Meghan & Josh in the ATL

Valentines and Picasso

2012-02-16T13:21:00.009-08:00

Valentine's was spectacular! My day started out with these beautiful roses delivered to my office from my dad. After work Josh and I had plans to go to the High Museum of Art to see the From Picasso to Warhol exhibit. It's a bit hard to convince Josh to go to a museum, so I decided to trade roses for a trip to the museum! (I secretly knew my dad gives me roses every year, so I figured these were enough right?!)

You will have to excuse the poor picture quality. I was scared to take my nice camera to an art museum because usually you are not allowed to take pics. I snapped a few with my camera phone, sans flash of course, but it's just not the same.
For those of you who might not recognize the sculptures above, these are from one of my most favorite artists of all time, Constantin Brancusi. My favorite piece here is the "Bird in Space" sculpture in the back on the higher column. It is magnificent! I was probably the most excited about seeing his work and of course there were also a couple pieces of furniture created by Frank Lloyd Wright that I might have drooled over as well.

Picasso is Picasso! Seriously, I don't need to tell you who that is right?

It was fun seeing all the famous Campbell's Soup Warhol creations as well. There were so many of them and I loved looking at each one.

Warhol's self portrait print is pretty spectacular. Love all the bright colors and overlaying of the colors. Very cool to see up close and personal.

This piece entitled "The Dance" by Henry Matisse was much bigger than I expected. I has seen pictures of it before, but it did not prepare me for the actual size. Love, love, love this one.

After the museum, Josh and I grabbed a quick bite at the Haute Doggery! If you are ever craving a "gourmet dog," it's the place to go.

Suddeth Christmas 2011

2012-02-16T13:10:00.006-08:00

After a few nights in Florence, Josh and I made the next trip to Charleston for the Suddeth family Christmas. I guess I was a little tired, because I don't have as many pictures to show for it, but I did manage to get some cute ones of the kids.

Jeddie and his family had just moved so it was fun to celebrate Christmas in the new house. Mom and Granddad made the trip from Columbia, and dad came from Summerville to share in the fun. It's always a great time when we get together and I love watching the kids grow up.

Ripley has grown so much. Above you can see her relaxing while checking out her new Tom's. I personally think she should be in a commercial for them!

Ripley loved Josh and here you can see her relaxing while Josh holds her.

Cokey loves the camera. She might be a model one day and I can start her career! Just kidding, I am so not that good of a photographer, but I will take credit for it if she makes it big. I mean, she is the cutest right?!!

Adelaide was a trip. She loved her new doll and Jeddie is in the background watching his new movie. He was so into it that it was hard to remember to close his mouth. We kept telling him flies were going to get in! Didn't work though.

After the trip to Florence and then the trip to Charleston, Josh and I were exhausted, but it was work every yawn and mile we drove home back to Atlanta to create more memories with both of our families. I look forward to the next time we get to see them all.

Hesley Christmas 2012

2012-02-16T12:54:00.007-08:00

I know it's February 16, and yes, I am just now letting you know how awesome my Christmas was in 2011. Let's just say that I have been a little out of touch, but it's time I refocused and dedicated more time to letting you guys in on all the fun I have been having. (I mean, I do sort of tend to have a great time!)

Ok, let's rewind to Christmas 2011. Here are some pics from Florence, SC with the Hesley family x-mas:

Josh loves his white jeans, maybe he was hoping for a white christmas. I say wear white whenever you want, even if the rule is being broken because it's after Labor Day. Whatever.

Here is Josh's family. From left to right we have Sam, Jack, Linda, Elizabeth and Josh. Pretty cute family! Nilla, Catie, Perry and I were ousted from this pic apparently!

That's ok, we made this picture. Nothing like some fun sister(in-law)ly fun after vino and dinner before Santa comes. The next pic involved picking Nilla up, but I liked this one better!

And of course we can't leave out the life of the party. Catie and Perry make Christmas magical! What adorable little nieces we have. I love them so much.

Decking the Loft

2011-12-03T16:29:00.000-08:00

Tis the season to "deck the halls" or loft as we like to say here in our home. Friday night, like we do every year, we loaded Hunny up and headed to get our Christmas tree. It was a little chilly out, but not too bad, so that was nice. Our first year here in Atlanta we bought our tree from a random temporary tree salesman, but since then we have learned that Lowe's has some pretty reasonably priced and great looking trees. Yes, we take Hunny to Lowe's.

Above you can see Hunny and Josh on their mission to find the perfect tree. The dog loves smelling all the trees and gets tons of attention from the other customers there on a similar Holiday mission.

We finally found the perfect one. Just off the truck and ready to be loaded up on top of the car to be taken home for Hesley Christmas 2011.

There she is, just hanging out, waiting for her arms to settle a bit before she is decorated. She looks lonely and bare, but don't worry, she has a date with decorations the next day.

Complete with lights, decorations, her friend Rudolph by her side, and even a couple of presents to guard until Christmas day. She looks 'purdy' if I must say so myself and the smell of Christmas permeates the loft perfectly.

Even Hunny got into the Christmas spirit and donned her Christmas collar for the day. She particularly likes to nip at the various ornaments around the bottom. I think she is trying to find her favorite Golden Retriever ornaments that look just like her. She found one.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone from our family to yours!

Thanksgiving 2011 in Charleston

2011-11-30T17:35:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was amazing this year. To start the weekend off, Josh and I drove all the way to Summerville Wednesday after work to stay with my dad. We got up Thursday morning and headed to Jeddie and Jessica's for a fun filled day of family, food and cheer.

