them!

And some old friends, Kate & Stephen.

It was a fabulous weekend, friends new and old, we are so lucky to have such wonderful people around us. CONGRATS E & M!!!

Yes or NO?

2010-01-20T21:46:00.005-06:00

Tell the truth, what do you guys think of this pain color??? This was just a sample, so it's NOT too late to make a change.

THANKS Aunt Fancy!!!

2010-01-20T13:10:00.005-06:00

Lilly's Aunt Fancy in Hattiesburg sent her/Rick a happy yesterday....a personalized Auburn jersey!!!! We were so excited!!

It fits PERFECT!
Can't you see how excited she is?

THANKS AUNT FANCY!!! We love you and can't wait for you to come see us!!!

Bathroom progress week 4

2010-01-10T20:09:00.004-06:00

Let me start by saying WE ARE SHOWERING!!!! Last Tuesday (23 days into the project), we took our fist showers at home, and I could not be happier!!!! Not to mention that the bathroom LOOKS AMAZING!!! Rick has worked so hard, and it is really starting to show. Rick has tiled the shower and floor, and we have put a primer coat of paint on the walls, and Rick painted the ceiling. Lots of progress this week as you can see. Still a lot of work to go, but the end is definitely in sight.

New shower.

New fixtures.

New floor.

I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEW BATHROOM!!!!

Bathroom progress day 18

2010-01-02T11:32:00.004-06:00

WE HAVE TILE!!! Rick has been working SO hard to get us showering again, and the hard work is starting to show. Like I said before, most of the work up to now has been behind the scenes, but now look...

The shower is tiled, and he is going to grout today!!!
Here is the inset for shampoo, body wash, etc.
And the bottom border tile.

You have NO CLUE how exciting this is to me!!! It looks GREAT!!! I am so impressed by Rick's talents everyday. He is an AMAZING MAN!!! Now it is time for my work, picking a paint color, I need suggestions, and I am thinking something light since it is a pretty small bathroom. I was thinking a light gray, but someone told me that was a cool color and wouldn't go with our tile, what do you think? I am a coold color kind of girl.

Bathroom progress weeks 2-3

2009-12-30T23:12:00.004-06:00

I know these pics aren't very exciting, and don't show much progress, but this is where we are as of today. Rick has had A LOT Of set backs. He worked on the old plumbing for an entire day, only to have to re-do it all! He put up all new sheet rock, and a new ceiling, cement board on the walls around the tub and shower, and did new electrical wiring. None of which look like much, but are all very time consuming. The behind the scenes work is no fun, but as you can see he did start with the first row of tile in the shower (the shower is MY main focus!!!), so now all the hard work Rick is doing will start to show. We are on our 3rd week of not showering at home and WOW it is a challenge. Thank GOD for our friend Katherine letting us bring our shower bag and shower every night. She is a doll for being welcoming. Stay tuned, the next bathroom post will HOPEFULLY show lots of progress.

New ceiling.

First row of tile!!!
New floor.

Crew Christmas Party

2009-12-21T12:08:00.001-06:00

Friday before last we went to Rick's crew's Christmas party. Most of these guys have been friends since they were kids so it is pretty entertaining when they all get together, as you can see from the pics. We had a great time, enjoy the pics.

Bathroom progress Days 1-3:

2009-12-16T20:18:00.005-06:00

Rick started Monday morning with the demo on the bathroom, and here is what it looks like after 3 days:

Yes, that is our basement you can see in the middle of the pic above, floor has a few holes right now.

I am SUPER EXCITED about having a new bathroom!! The down side.....we have NO SHOWER!!!!!!!! SO, we are having to go to friends houses and shower, which is a HUGE pain, especially since it is freezing outside. People told me when we remodeled the kitchen that if a couple can make it through remodeling they can make it through anything. I thought, whatev, that was a breeze! Well, now I see why they say that!! I know it is totally worth it, but this is a real challenge. Updates to come, keep us in your prayers.

Bathroom BEFORE:

2009-12-16T20:08:00.003-06:00

So this is our bathroom, well was our bathroom. Remember the mini makeover I did a few months back? Well, now we have started the REAL MAKEOVER!! So just make note that this is BEFORE, so STAY TUNED!

FREE Christmas cards!

2009-12-04T16:22:00.005-06:00

Ok, so I heard that you could go to Seehere.com and order Christmas cards, put in a promo code and they would be FREE!!! SO, I tried it, and guess what.....IT WORKS!!! The original code I heard about didn't work anymore, but I went to my fav site RetailMeNot and found a new one.
Here's what you do: Go to the site, upload your pics, make your card, put 50 in your cart, and at check out put NEWBABY in as the promo code, BAM! Free Christmas cards. Now, they are not the most fabulous cards ever, but they are in fact FREE. All you have to pay is shipping. My total for 50 cards was $6.47 (I upgraded shipping), what a DEAL!!! Let me know if you do this! ENJOY!!!

