Weekend Fun!

Hello lovely blog friends!  I hope your weekend was just as slendid as mine...here is a wrap-up...bullet point style.

• I made my beau this yummy dinner:

Source: formamas.blogspot.com via Melissa on Pinterest

• I watched this movie:

I was actually pleasantly surprised...pretty funny!

• I ran in the Titans 5K with these fun friends:

I was pretty proud of my time...36:54!  I haven't ran a 5K under a 12 minute mile in quite sometime!

• I had a delicious breakfast with my fun runner friends after the race!  We ate at 417 Union, which is one of my fav breakfast joints downtown!
• I worked in our kitchen a little...we are ALMOST finished unpacking and consolidating and organizing that room of the house. 
• I also got to finally open this fun wedding gift:

• I went to a lake cabin with some awesome girls for Stacy's bachelorette party where I wore this fun new dress:

I love you Target!

• I worked a little.  =(
• I relaxed with my beau and my Zeau.
• I went to the Chinese buffet with Patrick...yes, it's ridiculously embarassing, but it's my blog, so I will admit what I want.  =)

All-in-all, it was a great weekend!  Can't wait until the next one...because it's a 3 DAY weekend!  Have a great Monday folks!

Weekend Updates

These last 2 weekends have been sooooooo nice and relaxing...and I must say...I NEEDED it!!!!!  I feel like life has been breezing by me lately because of all the catch up I've been playing after tax season, and it was sooooo nice to just put away the "to do list" and enjoy life!

Two Fridays ago, we attended a surprise birthday party for our friend, Amber, who turned the big 3-0!  She swears she suspected something before this happened, but we almost ruined the surprise when we pulled up at the same time as the guest of honor!  Oops!  Darn traffic!!!!!

Saturday morning I was up bright and early for the Country Music Half Marathon...I headed to meet up with my co-workers and we were off to the start line.  

Once I found my corral, I settled in for the LOOONG wait to actually start the race.  Thank goodness I had Laura and Sarah to keep me company.

Finally, the race began and I started running at a pretty good pace.  I was doing my run/walking pretty well, but it was HOT!  I think the race went pretty well for me...I didn't have nearly as much knee pain as I did last year, I ran/walked the first 10 miles, walked the next 2.5 and ran the last .6 miles of the race, which is way better than I did last year.  Also, despite the heat, I actually FELT good at the finish line, which is wayyyyy better than last year.  The only thing that wasn't better than last year was my time...I finished the race in 3:02:51, which is almost 2 minutes slower than 2011's race.  I was a little disappointed in that, until I heard of SO many people who had ran 10-15 minutes slower than their previous year's time.

Before I go any further and show pics of the fun event, I MUST give a huge shout out to my sweet, sweet beau.  Not only did he meet me at 2 different stops and the finish line, he also kept up with the camera and took lots of pictures, made a sign to show his support, and had plenty of water and Gu waiting for me each time he saw me.  AND, he did all of this while toting sweet Zoey around, too!  He's such a good fiance and always supports me in everything I do!  I'm a lucky girl!

I also have to give a shout out to 2 of my co-workers, Sandy and Leslie!  They always run the CMM every year, but this year they decided to do the Flying Pig Half Marathon in Cincinnati the next weekend, so instead of running this year, they rode their bikes all over town to cheer all of us that work together on throughout the race!  It was so nice of them to do that!

Me with my beau at Mile 5.5!

My cute sign!

Me as I was crossing the finish line!

Me with my metal after the race!

A close-up of the metal!

After the race, I indulged in some yummy Chinese buffet and then I spent the rest of the afternoon taking a nap!  Later that evening, Patrick and I headed to a Couples Stock the Bar party for our friends, Anna Lea and Wes who are getting married in June.  It was a fun night, and I paid for it the next morning!

We still managed to get out of bed in time for church, then we went to lunch at Sloco, then we went back home to relax some more before kickball!  We won our 3rd kickball game in a row and then followed that up with dinner at M. L. Rose with the team!