We got to Charleston just before lunch and Josh said that he wanted to go ahead and give me an early birthday present. I was very excited because if you know me, you know I love presents. Thank goodness Josh gave me my present early because as you will start to see, my pictures are going to be much better and more abundant. Thank you Josh for my new camera!! I am so excited to show you all the pics below that I took.

Isn't Cokey adorable? This is Jeddie and Jessica's second child and she is precious. She is the perfect helper in the kitchen and even became quite the little photographer as I showed her how to use my new camera.

Adelaide is their third child and she has lots of spunk. She pulled me into the bathroom, turned the lights off, and started singing Christmas carols with her illuminated Santa making cool streaks in the darkness. Her favorite is "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer."

Ripley is the fourth child and she can hold her own. She loves to bop up and down to music and shake her little booty! I had not seen her in quite awhile and she has changed so much. I can't wait until Christmas to see her grow up even more.

Mom brought Granddad down to Charleston as well. He spent the night in little Jeddie's room, which Jeddie thought was pretty cool. All the kids call him "Little Grandpa" which I think is just about the cutest thing ever. He sits back and watches the chaos of all of us running around and playing with the kids. I am not sure he can hear all that is going on, but mom gives him the low down later. He is just happy to be there and we are happy to have him as well.

I had to get a quick pic with granddad myself. His is the sweetest and most patient person that I have ever known and I can't imagine a world without him. We are lucky to have him in our lives.

Of course we can't forget about Scout. Had to throw one in of him because he is Hunny's best friend and she would have gotten upset if I didn't!

Here is little Jeddie, Adelaide and big Jeddie chilling and watching some football.

Last year Little Jeddie received all of 'my brother' Jeddie's old Star Wars toys. Here he is playing with one of them as Jessica grabs him for a quick picture.

Cokey and myself enjoying the beautiful weather while the boys do something in the yard.

Pretty sure my dad hasn't had to drag kids on the floor around his ankles in a long time. The girls had the best time as did Dad. It was hilarious.

This is my favorite picture of Dad the whole weekend. I caught him in the best smile while relaxing on the porch.

Here goes Ripley again bouncing up and down to music. That girl has more rhythm than me, but I am certain that isn't very hard.

I jumped out from behind the garage and tested out my new paparazzi style camera. Got a pretty good snapshot if you ask me. I love my new camera to death and can't wait to show off more pictures like this one while catching people quickly and not having them to hold their pose for 3 seconds while the flash prepares and the camera focuses!

And then here is sweet Hunny. I can't believe she is 12 and still pretty active. She has select hearing, but this weekend she had a blast visiting at Dad's house and going on road trips galore.

La Boda de Male y Manuel en Mexico

2011-11-18T08:07:00.001-08:00

This past weekend we went to Merida, Mexico for the wedding of our dear friends Male and Manuel. Male lived with the Mauldin's down the street from me one summer while I was working at Handpicked and Melanie introduced us. We quickly became great friends as did all of my other buddies! When we heard that she was having her wedding in Mexico there was absolutely no hesitation on our part to be there. We have been so excited and 11-11-11 will always be a date to remember.

The picture above was taken the first night we were there at a place called Rosas y Xocolates. It's an amazing boutique hotel in Merida. From let to right is Caroline, Kay, Susannah, me, Manuel, Male, and Josh. We were celebrating the wedding which was the next day and just happy to all be together again.
The ceremony was at a beautiful church in Merida. The doors were open and the breeze was flowing. It was the perfect night for a wedding. My most favorite part of the weddig was when they draped the bride and groom with flowers. Male's dress was gorgeous as well!

As you can see above, the night got pretty crazy. With the reception starting about 10pm, dinner lasting until after midnight, the partying really got started about 12:30am. We kept the time a secret from Susannah and Kay's mom, Carey, and she ended up hanging until 3am. There were props gallore and everyone dressed up and had a blast. Carey, Susannah, and Kay look great in the party attire!

I had to throw in a serious shot of Josh and myself. Josh was such a trouper on this trip. Traveling with 4 women is an ordeal I am sure and he was very patient. Many thanks to him for keeping us in line and on time!

Josh got the sombrero during the reception and I quickly snapped a pic both with the groom and then the bride. You can tell at this point that Manuel is having a blast.

And here is the pretty bride with Josh!

The night ended at about 5am for everyone and the next day was rough to say the least. It was well worth it though. Even getting pulled over by the cops in Cancun the next day and getting duped out of $75 to get my license back was worth it to have witnessed this matrimony. Note to self, only turn around on Mexican streets at the Retorno. Ugh.

Thank you Male and Manuel for including us. We had such a great time and want to do it all over again!

Garnet Trumps Big Orange

2011-11-02T06:51:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I went to Knoxville, TN to follow the Gamecocks, visit my old college friend Mark, and hopefully bring home a win for the Gamecocks. We were successful on all parts and left Sunday with a smile on our faces and the USC car flags still flying!
Knoxville's tailgating scene is pretty fun. The tailgating is all over the campus, unlike ours where you find yourself knee deep in dust or mud depending on the weather. We traveled around and visited several different tailgates, one of which was on the top level of a parking garage right by the stadium. That was sort of weird, but it was fun as well.

In the picture above, from left to right, is our friend Doolan, me, Josh and Mark. We stayed with Mark and he was gracious enough to provide us with 2 tickets. Thank you buddy!

So the Gamecocks are 7-1 and here's hoping we can bring home a few more W's the rest of the season. I sure would like to go to the SEC Championship again!

