Wedding Updates

I know it has been a while since I last blogged BUTTTTT...

I have some wedding updates :] exciting right!

Anyway- so today I met with Rose of Sharon florist and had so much fun. Judy and I discussed the different types of flowers that I wanted/what is available for the 'hottest month of the year'. Needless to say as long as the proposal is in my budget I am going to have to choose this company. I really connected with Judy and she 'got a feel' for me not long after we began talking about what I wanted for my wedding (this is important because I have choices ;] ). I will be doing a lot of garden roses in my bouquet because I really really like the peonies but unfortunately I cannot afford them especially since they will not be in season for my wedding.

Other than that I started reserving my rooms at the Club but I need to finish this. At least the room for the day to get ready is blocked off, haha.

I am super excited for this weekend because my maid of honor is coming to Jacksonville and I get to try on my dress for the first time since I ordered it! anddddd... we will be finding and deciding on a bridesmaid dress.

I suppose that is all for my updates but that is exciting in itself.

Have a good night; oh and if you are bored you can check out our website here !

xo Grimmy

Lately

Lately I have been super busy with school work this quarter. I have such a demanding professor with unrealistic expectations for us learners. Further, due to his constant negative feedback, harsh grading, and unfair expectations several learners have filed compliants...guess that'll do for now. I just hope I never get him again!

Anyway, so when I have had a break from school work I haven't been studying for my BCaBA certification exam, oops but I have been crafting since my BFF introduced me to Pinterest (click here) I have found so many craft ideas that I want to try. So in the past two weeks I have made a couple crafts...attempting to de-stress.

The first one was supposed to be a chalkboard; however, I did not sand the wood before I painted and thus the grain is a little different on the sides and it does not wipe entirely clean of the chalk- oh well, it was a fun thought.



Chalk board

The next craft I made last night and finished today. I had seen wreath's on pinterest and thought I would make one for Bobby for football season. So Friday I went up to Michael's and got the crafts for it. Once I made it home I started to work on my project because I did not want to start on the paper I had due. However, while wrapping the wreath I ran out of the ribbon and was 'forced' to stop for the night. After a good six hours of working on my paper I decided to go to Michael's again to get the material I needed to finsh the wreath and that is what I did tonight. Here is how it turned out...

Like I said, I made this for Bobby since he is a Florida State fan. If I made one for myself it would support the Bulls :] I sent him a picture of it and he told me he loved it-although I think it is a little girly but it is homemade and made out of love...so hopefully he will hang it on his front door in South Carolina and upset all the Clemson fans.

I also made a 'white board' and all I did was take a picture frame that I got from Home Goods and put a sheet of scrapbook paper inside. Now I can write on the glass with a dry-erase marker and waste less trees from all the post-its I use !

xo Grimmy

Simple and Perfect

Last Tuesday night Bobby came home before we had to load up and head to West Palm Beach for his cousin Leslie's wedding on Saturday. I am not going to lie- I was really nice having him home and he is actually still here; however, he has to leave tomorrow (boo).

I am so thankful to have him in my life because he does so much for me... one of the highlights of this past week was the tasting event we went to at our Wedding venue (Club Continental). At the event we had the chance to meet more vendors like a florist, cupcake maker (baker), make-up artist, and linens. This was wonderful because I need all of them! But what makes it so great is that they have all pretty much worked with my photographer and wedding planner, score- meaning they all have a good relationship and can trust each other. So at the event we tasted a lot of things and I must say that I do not think we can make a bad choice for what to eat on our wedding day because it was all delish- well minus the pasta but I wasn't planning on having that anyway. The shrimp and grits were Ahh-mazing! Definitely a favorite of both Bobby and I.

It was interesting when talking to the florists because out of the two that were there, one sold me. She was so personable and told me what I needed to hear etc...AND she showed me a new flower- the lily peony; beautiful, big, and it comes in white- just what I am looking for, in-case you wanted to know.

As time keeps progressing I get more excited for my wedding. In fact yesterday, August 7, 2011 = 11 months to go!! I need to start getting on the ball with more things and I will at some point. Thankfully the fall season 'introduces' more colors because I am still looking for the perfect green. I know green is a hard color to wear again but it is what I really want for my girls and it would complete my vision. I just can't help but smile when I think that in a short 11 months I will be marrying my best friend. I wish it was coming sooner but it will be well worth the wait.