Down on the Farm.....

2009-11-30T09:29:00.005-06:00

Saturday before last we went to a wedding shower for one of Rick's best friends, Walker, and my old roommate, Heather, out at the Friedman Farm, and it was a BLAST!

Here is the happy couple...

This is Rick's crew from high school, plus a few extra, and they are all still so close. They are a pretty impressive group.

Rick and the out-of-towners, Matt & Jordan.
I love these girls, Kat, Katherine (Rick's sister), Beth, and me.

Last but not least, my little boyfriend Alex Duffy, playing the drums with Tyler. Alex was just amazed by the drums and SO wanted to be a part of the band. It was the cutest thing ever!

It was a GREAT party, and the couple were all smiles all night. That's what it's all about!

Hair styles by Claire

2009-11-24T19:58:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago we had Scott, Katie and kids over to watch football. Claire likes to "fix" my hair when she comes over, and I love it too! I've been meaning to show you guys the finished style and here it is....

Doesn't she look proud of her work?

What do you think?

Showering Michelle & Eric

2009-11-20T10:30:00.003-06:00

Last Friday, we helped host a wedding shower for our fabulous friends Michelle & Eric, and we had a blast. Everything turned out so nice, and everyone had a great time, especially the happy couple. Here are the pics:

Congrats M & E!! We love you guys!

Coffee table makeover

2009-11-12T22:08:00.005-06:00

Rick's dad built this coffee table over 30 years ago, so it needed a little update. After LOTS of begging, Rick gave me the go ahead to paint it and bring it in to the 21st Century. Here is the transformation:

Base coat

New hardware too! Thoughts?

This little boy knows his presidents!

2009-11-06T16:01:00.001-06:00

I LOVE THIS VIDEO!!!!

The McKibbin's join the BLOG world!!!

2009-11-06T15:51:00.003-06:00

Rick's sister-in-law has started a blog for their family (after a year of debating), and I am so excited!! I have added them to my blog list on the right, or you can check them out by clicking HERE. WELCOME KATIE!!!!

Ole Miss vs Auburn

2009-11-06T14:13:00.002-06:00

Bright and early, Rick & I headed down to Auburn to watch the REBELS play! Our FABULOUS friend Burton had some extra tix so we went with him. Might I say his tix are AWESOME!! I was super pumped, Ole Miss was favored to win, great tix, and good friends. Well, Rick on the other hand, not so excited. He had been so sad about Auburn letting him down the past 3 games, and he said "one of us is going to leave there mad." Whatev! Needless to say half way through the game he was smiling from ear to ear, thrilled that we came to the game, and super pumped about Auburn football again. I on the other hand, was sad about the rebel defeat, but man what an INCREDIBLE game! I was a good sport, I did the Auburn chants during the game and all. Our friends Tom & Rachael (the 3 of us were the only Ole Miss fans in sight), met us at the game. Oh, and THEY GOT ENGAGED 2 days before!!!!

CONGRATS TOM & RACHAEL!!!
Here's the crew.

P.S. Excuse the rain gear, it did in fact rain, but Burton's seats are covered!!!! YAY for BURTON!!

Woodland's Annual Halloween Party

2009-11-06T13:45:00.004-06:00

Last Friday we went to Rick's brother & sister-in-law's neighborhood Halloween Party. Last year Rick was out of town so I went alone, and he was shocked at what an event this is. The entire street goes all out with the decorations, weeks in advance. There are around 75 kids that live on this one street and they are all buddies, and so are the parents, which makes for a pretty fun party. Check out the pics:

Here is the pumpkin carving contest.

Our little family Halloween pic, as usual Lilly is thrilled.
I found all the girls later that night in Rick's niece, Claire's room, costumes no longer intact, playing ever so quietly. So quietly that the mom's sent me up to check on them.

Michelle & Eric came by , but since E is the king of having his eyes shut in pics, he didn't make the cut.

Claire tried to climb "Uncle Rick" at the end of the night, I think she was trying to get him to stay.

It was a fun party, probably more for us than all the parents since all we had to keep up with was little Lilly bears. OH, and Katie made adult punch that was great, well after I talked her into double spiking it. This didn't help me get up at 7am to head to Auburn. Thanks for having us over Woodland!!

Saints UPDATE

2009-10-29T10:03:00.004-05:00

My NEW ORLEANS SAINTS are still UNDEFEATED after a tough battle against Miami last weekend. Final Score SAINTS 46 DOLPHINS 34!