Facebook Freebies Work

2011-10-27T05:49:00.001-07:00

A couple weeks ago I was checking out Facebook, looking at the daily pictures and reading everyone's status updates, when I noticed a link that someone had shared for a free bottle of L'Occitane lotion. The link said that if the company got 250,000 "likes" that everyone who had clicked to like their page would get a free bottle of lotion. I figured, why not? Well, low and behold, a couple days later I got a voucher via email to find the nearest store location and go pick up my lotion.

I ended up needing some retail therapy yesterday so I headed to Lenox Mall after work. I used my 40% off coupon at Banana Republic, bought some much needed eye shadow from MAC, and then headed to pick up my lotion.

WOW. I love the L'Occitane store. Because I had the voucher, I also got 15% off anything I wanted to buy. I wish I had been more prepared because there were many things I wanted, but they were a little too expensive for a spur of the moment purchase. I got some samples of various items and will probably go back to make a purchase. I seriously want to Anti-Aging Extract. I used it last night and this morning and it's lovely. Smells like lavender too. Yum! Their lavender smells so delicious that I had to buy a little sachet. They say to keep it where you get the most stressed. I am going to keep mine in my desk drawer at work!

Souper Yummy White Bean Chili

2011-10-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

Monday night I got a wild hair, per Josh's request, to cook our favorite White Bean Chili recipe. I got this recipe last Christmas from my friend Emily at her "Around the House" White Elephant Christmas present swap. It was so delicious that I needed the recipe as soon as possible so that I could make it for Josh to enjoy as well. Since there has been the slightest chill in the air this year, it seemed like and appropriate time to ring in chili season!

Above are all the ingredients that go into the soup. Because this is not a food blog, I am not posting the recipe. Should you want it, please comment with your email and I will send it to you. After I finish cooking a meal, my brain shuts down and all measurements and ingredient lists fly out the window.
I do know that you must first saute the onion and garlic, which makes your house smell yummy. While this is cooking, you should be pulling the meat off your rotisserie chicken and shredding it to be used later. I prefer the lemon pepper chicken from the K-Roger, also known as the Kroger.

Next you are going to get your deep pot and pour the chicken broth, spices, one can of beans, green chilis, and the onion and garlic saute together and wait until it boils. Once it boils, dump the chicken in and let it come to a boil again. Turn it down and simmer for 20 minutes. Then add the second can of beans, you must strain and rinse all the beans first. Simmer for 10 more minutes and take deep breaths because the smell is oh so devine by now. While you are in the final 10 minute stretch, mix together 2 cups of light sour cream and 3/4 cup of light cream to be poured in at the last minute.

Once the dinger rings, pour in the cream and serve it up immediately.

Add some oyster crackers for that final touch and enjoy!

Hesley Reunion

2011-10-24T10:00:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I headed to Florence for a Hesley family reunion. As you can see above, I was able to snap a pic of Josh, his brother Sam, and sister Elizabeth. I should have kept my camera phone out all day because I missed getting a picture of everyone else and there were many more Hesley family members there from both SC and NC. The picture above it of Catie, Sam and Nilla's oldest daughter, myself and Buck, her dog. We celebrated Catie's 5th birthday at the reunion so I had to make sure I got a picture with the special guest. She and her sister Perry, who is almost 4, are absolutely adorable and made the weekend that much more fun and full of energy!

I can't wait until Christmas when we will get to see them all again. I wish everyone lived closer together so that we all got to see each other more. Maybe one day!

Last Weekend

2011-10-19T12:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Decatur Beer Festival and for the 2nd year in a row our buddies James, Jessica and Christine came to stay with Josh and me here in Atlanta. This weekend is always a favorite and we have already marked our calendars for next year. The tickets go on sale "some time" in September each year and they always sell out quickly. This year they sold out in 3 hours. It just goes to show how awesome of a time people have and we are sure to attend each year. Below is a picture I snapped just after the event. From left to right, James, Jenn, Josh, Jessica, Jim (that's alot of Js), Christine and Kyle.After the festival concluded at 5pm, we headed to the Republic Social House to enjoy a little rooftop lounging and outdoor football TV watching. The weather was absolutely perfect so it would have been ashamed to go inside somewhere. Once we needed a little change of scenery we went to the Dark Horse and the 10 High for a little Karaoke. Oh yes, I said Karaoke. Both Christine and James sang a song with a full band behind them as we danced and cheered them on. They were both great and got lots of applause.
Our friend Kay was able to meet up with us as well which was awesome. It's always nice to have surprise visits throughout the day to bring life to the party!
All in all it was an amazing weekend and I am so glad our friends came

to Atlanta to party with us. It's always fun to have a little bit of "home" in Atlanta!

Box O' What?

2011-10-19T12:28:00.000-07:00

It's official, this is my one and only brand of water from here on out. Sorry Dasani, Volvic and the occasional Smart Water, there's a new Box in town. Pretty clever invention if you ask me. Not sure what the will come up with next, but if it's Box of Beer then sign me up too!
The picture above is so you can get a better feel for the size of the box. Although the drink holders in your car are round, this one fits perfectly in the void space between my cup holders and the opposite side of my middle console. Genius!

Crab Cake Saturday!