This weekend actually started on Wednesday for me!  We loaded up the car, said goodbye to our sweet doggy (who we knew was in good hands with our friend, Laura) and headed out on our Southeastern United States tour.  Our first stop:  Knoxville to stay the night with my parents and to get to visit with Sweet Kennedy and her mama, Andi.  I knew that she looked like the sweetest baby on the planet, but now after meeting her, I'm sure of it!  Such a sweet girl...she was awake most of the time we were there and we had a great time holding her!

Since we were already in North Knoxville, we decided to head over to Litton's for a yummy burger!

That evening, all of my family piled in the car and headed to Columbia, SC to spend the night, so we would be there bright and early to celebrate my sister's graduation!  More to come on that later in the week, but I have to say:  WAY TO GO LAURA!!!!!

After lunch with the fam on Friday, Patrick and I said our goodbyes and headed off toward Atlanta, GA.  We stayed downtown at the Hilton Atlanta, and after checking into our hotel, we headed to the nearest Trader Joe's and stocked up on wine for the wedding!

Who knew the trunk of this car could hold so much wine?!?!?!?!

Next we had dinner at a yummy Mexican restaurant and then called it a night.  Saturday morning, we headed to Ikea, which was pretty much the most amazing thing EVER!  I had never been and now I can't wait to go back!  Before heading out of town, we stopped at a really good whole in the wall restuarant called Heirloom Market BBQ that was so good...

No trip is complete with Patrick unless we try out some local BBQ!

Our lunchtime spread!

On our way back to Nashville, we decided it would be fun to have some people over to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.  So, that's exactly what we did...we had tacos, chips and salsa, Corona, and Margaritas!  The perfect fun relaxing night with friends!

Sunday was a day of relaxation and pool time...and THEN, we lost our first kickball game of the season...we were playing the only other team in the league that was 3-0 and despite the fact that they beat us, it was a very close game and I think we have a pretty good chance against them if we see them again in the playoffs!

After kickball, we wrapped up the weekend with a cookout at Alysia and Ed's house...

Again, I am so fortunate for such nice weekends lately...here's hoping they continue!

A Tax Season Worth of Weekend Updates

Most weekends during tax season aren't nearly exciting enough to justify their own update.  However, because I also keep this blog as a diary, I've decided to go back and share the highlights of what's been up with me for the last few months...

February 24, 2012 -- The highlight of this weekend was my photography class!  It was super fun and I intend to share a full post soon!

March 2, 2012 -- This weekend included a visit from my sweet, sweet sister, and she cooked me the BEST fried chicken I have ever tasted!  It was so yummy!  I also had dinner with Kathleen and Lindy at one of my favorite restaurants, Blue Coast Burrito!

March 9, 2012 -- This was an extra special weekend because it was my Beau's birthday...unfortunately, he was sick the entire time, but that didn't stop us from going out to dinner at a Brazilian Steakhouse on Friday night and celebrating with friends on Saturday.  Here are a few pics of the birthday celebration:

Patrick having a drink with Jeffers and Jack!

Me with the Birthday Boy!

No Birthday celebration is complete with out Crazy Dave!

Patrick and Mickey...doing their best "I'm so important" impression!

March 16, 2012 -- This was the weekend of my beau's Bachelor Party weekend in Las Vegas!  Therefore, I spent the weekend having dinner with 2 of my favorites, Anna Catherine and Kathleen, and also spending a little TLC in the knitting store.  Sidenote, if you haven't been to Bliss Yarns in Brentwood and you like to knit then you need to head there immediately!  It is amazing and the staff are GREAT!

Oh, one final thing that was wonderful about this weekend...Sweet Kennedy was born on March 16, 2012 at 12:50 pm weighing 8 lbs 9.8 oz.  Some of you may remember my friend, Andi who was pregnant, well, she got to deliver the most beautiful baby just 1 day after her due date.  I can't wait to meet Kennedy in just 1 short week!  Here's a pic of the beautiful girl!

March 23, 2012 -- This was an amazing weekend, despite the fact that it was full of work...what made it so amazing was 2 things:  the massage Patrick bought me and the cookout Alysia and Ed had for us!  YUMMY!