WHO DAT!!!!

Next game: Monday Night Football against the rival Atlanta FALCONS

USM Homecoming

2009-10-29T09:37:00.004-05:00

Last weekend Rick and I headed to Hattiesburg for Southern Miss Homecoming, and WHAT A WEEKEND!! We had a blast! This was Rick's first USM home football game (we went to the Auburn game last year @ AU, and the UAB game this year here in Bham), and at one point he said "You guys actually have a pretty good atmosphere around here." REALLY RICK? I guess he didn't expect much, but was pleasantly surprised. He was also impressed by the stadium, it's no SEC stadium, but pretty nice thanks to all the new additions.

Friday Fancy, Joe, Larkin, Rick, and I went to dinner @ The Brownstone, and it was YUMMY!! Then off to the Bottling Company (a friend of mine from college's bar downtown), and this is what happened...

Fancy & I
Fancy & Joe

Joe, Rick and me @ BOCO, then....

Not really sure what happened here. I guess we found a tractor and the guys got excited. As you can see Joe is posing for a fabulous pic, while Rick is a little more serious as he tries to figure out how to start the tractor!! WOW!! This is what happens when we get together with old college friends. LOVE IT!!!

And Saturday after a morning of recovery, our little weekend family (as Joe called it, he would also call for family meetings, strange, I know), finally made it to the game. I hate that this pic didn't turn out better, it was a gorgeous sky in the background.

It was a PERFECT weekend with PERFECT friends, and USM beat Tulane 43-6!!!

FABULOUS @ 5!!

2009-10-27T17:16:00.005-05:00

My SWEET BABY LILLY turned 5 last Friday!

I am madly in love with this little angel and can't imagine my life without her!!!

I am so happy she is still so FABULOUS at 5!!!

THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

2009-10-20T09:48:00.005-05:00

For those that don't know, I am a HUGE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS FAN!!! I LOVE THEM!!! My dad, brothers, and I have been loyal fans since I can remember. Every Sunday, we all had to sit in the same spot we sat in the week before, if we won. If not, we had to change it up, my dad was very superstitious. We have been there through thick and thin (mostly thin), more losing seasons than I can count, but we never gave up! Well this Sunday, I remembered why I was a SAINTS fan, with our 48-27 victory over the undefeated New York Giants, and New Orleans own Eli Manning (Hotty Toddy). The SAINTS are undefeated after 5 games for the first time since 1993, and for only the 3rd time in franchise history, and I AM SO PROUD!!!!!!! My heart was just full of joy Sunday, and I know my Dad would be on top of the world about his beloved Saints. So, I just wanted to share my excitement with everyone else. WHO DAT!!!!

P.S. In true SAINTS fan form, I know this is only the beginning of the season, and a LOT can change by the end of the season. I AM JUST SO EXCITED FOR THE TIME BEING!!!

New chairs....

2009-10-13T12:14:00.003-05:00

OK, so not really new chairs but re-covered chairs! Every little bit helps. I was so proud of my self, especially since I am NOT crafty at ALL!

BEFORE:

AFTER:
Not the exact fabric I wanted, but it will do for now.

Happy Birthday BR

2009-10-09T11:02:00.003-05:00

Weekend before last we went to BR's birthday party. Here are the pics:

The guys.
Blair & BR

Cheering for the Tigers.

The Woods (minus Davis)

Shower for Katherine & Mac

2009-10-09T10:55:00.003-05:00

Last weekend we helped host a wedding shower for Rick's sister Katherine and her husband at our house. We had a great time, it was a super easy shower, and the Greenes got lots of fabulous gifts.

Rick & Katherine
Heather, Beth, & me.

Mac & Walker

Katherine and all her girlfriends!

Katie & Scott (Rick's oldest brother and his wife). Thanks for all your help Katie!!

Southern Miss vs UAB

2009-10-06T20:24:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday we went to the Southern Miss game here in Bham, and well......we lost. So that's really all I will say about that.

Rick & me
The girls.

Kelly & Erick

We did get to see my sweet friends Chris, Joy, and Macie Rayburn at the game. Above are Joy & Macie.

Baby Sawyer

2009-10-06T20:17:00.003-05:00

So I am WAY behind!! Our friends Courtney & Lindsay had their little boy Sawyer James on Sept 16, 8 lbs 14 oz 21 1/4 inches, and healthy as can be. Rick and I took them dinner shortly after and got to meet the little man, and I wanted to bring him home. He is such a cutie, and I can totally tell he already loves Aunt Candice. Congrats Corley family, we love SJC.