2011-10-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, Josh and I had planned a relaxing day of watching football and cooking up something yummy. We didn't decide what we wanted to cook until early Saturday morning, but we decided on Crab Cakes with Mac and Cheese. No veggies allowed! Actually we sort of forgot about the veggies, but who really cares when it's Saturday right? As you can see above, Josh positioned the prep table right behind the couch so that he could cook and watch football at the same time. This is basically his ideal Saturday and we were both excited about the yummy food to come. After we mixed all the ingredients for the mac and cheese and put the casserole dish in the oven, we started on the crab cakes. We only had 30 minutes until the USC game started so we were completely focused on getting this task done quickly and efficiently. Above is the before picture of what the raw crab cakes looked like just before they became the crisp yumminess that you will see below.

With all the delicious smells permeating the house, Hunny could not help but camp out by all the cooking. As you can see, she is a great assistant cook to Josh. While he was cleaning a few dishes, she took charge and watched the crab cakes and mac and cheese through the oven window. She did a great job because nothing burnt while Josh left her in charge!

And here is the final product. These crab cakes were absolutely wonderful. We made enough for us to even eat them Sunday as well. I chose to put one on a salad for my Sunday meal. I guess I was tying to make up for the lack of vegetables on Saturday. Does that count? Who knows, but the salad was devine.

As for the football part of our Saturday, the Gamecocks lost and we are very sad about it. At least there was some good food to make up for the Gamecocks playing so poorly!

Best Dress Ever

2011-09-30T13:33:00.001-07:00

Ok ok, I never post about clothes, but recently I have decided to focus on the things in my daily life that make me happy. Earlier this week I was a bit stressed out so when I got an email reminder from Anthropologie about their current sale, I couldn't help but stop everything I was doing at work to take a look. I am so glad I did because I found the perfect maxi dress. There is no way I would have paid full price for this because I think that Anthropology is seriously overpriced, but I still have a secret obsession for all of their clothing. Anyways, I made the purchase and a couple days later I am sporting my new dress while writing this post. I may never take it off! I can already invision myself flying to Mexico in this dress in November when we head there for a wedding. Makes me even more happy!

Well that about sums up the end to my work week. Glad it ended on a happy note, now off to the weekend to spend time with friends and hopefully watch the Gamecocks beat those War Eagles!

A-MAZE-ING

2011-09-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

The McLeod Family Farms in McBee, South Carolina, decided honor the South Carolina Gamecocks and their back to back National Baseball Championships through their annual Maze fundraiser. The cooler part of this story is that the McLeod family is actually a die hard Clemson family. They are just proud of their state and if that means honoring the Gamecocks, that's what they will do!

All of the proceeds from this Maze will go to fund some youth baseball fields which they have already donated the land for as well. This seems like a pretty cool fundraiser. Apparently at every corner in the maze there are trivia questions. If you get the answer correct, as most Gamecocks should, then you are pointed in the right direction in the hopes of making it out of the maze quickly. If you answer incorrectly, you are on your own to figure out which way to go. I wish I lived closer to McBee, SC so I could try this out. Not only would it be fun, but it supports our youth and the future National Champions of South Carolina!

It's not the Gamecocks, but it was fun

2011-09-26T09:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Josh and I decided to go to the GA Tech/UNC Football game to check out the college football tailgating scene in Atlanta. Although the game started at noon, and we didn't leave the house until 11:20am, we still had plenty of time to find an awesome parking spot near the stadium, scalp some awesome 4th row, lower level tickets for less than face value, and make it into the game a couple minutes into the 1st Quarter. It was pretty amazing considering we are used to arriving for USC games at least 5 hours before kick off, hoping and praying to find tickets for somewhere in the stadium no matter where it might be, and being lucky enough to jump in someone else's car so we don't have to park somewhere random for $30.
As you can see in the picture above, our seats were great. The game was very sloppy and although the Tarheels fought hard in the end, the Yellow Jackets ended up winning the game. We had some very nice older fans behine us who thought we were great. Josh and I were clearly not in the visitors section as we sat there in our light blue attire. Unlike SEC Fans at big universities, the GA Tech Fans welcomed us to their section and were very nice. They even got to know us as well. Fairly different experience from any other football game I have attended.

I wish I had taken more picture of the stadium. I had an ole'timey feel to it. Very small and probably not a real bad seat in the house. It was also neat to be able to see the Atlanta Skyline in the background. You can see the Bank of America tower in the background of the picture above.

Although the Tarheels were not able to bring home a W, the night ended watching the Carolina Gamecocks bring home yet another! We were happy about that and hope for the same as we play Auburn this weekend. Go Cocks!

12 Going On Annoyed

2011-09-22T07:53:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago while Josh was training in Texas for his new job, my friends The Baxter's had a cookout for Jenn's birthday and for the USC/UGA game. I decided to take Hunny to the party as well because she always gets left out of the fun. When we got there, not many people were there yet and she sniffed around the backyard and played with Curtis, the Baxter's dog. Eventually we let the two pups in the house and they hung out and cooled off. As the party got bigger and more dogs started coming over, I could not find Hunny. I searched everywhere and could not find her. Eventually I heard some friends start laughing and Hunny was spotted hiding in the bushes. I guess she got a little annoyed with all the people and dogs around and was trying to hide herself. As you can see in the picture above, we all thought it was hilarious and took a picture with her.Later she went back to the same spot. I guess she thought she was hidden a little better if she couldn't see us. The pretty flowers that just got planted that morning got crushed by her rear end. Sorry Jenn!

The night was awesome as it always is at The Baxter's and the Gamecocks finally decided that they could beat the Georgia Bulldogs after a 3 hour back and forth game which had the whole house nervous. I was in the minority pulling for the Gamecocks so I had to have a quick cheer and then I was quiet about it the rest of the night. As for Hunny, I put her in one of the bedrooms so she could get away from all the people and get some shut eye. I guess the older she gets, the more she just wants to do her own thing. Good to know!