Now, I MUST get back to school work-

Until next time,

xo grimmy

Major Decisions

Well- not that it was public information but about a month ago I decided that I needed to move to be with Bobby in SC because I was very unhappy with a) being alone, b) work and, c) money issues. So I had put out my resume to several places- a week went by and nothing. Just as I was debating whether or not to call I had three companies wanting interviews.

Last weekend (the weekend of July 23) I went up and interviewed with two amazing individuals about working as a line therapist at their company. I really loved the one girl- very research-based and she reminded me of my current boss. However, the Tuesday before I left my boss sat down to talk with me (she "heard through the grape-vine that I wasn't happy"). I told her everything and it made me feel so much better. Mostly because she was now aware of things that she hadn't been before and because I actually have a GREAT job. This made it ten times harder for me to leave her company- if that was going to be the case.

After my interviews, Bobby and I made a Pro/Con list to living in SC and FL. Unfortunately it was decided that there were more pros for me in FL than SC- in fact if I moved I would be taking a HUGE pay cut, not something I like to hear. So needless to say- I am in FL and not moving any time soon. I am projected to start my practicum in April, Internship I/II starting in July, residency in October...lots of school stuff and my boss is working with me and I am very thankful.

But Wednesday marks the first day back to school for the kiddos at my school and I am excited to see what the new school year brings including having a desk (even though 4 of us have to share it, it is still nice to "have" a desk).

Just a little update.

xo Grimmy

What has eight legs and builds webs?

Apparently, I have been cursed for the rest of my life to deal with spiders and quite frankly it's getting old. For as long as I can remember I have had horrible experiences with spiders from throwing a huge dictionary on top of one and having it survive, to millions upon millions of babies crawling all over the floor once the momma was smushed, my car being infested with them, and of course to finding at least 3 spiders a day in one apartment I lived at for a year in Tampa. Needless to say this turned me into a paranoid, anxious, obsessive individual about not leaving anything on the floor unless I have too especially pillows, knocking my shoes together before I put them on, shaking my towel before I put it on, watching every part of the walls in my residences, and most importantly my bed.

For a while I was so obsessed about spiders that I spent countless hours on the computer attempting to research them and even went to Barnes and Noble to see if I could find books on spiders. However, I never really got what I was looking for. I can tell you pretty much what kind of spider is what if it is in my house but I do have an issue with thinking that all the baby spiders I come in contact with at baby brown recluses because they seriously look like they have little violin's on their butts which is the main identifying mark on a brown recluse.

Now I will fill you in on my spider adventures over the past week...

So last week, I think it was Monday, I was sitting on the porch talking to my Dad on the phone trying to have him walk me through lighting the grill with the long lighter because our igniter is bad and you have to build up a lot of gas before getting it to turn on which is extremely dangerous. Point of me telling you that is- I gave up because I was too scared to stick the lighter down to the burner and ended up cooking my chicken on the stove. Once dinner was finally finished I sat down on the couch- my normal eating place when Bobby isn't home- to eat dinner. A little while later I was finished and watching TV and procrastinating from doing school work when I felt something on my neck, and it felt really strange. My first thought was a spider but I didn't feel anything when I had grabbed my neck immediately after I felt it. But I saw that my braid was on my shoulder and turned in towards my neck and I was like that's weird but I guess it was my hair. At this point I turn off the TV and start reading for school when I felt something on the back of my arm and when I looked it was a....you guessed it, a SPIDER ! So I quickly brush it off and it falls on the couch- I do not succeed in killing it but got it off the couch and decided to sit on the chase lounge for the rest of the night.

The next night, I am in the same position on the couch (after having check it- of course). I am in the middle of eating dinner and I mean actually putting the fork to my mouth when I felt something run down the back of my arm again! It was the freaking SPIDER! So I slap my arm and then swipe it in all hopes to kill it and get it away...this time I can't find it. So I clean up and go do school work for the night. Later on I had got up from the den to get some water when I noticed a dark spot on the carpet next to the coat closet and I said to myself "There isn't a stain there" and I walked closer to it and of course another spider! This time is was a good quarter size... probably a house spider but it looked like a Hobo spider-YUCK! I grab my shoe and smush it to pieces in the carpet and carry on with my school work.

