Let's see....Christmas was nice. I love tree-shopping with Brandon's family. We go to Jack's Tree Farm every year and all pick out our own trees. Unfortunately, this year's tree didn't hold up quite as long as in the previous
years; I actually took it down BEFORE New Years which doesn't usually happen.
My mom was surprised with a puppy for her birthday this year..a tiny little Maltese named Cody. My stepsister breeds and raises them so she gifted one to mom in honor of the big 5-0! Cody is now an adorable part of our family who is spoiled rotten!
I realize I am going all out of order here...it all seems so long ago!In November, my little Madelyn turned 3! She's 3 years old already..I cant believe it! This also means we have owned our house for three years as well. (I was finalizing the contract documents while sitting in the waiting room of the hospital as she was being born!) While I didn't get to attend her birthday party, I did visit her shortly after to see her perform in her first Christmas play!
At some point towards the end of 2009, Brandon and I went camping on our own. We're used to joining my parents when they go, which means they're there to cook for us, provide anything we may have forgotten, etc. 
This time we loaded up our car AND our two 70+lb dogs, and headed off! We had a perfect site that connected to a trail through the woods, which was perfect for Rupert and Tonka. Unfortunately, it ended up raining almost the entire time we were there. Luckily, our tent is huge and we had cable hook-ups, so it really wasn't that bad. The weather is beginning to warm up again now, so maybe we'll be able to start planning another trip soon!In January, I won tickets through a local radio station for a concert being played here in Athens. The performance was by Elliott Yamin, a former American Idol contestant. While I wouldn't consider myself a 'fan', I do like a few of his songs that have made it to the radio. Since I had never been a concert before though, I was super excited!
We spent the evening at a wonderful venue called the Melting Point, where we had dinner and enjoyed the show. More than anything, I think Brandon and I loved the building! It has all of the old, industrial type charm that we love; exposed brick walls, huge windows, duct work showing, etc. It was an excellent date night; something we really needed and enjoyed! (the music was actually really good, too!)Perhaps the best news from the month of January is that we FINALLY finished our kitchen floors! Our house was basically new construction when we purchased it, but the floors were a very basic, vinyl sheet tile. So, when one of the naughty dogs (puppy age) caused a little tear in it, we were eager to tear it up and replace it. We bounced around all kinds of ideas- lay slate tile, stain the concrete, install hardwoods, etc- and ended up just putting it off for a year or more. We finally decided to just lay an 'upgraded' laminate tile for now..if we decide to upgrade again for selling purposes, at least it wont be damaged at all. It's so nice to not look at plain ol' concrete anymore!
Moving on to February...
For the past two years, we have taken a cruise in February as our 'annual vacation'. This year we decided to use our funds a little differently and pay off a few things, so we forfeited our trip. It was a hard decision because we have had SO MUCH FUN on our cruises, but it made the most sense. Instead, we took a last minute trip to Greenville, SC during Super Bowl weekend. We visited Greenville about a year
ago and were surprised at how much we loved it! There's a great 'downtown' area with a park, rushing river, suspension bridge, and all kinds of shopping/eating/etc. We woke up one more and just decided - Lets go! - so we headed off. We ended up getting a beautiful hotel room RIGHT on the river, overlooking my FAVORITE building ever! When we were last in town, they were having an event in this old brick, open air building, right on the river. It was all lit up and had gorgeous archways..I fell in love! On this trip, we actually were able to go inside and absorb all of the old character- we both talked about how perfect it would be to get married there!
I did a little research on the building, named the Wyche Pavilion, and learned it used to be part of the Dukes Mayo factory.
It's now owned by a restaurant next door, Larkins on the River, and is rented out for special events. There's a super cute little amphitheater, waterfall, and patio area too...again, the PERFECT place!
While we were in Greenville, we went to a placed called Color Clay Cafe. Years ago, when we would visit Myrtle Beach on a regular basis, we would make a point to go to Wired and Fired, a 'paint your own pottery' place. Since we haven't been back, I was beyond ready to paint some pottery! This place in Greenville is like a little coffee shop, bakery, and pottery place all in one. We both chose to paint dog bowls; one for Rupert and one for Tonka. After we leave, they fire them and glaze them, then ship them to us. It's always so fun to see the before and after because the colors looks so different!
The dogs love eating out of them and seem to know which one is theirs!
After much anticipation, Athens GA finally got snow this year!! While the predictions varied from "flurries" to "possible 4 inches of snow", we all knew it was coming. The schools closed early and we all went home to play. Luckily this year the power stayed on!
Thanks to a coworker, I have been introduced to the world of coupons. During the past few weeks, I have been buying the paper, consulting blogs/websites, and printing coupons online. We dont spend a lot of money on groceries as it is (since neither of us really cook), but it has been nice to get $75 worth of stuff for $8. Believe it or not, you dont have to put in a lot of time..there are experts online who do all the hard work for you! My pantry is stocked and I have been able to build up supplies of things you always need at some point; deodrant, toothpaste, Lysol, etc. Here's a pic from one of my recent shopping trips (total spent, $8.72):
I think that just about sums up my past few months. I have every intention of updating on a more frequent basis! Here are a few random pictures, just for fun!
After much anticipation, Athens GA finally got snow this year!! While the predictions varied from "flurries" to "possible 4 inches of snow", we all knew it was coming. The schools closed early and we all went home to play. Luckily this year the power stayed on!
Thanks to a coworker, I have been introduced to the world of coupons. During the past few weeks, I have been buying the paper, consulting blogs/websites, and printing coupons online. We dont spend a lot of money on groceries as it is (since neither of us really cook), but it has been nice to get $75 worth of stuff for $8. Believe it or not, you dont have to put in a lot of time..there are experts online who do all the hard work for you! My pantry is stocked and I have been able to build up supplies of things you always need at some point; deodrant, toothpaste, Lysol, etc. Here's a pic from one of my recent shopping trips (total spent, $8.72):
I think that just about sums up my past few months. I have every intention of updating on a more frequent basis! Here are a few random pictures, just for fun!