Edisto Island Here I Come!

2011-08-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

This tree is a mystery, but it always represents the fun to come as we drive down the road slowly approaching Edisto Island, SC. As this long awaited Labor Day Holiday approaches, I can hardly wait to sit in the sand and relax on the beach with some dear friends. I am sure Josh is excited about the beach as well, but let's be honest, it's opening weekend for college football. That is one weekend I know I can never and will never compete with in regards to where my husband will be. You are probably wondering what I am talking about. How can Josh be at the beach when USC is playing in Charlotte? Well everyone, Josh will be waking up bright and early to drive to watch the Gamecocks play in Charlotte. I, on the other hand, will still be relaxing at the beach happy to watch the game on the TV.

Josh and I are hosting a house party with our good friends Jeff, Christine & Garrett Degood, Susannah, James, Mamie & Lucas Biel, Jessica and Mac Lesley, and Jason Barnes. Our furry child Hunny will be attending and is super excited to catch all the crumbs which will be dropped by the kids. Jackpot weekend for her!

I can hardly wait as I sit here contemplating all the fun we are going to have, all the delicious food we are going to eat, and the even more refreshing beverages to consume over great conversation with some highly missed friends. It's going to be a weekend to remember!

Hunny's New Trick

2011-07-06T07:12:00.001-07:00

Ok ok, so this is not Hunny, but wouldn't it be awesome if I could teach her to do this? I found this picture in one of my facebooks friends albums. She did actually see a dog doing this in real life and got a quick pic to document it. That dog must have a wonderful life to be able to kick back and relax!

I swear it's time that I get a new camera. I am dependant on others documenting my life through their cameras, or me taking pics with my IPhone. That generally doesn't happen around the pool so I have no documentation of the awesome pool party we hosted at out house this past Saturday to celebrate July 4th. There was a great turnout of about 15 people and 4 dogs. We grilled out, did some swimming and had a couple cold ones while relaxing in the sun. It's nice to have such great friends here in Atlanta to hang with on the weekends.

We did miss going to the beach, but on Monday it was a nice treat not to have to drive 5.5 hours back from Edisto. Instead Josh and watched HBO on Demand for most of the day. We were complete couch potatoes and we loved every minute of it!

Hopefully I will get better at taking more photos to document our activities. Maybe there is a new camera in my future to help do so!

Shower Remodel is a Go!

2011-06-27T10:38:00.000-07:00

I am almost embarrassed to put the "before" picture of our stand up shower on the Internet. Whoever invented the fiberglass shower insert should be reprimanded for the invention all together. I despise them. If you know me pretty well, you know that there is nothing I like more than sparkling clean surfaces. Each morning before I would shower I would cringe at the thought of having to start one more morning in this dirty old fiberglass shower insert. Yuck! Josh and I decided that we had enough and it was time to replace the insert with tile.

Many thanks to Michael Pool with AAA Tile and Marble for our wonderfully new "sparkling" shower. As you can see in the "after" picture below, we are obviously much happier with our new shower. I love both the subway tile and Josh's parents contribution of the new fancy Kohler shower head and knob. My morning is off to a much brighter start with this remodel. I highly recommend that everyone should rip out all shower inserts and eliminate them from this world. If you would like the contact information for this wonderful contractor please let me know and I will forward you his information. He is very trustworthy and even let Hunny out to use the restroom for me during the day. I am 100% sure I will be using him again next time I decide to make some home improvements.

On the Road to the Championship!

2011-06-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

I am not a big baseball fan, but I am a HUGE Gamecock fan which means the past couple weeks I have been very into baseball. It was pretty awesome to watch the Gamecocks win the school's first ever National Championship in 2010 and I just hope that they can do the same again this year. Based on the way the team is currently looking, they seem to be on the road to the championship once again.

Our first game against Texas A&M started off a little rocky, but then once we tied it up and took charge there was no stopping us. Then we moved on to the #1 ranked UVA team and killed it right from the start. We blew them out of the water and I loved every minute of it! Now I just have to wait for Friday nights game to see what happens and if it's a win we are off to the championship once again. I am so excited that I suppose I will DVR Friday Night Lights and watch my favorite show later. This is way more important.

I hope to be able to post the 2nd annual flying of the Gamecock flag over the state house soon. Just one more day where it surely is great to be a Gamecock in a sea of Clemson fans.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

2011-06-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day to all the wonderful dads out there! If your dad is anything like mine then you are one very lucky child. I can always count on him to listen when I am sad or to get excited when I am as well. I turn to him for advise and it's usually spot on. I can depend on dad to be there when I need him and know that I can call him in the morning on the way to work just to chat. There is no doubt in my mind that he loves his children and that we are the most important thing is his life. I look forward to spending time with him and know that there are more wonderful memories to be had with my dad!

Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

2011-06-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Not sure if you all know what I do as a profession here in Atlanta so let me take a minute to explain. I work for a company called Grant Associates and we are contracted by both Dekalb and Fulton Counties to help individuals who have either applied for or receive government assistance to find a job. We work closely with our clients to assist them with making a resume, refining their interviewing skills, and we even teach them how to dress appropriately for an interview. We have partnered with "Dress for Success" and are able to refer them so that they can receive a couple of professional outfits for potential interviews. It's an amazing program and can be both rewarding for the job seekers as well as my colleagues.