When I returned from SC this weekend I was prepared to kill spiders since when I was gone the weekend before I had so many to kill; however, definitely did not think I would find what I did...

So within the past month I have been finding small black beetles in my house and would dispose of them via the toilet; however, I had been noticing the past couple days in a row that in the same spot in the bathroom I would be picking up beetles everyday. When I got a piece of tissue and picked them up I noticed that they were covered in white stuff and I thought to myself "That looks like something a spider would do to its prey" but didn't think anything of it until today when I had thrown a beetle away this morning before work and when I got home there was another one in the same spot with the same white stuff on it. So I got a little compact mirror out and look under the edge of the bathroom cabinet... and sure enough a freaking spider. Now I'm freaking out and my anxiety is kicking in, telling myself "Oh, I bet it's a brown widow". Once I talked to both Bobby and my Dad- I developed a POA (Plan of Attack) which involved Lysol with Bleach (what I always use to kill creepy crawlers) and a wire coat hanger because I did not want to be close to that horrible creature. So I sprayed the ledge a few times and watched it with my mirror- it was on the run! So I sprayed it again and it had came down on it's silk trying to get away from the toxic substance I put on it! And then I used the coat hanger to get it where I could step on it to kill it. Let me just tell you it was a mess but it was finally dead.

After I cleaned up my mess I proceeded to take the compact mirror and look under everything else for signs of more widow's...thankfully I found no others but since this early evening I have been stressing out about spiders and constantly looking for them to the point that it is again becoming obsessive. It just creeps me out because who knows how long it had been there, where it was traveling to at night, if it was on my bed with me, if it could have bit me or Trip, or what else could have happened. I mean I usually stand in that same spot when I do my make-up and get ready in the a.m. Now everything I feel I think can be a spider and it's making things really hard. Hopefully the pest control company comes this week because them spraying will make me feel better in deterring the spiders even though it most likely won't kill them since they do not crawl on their bellies like most other bugs (i.e. roaches).

That's all- I am open to suggestions! Good night !

xo Grimmy

Life

I am very excited for this weekend coming up- mainly because I get to see my Best Friend, Megan, but also because I get to go to Tampa. Since, I moved to Jacksonville last summer I have only had the chance to get down there once, that's right, once. I'm not proud to say that since I should be a better friend and get down there more often but school really does consume my life! When school is in session you can rarely find me doing anything but sitting on my butt in front of my computer for 6+ hours a night (which I have done since yesterday and school started back up Monday). But a while back I decided to pick a random weekend and go to Tampa and I am still holding to it. One of the main reasons why I was going to Tampa was so that Tom my other best friend could meet Bobby and then Megan was moving so it is also going to be me seeing her new place too! So Booby and I had been planning on going down to Tampa for some time now, however, Bobby told me yesterday that there might be a chance that he would be called into work this weekend to do port security in Savannah, GA. This equalled me not being a happy camper, guess I need to get use to the military controlling him :[ but I am trying not to let it get me down too much because I really am looking forward to having a good time and going to a few places that I miss so much!

One place I would like to stop is the Wooden Door click here. My old roommate and I (when we actually liked each other) would come to this watering-hole quite often after work or on Friday nights since it was a mile away from our apartment. It is a fun little Irish Pub- where everyone can know your name it you want it that way. We would also party here before heading to the next bar over The Green Iguana here for live music.

Another place I would like to visit in South Tampa- The Dubliner and maybe MacDintons- depending on how busy it is (but probably not). Oh I can't forget we gotta eat some pizza too (tradition). Speaking of pizza traditions, when Megan and I lived in the sorority house together I always remember her wanting to order pizza after going out :] and I like pizza and all but it wasn't something I could eat everyday but little did I know that I would fall in love with pizza, haha. Talking about pizza makes me miss Marco's Pizza- the best pizza ever! So fresh!

I would also love to go to Bobalouies or Pete's Place (South Tampa) Karaoke bar...both have great people watching opportunities. Lastly, I would like to stop by Tia's Tex-Mex where I worked for a hot 3 years serving Tampa's finest Tex-Mex with lots of great people (this is a must!).