I have been here since November of 2009 and each month I start over with my placement numbers and try to get as many people placed as I possibly can. I create relationships with employers so that they will call me for their staffing needs. I place people in an array of different industries from hospitality, warehouse, administrative, health care and customer service positions. As you can see from the picture above, this month has been extremely good for my candidates and their ability to secure employment. Currently I have 22 people who have been offered a job and I hope to get many more before the months end. Wish me luck!

If you are someone in the Atlanta area looking to hire a new employee I would love to know about the position. Reply to this post and I will contact you immediately. Thanks!

My Buddy..The Mac Attack!

2011-06-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

This is the school picture of Mac Lesley, son of Jessica and Robert Lesley. He is the cutest! Recently he and his mom met us in Edisto with his cousin Salley and Aunt Caroline for a weekend of beach fun. He and Salley had the best time playing in the sand and water. It was fun to watch them experience the beach. Mac started eating sticks which was sort of funny, and he loved to splash water out of the sand buckets. Mac also loves dogs. He runs around the house saying "dog, dog, dog" all day. Oh, and don't lose his dog lovey because boy will you be in trouble. That thing is a life saver from time to time I am sure!

As you can see in the picture above, Mac is a serious dog lover. This is his parent lab Sookie, who may also be one of his best pals! I am sure his mom was excited to find him talking Sookie's ear off in the crate. Maybe one day he will be a dog whisperer. Who knows.. that kid has many talents to share with the world one day.

Hoot, Hoot!

2011-06-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

This baby barn owl fell out of it's nest in my dad's front yard. Dad said it took about two days for the owl to eventually make it's way back up into the nest. First he had to figure out how to make it up to the window sill, then a branch a little further up, and then finally up the tree to the nest. Over the two days that he "flew the coop" the mom owl would bring her baby food.

I have never seen an owl up close and personal like this so I thought it was pretty cool and wanted to share it with you all as well.

Florence for a Wedding

2011-06-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I went back to Florence for a friends wedding. It was awesome to see all of Josh's Florence buddies and his family. Every time we go back to South Carolina I get a little emotional because I miss everyone, but slowly I am starting to consider Georgia my home, even though Gamecocks are few and far between here! I love Atlanta these days and and we have made some great friends here. I can't imagine us moving any time soon!

The Summer of Hunny

2010-09-03T09:35:00.001-07:00

As you can see, Hunny has been quite the beach bum this summer. In her old age she has learned how to relax and just enjoy the beach, instead of running around while chasing every moving object like a crazy dog. We were lucky enough to go to Edisto, SC four times this summer, and of course she tagged along each time. When she saw the bags being packed she would lie down by the luggage just to be sure we wouldn't forget her!

She still enjoys swimming in the ocean and jumps the waves the best that she can. It's hard to watch the waves knock her off balance a little more than they used to, but she just gets up and keeps on having fun. She may have had a little too much fun July 4th, as we all did, because she actually allowed me to put this headband on her. Headbands and hats are not her favorite.Sometimes she gets real lazy and to cool off we bury her in the sand. Of course we bring lots of water for her, but she loves to dig in the sand to cool off, so I figured why not bury her in it. She seemed to enjoy it!

We said goodbye to the beach until next summer a couple of weekends ago when we went with some Atlanta neighbors. I know that when Hunny's feet start moving while she sleeps that she is probably getting excited about her next visit to the ocean.

I'm Back!

2010-09-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I have been really slack about this whole blog thing, but I am back! I am also very excited because the Gamecocks had their season opener last night and won 41-13 over Southern Miss. It started out a little scary, but then the Gamecocks kicked it into high gear and away they went. I am proud of my Gamecocks and can't wait to go to the USC/UGA game and cheer them on in person.

Atlanta's March Blizzard

2009-03-03T19:42:00.001-08:00

It was the strangest thing! Josh and I were going to brunch with our friend Jimmy, who was about to leave to drive back Columbia after his weekend visit, and it was pouring down rain. We we sitting in the restaurant situated on Ponce with large windows and all of a sudden the pouring down rain turned into the thickest snow flakes I have ever seen. It was beautiful. We all just stared out the restaurant windows for awhile in amazement.

Of course after we got back home and Jimmy hit the road to outrun the snow back to Columbia, Josh and I grabbed Hunny and took her outside to play. She loves the snow and tried to eat it all. She especially loved the snow on our back deck. She kept going crazy and making doggie versions of snow angles on her back !

The snow continued to come down until about 5pm and then the stinking sun started making its way back out. It sure was beautiful while it lasted and I am glad we got to play in it!

Adelaide Copeland Suddeth

2009-02-23T10:59:00.000-08:00

She's here! My new niece arrived February 9, 2009 and she is so cute. Her name is Adelaide Copeland Suddeth. Adelaide is a name from my sister-in-laws family and Copeland is my mom's maiden name. I love the combination. It's funny because there is actually an "Adelaide Copeland" on my grandfathers side of the family that no one even knew about until they released the name and my mom and grandfather told us the ironic news.

I still haven't met her, but will get to hold her when Josh and I go to Charleston for the Bridge Run the first weekend in April. (Seems like forever from now.) I can't wait. It has been so hard not to be there because with Jeddie and Cokey I got to hold them immediately after they were born.

Here are some more pictures of Adelaide:

Jeddie and Cokey are so proud of their new sister!

Our 1st Anniversary

2009-02-11T18:58:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's already been a year! What a wonderful year it's been too. Josh and I love Atlanta and although we miss being closer to friends and family, we certainly love the adventure. We have learned things about each other that even 7 years of dating won't reveal. It's been a fabulous year and we look forward to many more.

So for your first anniversary present you are supposed to give each other paper. I think I am being good by getting Josh some nice stationary with his initials on it. I know that he is going to need them for notes after upcoming interviews once his fellowship starts winding down and thought I was being creative. Well apparently my creativity is not up to par with Josh's. I thought for sure he would give me a card or something and that would be his paper gift. Boy was I surprised when I opened up the card he gave me and then he reached in his pocket and pulled out 2 tickets to Cirque du Soleil. I couldn't believe it because I have always wanted to go and never know that he was really listening. I guess he does after all!

Cirque du Soleil was awesome! Better than I even expected. It's like a circus for adults. There were many times throughout the night that I was bent over hysterically laughing at the clowns too. The were great.

When we got home after dinner we ate some of our wedding cake that had been frozen for a year. Much to our surprise it was delicious. We ate is every night for about a week and finally had to throw the rest out. Everyone had told us horror stories of their cake making them sick. Mine didn't make me sick, but it might have added a couple pounds that I am currently running off!

Christmas 2008

2009-02-11T18:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry it's been so long since I last blogged. I think I sort of forgot that I had a blog. I am back on it though. Promise!

So let's back-track to Christmas 2008. Josh and I had a wonderful time seeing all of our family. We were on the road alot. For all you people who live in the same city as your families, but glad and never complain. We went from Atlanta, to Columbia, to Florence, to Charleston, back to Columbia, and the finally to Atlanta once again. Every single day we were on the road going somewhere else. Exhausting is all I have to say. We haven't been anywhere since and don't plan to go anywhere until March.

Hesley Family Christmas: Florence, SC
Josh, Me, Sam, Nilla, Catie, Perry, Elizabeth, Linda and Jack all under one roof! It was a house full of people, and it was so much fun. We don't get to see our nieces much so it was great to spend some quality time with them. They are so cute and are growing up so fast.
Here is a picture of me with Catie (left) and Perry (right).
Suddeth Family Christmas: Charleston, SC
On Christmas Day we packed the car up and headed to Charleston for my brother's house. Santa had already arrived so when we got there we played with all the cool toys that he had brought. Jeddie and Cokey were excited to see us, really just to see Josh! Jeddie always asks for Josh without even saying hello to me. It's pretty funny. Big Jeddie and Jessica were there as well and obviously this Christmas would be the last one with only two kids in the Suddeth clan. Baby #3 was still in the tummy.
Once Grandpa and Baba got to the house we were ready for round 2 of Christmas. Many more exciting toys to play with and food to eat. We were all stuffed by the end of the day. I think we went to be at about 9pm that day. Long, but tons of fun.
The weather was so warm Christmas Day and we were able to play outside alot. Josh had the bright idea of bringing silly string and at first it was not a hit! Once Jeddie and Cokey realized it would not hurt you they loved it. Not sure the parents loved the mess we made. We cleaned though. Good thing they got some kid size brooms for Christmas!!
The big puppy that Grandpa bought Cokey sure did serve it's purpose. It fits three people on the floor comfortably.Little Jeddie loved his train set too. I think he officially has 4 train sets. They are set up all over the place. That boy loves his trains.
Cokey loved her Little Mermaid Barbie Doll that BaBa gave her. She kept playing with her new dollhouse and putting Ariel in it too all while singing the Little Mermaid Theme music. So cute.

Happy Holidays

2008-12-18T19:45:00.000-08:00

So I can't believe that the Holidays are well under way this year. With Christmas parties galore, Josh and I are having a great time celebrating our first holiday season together as a married couple with all our new friends in Atlanta. In just a few short days will be heading to Columbia, Florence, Charleston, back to Columbia and then home again to Atlanta. Wow.....for a girl that hates to travel, that's dedication! It's all worth it though because we don't get to see our families much and our nieces and nephew are growing up so fast.

So all the presents are wrapped and the bags will be packed soon and it's off we go. Let's hope we don't get run over by a reindeer!

Thanksgiving and My 30th Birthday Weekend

2008-12-01T19:24:00.000-08:00

It was awesome! Josh and I went to NYC for the Thanksgiving Holiday and my 30th birthday. I have always wanted to go to the parade so we figured this past weekend was the perfect time to go. We stayed with Haley and Dan and had the best time. You just can't imagine how big the balloons are when you see them on the street. It's incredible! My most favorite balloons were the Smurf and Kermit the Frog. I loved the Sesame Street float too. I was a little obsessed with Big Bird as a kid. I think I might have jumped when I saw that float, but don't tell anyone!

The weather was nicer than we thought it was going to be too. Our toes started to get a little frozen after about an hour and a half of standing in Central Park watching the parade so we decided to walk around and get the blood circulating again. We went to FAO Schwartz and warmed up because it was close. Haley and I got a pick with the real Toy Soldier at the door.

Josh and I got our picture taken in front of some fountain which was covered by some of the first real Christmas trees we saw!

We just had the best time and not only were Haley and Dan superb hosts and very nice to put up with us for so long, but they made my 30th and Josh and my 1st Turkey Day as a married couple one that I will never forget. Thanks guys!

As an added bonus, we also got to see Josh's real good friend Thomas who cooked us a delicious Thanksgiving Dinner. He lives in Brooklyn and showed us all around there. Best coffee and most fun bars were discovered there!

Thanks again Dan, Haley and Thomas. We hope to see you all again very soon!