But most of all I just want to spend time with my best friend! So it doesn't really matter what we do this weekend, as long as I am in good company :]

Please do not think I am an alcoholic by any means from my posts- I normally do not drink very often because of..... you guessed it! SCHOOL WORK! But I do like to have a good time when I can.

xo Grimmy

It's about that time...

To get back to school work and work. I have definitely enjoyed my two week vacation from work and my three week break from my Masters program but it is that time again, to go, "back to school". When I was younger I couldn't wait to back to school- I honestly LOVED going back to school shopping! I loved getting new clothes, shoes, pencils, markers, etc. However, since I have been working my but off in graduate school I can never recover from my short three week breaks. It doesn't help that for the past nine months I have been taking courses through FIT to be able to sit for certification exam to be a BCaBA (Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst). Thankfully, I have passed all three courses require and now just need to study my but off for the exam in September. Another thing I have decided to do for the summer quarter is to take one course at Capella- Child and Adolescent Counseling; which I am super excited for since I want to specialize in working with children. Taking one course is going to aid me in giving me the extra time to study for the certification exam so I can hopefully pass and start earning more money than I am getting now.

However, I am a little nervous- as always, with the beginning of the new course because the workload seems to be a lot, not that I can't handle it because I have juggled way more. I just let my anxiety get the best of me. But like I said I am excited for the course to begin minus the coursework, haha. Then in October I have my second residency in Jacksonville which is also exciting but nerve-wrecking at the same time since we have to put all the skills we have 'learned' to use in role plays etc. Guess it's just another day in the life of a graduate student...December 2012 can't come soon enough.

xo Grimmy

WDW a.k.a Wedding Day Workout Commences

So back in September 2010 I started dieting and did really well for myself losing 30lbs by February 2011. Then in March my friend Dana and I joined the YMCA and were going regularly until Spring Break (I work in a school so I still get to enjoy Spring Break). For Spring Break I spend the week in Charleston with Bobby and Dana-which was great besides eating, eating, and eating. Then there was drinking, drinking, and more drinking. Needless to say since Spring Break I have not been dieting, watching what I eat, or exercising regularly and I have put 10lbs back on. This does not make me feel good about myself especially since I have to fit into a size 8 wedding dress...yes I said size 8. This still amazes me because I have never fit into a size 8 dress before but it is nice besides when I have been dress shopping for weddings and casual dresses I am a lot smaller than what I would normal have had to wear. But since the wedding is a year away I need to get back into gear and diet and exercise to look great for Bobby!

Day 1:

Ate pretty well, better than what I have been doing and exercised- I did 1.25 mile on the elliptical and worked on my arms. Drank lots of water and took vitamins.

Day 2:

Again, did pretty well with my eating right! Yay me! I also did 50 minutes of cardio and 1.94 mile on the elliptical.

So basically, I am counting my calories and doing low carbs with a lot of water to stay hydrated. Hopefully, I can keep this up. I need to be in good shape for my wedding day :] Wish me luck.

On a side note, I am watching Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta -Bridesmaids edition and it is crazy, these girls want their bridesmaids to spend 500 + on their dang dress! INSANE! (Girls I WILL NOT do this to you). Some girls just torture their friends because they feel like they can for their wedding, not nice. Thankfully, all the weddings that I have been in, I have been lucky to have wonderful brides, who were NOT BRIDEZILLAS.

xo Grimmy

365 days

Yesterday marked an official year until Bobby and I's wedding in Jacksonville Florida at Club Continental! ( found here )The both of us couldn't be more excited that it is finally close enough to "count down" too. Granted, it was my choice to wait this long to get married but I wanted to make sure it was right and that him and I could live together before getting married. With that I have been engaged since April 15, 2010... The most difficult part about waiting so long besides not being on his insurance (military insurance=good insurance) is that some of my friends who had got engaged well after me are already married or are getting married this summer. Don't get me wrong I am very happy for my friends who are getting married, it's just that I want to have my special day too and I kick myself in the but sometimes for waiting as long as I did but it's for the best. I would much rather have a long engagement than get married super quick and risk having a divorce in a couple years.

While on the subject of divorce...I chose to have a long engagement because I grew up with fighting parents, who eventually got divorced but ever since I was little I told myself that I would not get divorced, and that once I was married I was married for good, so I really want to hold to those words. Thankfully, Bobby and I have his parents as an example since they have been together thirty-nine years this November but the point is that they are still together and still love each other and that is what I want and what I want my children to grow up having. I have so many horror stories about my parents fighting when I was younger and their divorce took such a toll on my younger brother that I knew it was nothing I wanted. Granted I am still learning to pick and choose my battles and to not get mad/upset at the little things because it sparks the stupid little fights; however, I definitely take after my mother, on a side not I really try not to be like her. I must admit that I am very thankful to have found Bobby (thanks to Jessica) because he puts up with me when I am happy, sad, drunk, silly, and mad. He is definitely a great guy and I couldn't be anymore lucky to have him.

So with our wedding being 365 days away...I was checking out my theknot.com page and seeing what else needs to be done.

As of right now I have the following checked off my list:

• Wedding colors (Navy and Lime)
• My wedding dress!
• Wedding budget
• Wedding date (7/7/12)
• Photographer
• DJ
• Venue
• Guest list
• Ideas for center pieces- like mason jars, old books, lace dollies, flowers etc.
• A wedding planner =no stress for me!
• Photo booth
• Candy bar
• My bridal party and Bobby's
• Megan- Maid of Honor
• Tara
• Jessica
• Danielle
• Laura

Although I feel like this is a lot I still have much more to-do. Thankfully, I have an amazing Maid of Honor who is constantly sending me things! I love her. But I desperately need to find cute bridesmaid dresses for my girls, I really really want them to be the apple green/lime and under $200.00 but this is difficult. My whole reason behind the girls wearing the green was to have the boys in navy suits but if this can't be done I am going to have the girls in navy dresses and the boys in like a heather gray suit, wish me luck!

I am also so happy that I have a wedding planner, Adair Currie, she amazing and is so much fun! So bubbly, helpful, and cheap (look here). I feel the same way about my photographer, Taylor DeMaio (and here). Oh and my DJ is pretty awesome too, haha, all of this makes me excited :] One thing I have learned is to use the vendors who are just starting out because it saves you a TON of money which is what I need since we will still be footing most of the bill even with my Dad contributing to the wedding, Hey that's life isn't it. I'm sure I could make it cheaper but I like nice things and a certain someone who will remain nameless, [cough, cough, Bobby Harrold] likes to get drunk and tell more people that they are invited to the wedding. It'll turn out alright because they said like 20% don't even show up, which will help with the cost.

My next steps are to find a florist, decide on a bridesmaid dress, fit into mine that comes in, in September!, decide on STD's (Save the Dates) and invitations, and finally decide on center pieces... we'll see how that goes :]

xo Grimmy

Rummi Bears

In my last post I mentioned that Bobby and I made rummi bears and I thought I would let all know how to do the same :]

It's very simple:

You need:
Gummi Bears (3 packs- depending on how much you want to make)
Rum (your choice but FYI Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum is totally amazing with it!) OR Vodka
Container

Take the gummi bears and pour them into the plastic/tupperware container and then pour the rum over the gummi bears until it is just covering them. Then stick it in the fridge- it takes a while for the gummi bears to soak up the rum so make sure you start this a good 3 days before!

You can also take a look at this article if you want: http://www.examiner.com/cocktails-in-seattle/rummy-bears-is-not-a-typo

There ya go! Have fun and good luck!

xo grimmy

4th O' July

This year we celebrated the fourth of July in Charleston, South Carolina and it was simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

We woke up bright and early in the morning to get things ready for a day on the boat. We had got most of the stuff ready the night before but Tish and Jeremy were picking us up at 8am. So we got up and both Bobby and I put on our American bathing suits, which we purchased from Walmart. I am usually against Walmart but what other place can you get random things like 4th of July bathing suits. Bobby's was the traditional American flag and mine had peace signs with American flags inside of them.

We finally arrive to Chris's house and get everything on the boat and prepare to meet up with the other 5 people that were going to be on our boat, making it a grand total of 14 people on our boat. Everyone finally gets to the boat ramp and Chris and Steven bring their boats and we head out towards this little island, called Capers. On our ride out to Capers Island, Jeremy finds the 2 little travel liquor bottles and Tish and I decided that it was a great idea to take vodka shots at 10 in the morning, NOT! It was sooo rough. We continue to booze it up before we get to Capers Island; however, Tish and I ended up breaking the seal and caused us to slow down so we could idle in the water.