Candler Park 5K

2008-10-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Candler Park Fall Festival near our house. Josh and I decided that we would run the 5k on Saturday morning with our friend Jimmy who was coming into town as well. I then learned that "well behaved dogs on leashes" were allowed to run in the race. OF COURSE Hunny was then going to participate as well. Below is a picture just before the race. Hunny was all excited and ready to go along with all the other dogs and runners.

And then after about 1.25 miles Hunny decided that she was very tired and sat down. There was no getting her to move! I saw a water fountain for dogs in the distance in the park and convinced her to walk a little further. Here she is enjoying her water.

Finally, after we rested for a few minutes and got passed by all the runners who were on their way to the finish line, we decided to "cheat" and turn around to go back. Luckily the course backtracked so no one really noticed our elimination of the next mile. All in all I was very proud of Hunny. She is 9 years old and she walked about 2.5 miles in 40 minutes. Let's just say that when we found Josh and Jimmy at the finish line she plopped down and didn't move for awhile!

We had a great time and then later that Saturday USC beat up on Kentucky. It was a fabulous weekend when it was all said and done!

Weekend in Augusta, GA

2008-10-06T17:38:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Josh and I went to Augusta, GA for Lucas Weber and Megan Chalker's wedding. Everything was so beautiful and we had the best time. Josh got to see his buddies, which was fun because we don't get to see them often, and I got to eat some wedding cake, which we all know is my favorite!

Another great feature of the wedding weekend is that we got to watch USC finally beat an SEC team. Sorry Rebels! Hopefully this is the beginning of many more wins for the Gamecocks.

Below from left to right are Josh's friends Daniel, Schipp, & Jimmy.

The wedding was at the Sacred Heart Cultural Center which used to be a church. It was really neat because the wedding took place inside and then we had a cocktail hour in the garden area only to then re-enter the building and have the reception totally set up. The inside was beautiful and just perfect. I wish I had gotten some pictures of the alter with about 100 votive candles burning.

And finally Mr. & Mrs. Lucas Weber leave the wedding. She looked beautiful and her dress was very pretty as well. They are off to Europe and I am so jealous!

Needless to say that after all the fun times at the rehearsal dinner and wedding, we were exhausted. My bed never felt so comfy as it did last night when I went to bed!

My Camera Broke :(

2008-09-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so this past weekend Josh and I went to Columbia. I helped Susannah and Reeve host the most fun baby shower for our friends Katherine and Jen. It was so much fun and I wanted to take pictures, but when I tried to I realized that my flash was broken. Thanks Nikon. Needless to say, no photos were taken by me. Hopefully my camera will be fixed soon and I can continue to post some pics of our fun times.

In the meantime you are just going to have to look back on some past events here in Atlanta that Josh and I have enjoyed! We can start of with the German Bier Festival in Woodruff Park. It was a blast. We ran into an old fraternity brother of Josh's as well so that was cool.

Note to self: Always hammer the tap into the keg very hard so that you don't lose too much beer!

The Gipson Team

2008-09-23T12:41:00.000-07:00

The Gipson Team

Just in case you did not know, I am working with the Gipson Team at Keller Williams. Kent & Caroline Gipson are Realtors here in Atlanta and they have hired me to be their Operations Manager. I am in charge of their marketing, listing maintenance, operational systems, database monitoring & many other random things that come up on a daily basis! I love this position and have found the perfect team to work for since leaving Coldwell Banker United in Columbia. Since my arrival, I helped to create the Gipson Team's new logo:
Isn't it great?! Ok well now I have to plug some Real Estate - If you know of anyone moving to or from the Atlanta area please give us a call. My cell number is still local to you Columbians at (803)665-8844, or you can reach me at the office (404)531-3252. We are never too busy for your referrals!

Our Furry Pup Hunny (aka - Bunny)

2008-09-22T17:11:00.000-07:00

After sending out my first blog today, many of you asked for me to post pictures of Hunny. We all know I have tons of pics of my favorite pal, so don't worry. You will see lots of them throughout this blog I am sure!

Hunny is 9 years old and still acts like she is 3. She is getting arthritis so that's a little sad, but thanks to OsteoBiFlex she is as good as new. She likes Atlanta as well because there are many parks around and Atlanta seems to be alot more "doggie friendly" than Columbia. You should check out www.WagALot.com to see where she sometimes goes to doggie day care and where she boards on those tragic weekends when she is not allowed to travel with us to our destination.

Once when we went to Piedmont Park here in Atlanta, she found the one wet puddle and dug a hole in it and made it huge and then got dirty. She was gross and smelled awful and no one would be her stinky self. Here is a pic of that day: (pretty yucky!)

Ok well that's it for today. I am looking forward to this weekend when I go back to Columbia to visit and to host a baby shower for my friend Katherine. I can't believe she is going to be a mom in just over a month. Crazy! Hopefully I will get some good pics to share.

Adios for now..

My First Blog Entry

2008-09-21T15:46:00.000-07:00

So this is my first blog entry. Not sure what I really have to talk about, but I might just ramble for awhile. This weekend Josh and I didn't really do much. He was on call so we took it easy and watched a ton of football, 2 movies, the Ryder Cup, and walked Hunny alot!

We are doing well in Atlanta. I like the city alot, but miss all my friends and family in South Carolina. Hopefully we will get to see all of them soon.

Ok well I am going to sign off, but I will post some pictures next time. Everyone needs to see our baby Hunny! hahaha. She is getting a little white faced and it's cute.

Adios for now.