Once we make it to the Island, the boys start blowing up this huge fifteen-person raft, the drinks start flowing, and everyone is having a great time. Time was flying by... at one point I was so shocked that it was 12:30 in the afternoon. A little later the big raft was finally blown-up and us girls piled on and we were passed the rummi bears (which Bobby and I made with Parrot Bay Pineapple Rum- so delish!) and someone passes the DUDE vodka bottle around and we started taking shots from the bottle. The next thing I know- I'm wasted sitting on the boat, thinking to myself I need to get on land and chill out for a little and I get off the boat and go sit on a log for god knows how long and Bobby comes to sit with me. Apparently during this time I missed a lot of events, like young girls trying to bum shots off group and Tish making one of the girls kick a ball but she missed and fell flat on her ass. Well I finally get hot enough that I go sit in the water with Bobby and at this point I am not drinking anymore- well only drinking water.

The crew decides that it is time to go and we all load up and head on back to the boat ramp. At this point, like it always is on the water in the evening in SC, the seas are 2 to 3 feet and it's windy out. So the party boat we are on can only go so fast; however, with all the waves we are getting SOAKED! Every breath I went to take I had a huge splash of water in my face, I am pretty sure that I drank a couple gallons of salt water. We finally make it back to the boat ramp and head back to Chris's to find out that Bobby had to work at 6:30pm, well it was closer to 7:00pm. So we hitched a ride back in Chris's Echo with Wally and Lacy.

Once home, Bobby left for work and Dana and I got to-go from On the Border, which was so good. It reminds me so much of Tia's Tex-Mex in Tampa, FL. Overall, this was the best 4th that I have had in a long time. My family never had a boating tradition on the 4th of July, mostly because we never had anything but a Jon boat for Bass fishin'. The typical Grimm family tradition was to head out to a local park that had a lake and we would sit out there play with glow sticks, play the games that were set up, and watch the fireworks, which I always thought was wonderful. However, fun family holiday's ended when my parent's got divorced. I can't wait to have a family to start traditions with! Maybe by that time Bobby and I will have our own boat and can go boating all the time (I can wish, can't I).

As I stated previously, this was a great 4th O' July, definitely one for the books!

Love Grimmy

What is in a blog name?

Last night when I decided to follow in my BFF's footsteps and start a blog I spent a good 45 minutes on the phone with Bobby trying to think of ideas. My first thought was to make it a nautical themed because Bobby is in the Coast Guard and I wanted to blog about my life...and since he is such a big part of my life I wanted to make a reference to it.

With that I began to research blog name ideas...many websites stated that the name should be readable, prounceable, spellable, memorable, concise, and unique as well as evokes or describes what is represents; again coming back to Bobby and I's life together.

So with Bobby's help we thought of like twenty-plus blog names/titles what-ever you want to call it. The names were all nautical; however, a lot of them centered around Sparrows and knots. The knot names were definitely more simple than the sparrow in the fact that the sparrow has so many different meanings depending on the individual. Thus, I did not want to use a sparrow reference and have people think that I was referencing death by any means. Some other sparrow meanings are 'findind your true love', 'keeping evil away', and 'safe journey's for sailors'. Although the meaning that I was going for was more nautical in that traditionally sparrows seen in the open ocean gave the sailors hope for land etc. (I can't find a good source to cite this from) but any who I ended up deciding against the sparrow term and as always went with one of Bobby's ideas, that being Pink Sails & Blue Anchors.

I decided on the color pink because it has always been my favorite color and is typically seen as a girl color and blue for a boy and then kept the nautical theme going with the sails and anchors. Just a little FYI the Coast Guard does have sailboats.

Coast Guard Cutter Eagle, San Francisco, CA (2008)

Bobby doesn't work on a sailboat- he works on a 25 foot Response Boat Small (RBS). This boat definitely is a small boat when you have 4 or 5 guys on it at a time...

25 foot RBS

Back to the original story...I decided on Pink Sails & Blue Anchors to share stories about my life, planning our wedding, work, and living long distance from my best friend/fiance, Bobby. Hopefully, ya'll do not think that the name I decided on is too lame and that it is actually a good representation of my life as a future Coastie wife....365 days in fact!

I hope you all enjoy my blogs since I am just getting started and am not sure about the official etiquette with blogging.

Love Grimmy

Happy Birthday to ME

   So this past weekend I celebrated my 25th birthday, yes, the B-I-G two-five. However, I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my fiance, Dana, and other amazing individuals in Charleston, South Carolina.

   The weekend consisted of lots of adult beverages, putt-putt, boating, laughs, corn-hole, and sushi...I honestly couldn't have asked for a better birthday. In fact, this was actually the first birthday that was fun and exciting and I have never been able to experience an amazing birthday before.

   Friday started off with a quick trip to the pool with Bobby and then we went in to pack and get ready to head to South Carolina; however, we had to make some stops to pick up my new sunglasses at Gander Mountain, once we finally got on the road we made decent time and waited for Dana to arrive. Once she made it to SC we went to Mellow Mushroom for some pizza. After pizza we played a couple of games of corn-hole in which I was able to realize why I stopped playing the game...because I SUCK!

   The next morning we woke up and started the morning off with mimosas and then headed to the pool. A little inside information about where Bobby is currently living: He is in the Coast Guard and is in a Title 10 thingy and thus lives in Charleston,SC in a very prestigious Country Club with an awesome gulf course. Anywho, when you go to the pool you  must  sign-in and include a member ID and pay $3.00 for each guest. Tish, Bobby, Dana, and I arrive at the pool and sign-in and head to a back corner and more guests start arriving...everything is fine and dandy. We are enjoying some cold beverages, listening to music, and having a great time. Tish was providing 'splash' entertainment and doing various jumps into the pool and we ever made friends with a little boy and took him off his mother's hands for a while... the little boy Colton, was developmentally disabled, which is not an issue since I work with children with disabilities for a career. This little boy was a TRIP... his attention-seeking behavior got the best of some of my friends and he proceeded to knock over Chris's drinks, throw sunglasses in the pool, and throw the ball at everyone when they were not looking. After a while, we decided that he 'liked' Dana and boy were we right! Colton started to put the moves on Dana, first by touching her inner thigh, attempting to kiss her chest, and finally straddled her and humped her! It was hilarious!

   After he was finally collected by his mother the other boys began to arrive at the pool, however, as always, they had to make a grand enterance and hop the fence versus walking in through the gate...calling attention to us. Needless to say, the old lady who was manding the gate came over to us and said "What's in that cooler?", Joe's reply was "Diet Cola, Ma'am" (mind you we have empty beer cans around us and I am struggling to hide the liquor that was just handed to me. She says "Okay" and heads back. Not even 5 minutes later this mean looking old man came over to us and began talking to the guys trying to make them pay the $3.00 for the guests and what-not. The end decision was made for us to stay but the majority of the group was ready for lunch and unhappy with the clouds rolling in so we decided to leave. But just as the boys had to make a grand enterance they had to leave the same way and hopped the fence yet again. Thus, causing one of the old people on duty to blow their whistle and call attention to us again! All I could hear was members making comments and us looking like we got kicked outta the pool.

  After we left the pool we ate a snack before going home to get ready for the nights birthday festivities. We gathered back at Bobby's to ride together to downtown Charleston and since Chris was on-duty he was our DD for the night. For dinner we ate at Tsuanmi and it was just as good as the first time I ate there 4 years ago. Once we all ate we headed to Wet Willies for a "Call A Cab" and listened to a horrible band. After we finished our drinks we walked over to Mad River Bar & Grille, which is "located in the Old Seaman's Chapel on Market Street, Mad River's high vaulted ceilings, original stained glass windows and overall aesthetics provide the perfect setting for friends and family to kick back and enjoy everything Charleston has to offer"(http://www.madrivercharleston.com/about.php). We managed to hang here all night! It was so much fun, we took lots of shots, my favorite Patron Silver, of-course, and danced the night away. There are definitely way to many candid photos on cameras out there from this weekend but it was a heck of a good time!



If you look close enough you can see the vaulted ceilings.



   As I stated before, this birthday was definitely amazing and one for the books! I love and appreciate all of those who made it special by celebrating with me and wishing me a Happy Birthday.

More to come on the weekend....