March 30, 2012 -- This was definitely the best weekend of all of tax season!  On Friday night, I actually got to leave work at 5 and got my hair did!  It felt so great to have a little pick me up so close to the end.  Saturday, I only worked a few hours and then my mom and I went shopping for her MOB dress!  More to come on that soon, too!  Patrick and rounded out the weekend with dinner and drinks with Mickey and Kathleen on Saturday night and a trip to the dog park on Sunday.

April 6, 2012 -- Easter Weekend!  Although I was initially kinda sad that I couldn't go home for Easter, it ended up being a wonderful day!  Patrick and I went to church for a wonderful service, then we came home, cooked lunch, and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  Early afternoon, we headed over to Mickey's parent's house to celebrate Easter with their family and it was SO nice!  They are so welcoming to everyone that comes to their house and since Patrick has been celebrating Easter with them for the last 10 years or more, they treat us just like the rest of the family!  Such a wonderful day!

April 13, 2012 -- Ah, so close...the last weekend of tax season...unfortunately, that means nothing but work for Melissa...however, I did manage to sneak in a little bit of fun.  I ran a 15K on Saturday morning - The Moosic City Dairy Dash.  And I did it in 1:53:53...not to shabby all things considered!  I also somehow talked my beau into going to see The Hunger Games Saturday night.  I liked it, but not NEARLY as much as the book and quite frankly, I think it would be really hard to understand if you hadn't read the book.  Sunday, after working most of the day, my kickball team had their season opener...and we won 16-1!  Woohoo!

So, that's what I've been up to lately!  Stay tuned for this past weekend's update...it was definitely more hectic than the ones mentioned above!

Weekend Updates!

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you all had a great one!  Yes, I have a big "2011 In Review" post to share and I also have to talk about all things "resolution," but first, let me tell you what the last couple of weekends has held for me:

Since I took off the Thursday and Friday before Christmas, I decided to go ahead and make the trip to Knoxville on Thursday evening.  It was a rough one, as Zoey got car sick twice...but we finally got there and the fun weekend could officially begin.  Friday was spent shopping with my mom (so much fun!) and then I got to have dinner with Ken and Elaine that night!  It was great getting to hang out with them and enjoy some time together!

Saturday morning started out being plain lazy, but I quickly decided I needed to get busy making my famous red velvet cake for the evening's festivities.  Oh, and we also made time for a photoshoot or 2 in front of the Christmas tree:

That night, all of my mom's family came over for our traditional Christmas dinner.  I love spending this time with them every year...we simply don't get to spend enough time together.  After everyone headed home, my family opened gifts.  Let me say...Zoey must have been a VERY good girl this year...because she has enough chew toys to last her all of 2012! =)  Next up, we headed to the midnight candlelight service at church.

Sunday morning (aka Christmas) started out with a regular church service (yes, we had lots of church time this weekend) and then we headed home to eat leftovers, take naps, play with all of our new toys, and just spend time together.

After relaxing most of the day on Monday, it was time for Zoey and I to head back to Nashville (this trip went much better with no "episodes") and get ready for work on Tuesday.

This past weekend also started on Thursday, and most of the day on Thursday and Friday were spent running wedding related errands, but I did manage to have a girls' night with friends one night and to catch a movie (War Horse) with my beau the other night.

On Saturday morning, I ran in the Resolution Run and had a time of 38:38...not my best, but I did finish, right?  And what better way to start off 2012?  Since Patrick and I didn't have any definite plans for New Year's we decided at the last minute to head to Zanie's that night.  We had a great time and then came home and made a nice dinner.  We had every intention of ringing in the new year with Sweet Zoey, but turns out, we both fell asleep and slept right through it...does this make us old?  I do believe so.  We did manage to capture the evening on film before we crashed and dreamt 2011 away.

Patrick is showing off his crabcakes...they were yummy!

I love taking photos with Sweet Zoey!

Our last family picture of 2011!

Zoey with her favorite person!

Sunday was a very relaxing day of just hanging out around the house all day, and today was spent running more wedding errands and getting ready to head back to work on Tuesday.

The last 2 weekends have been EXCELLENT, and I am sooooooo dreading heading back to work tomorrow.  Hopefully, I can have a good attitude about it and just be thankful that I have a good job!  Hope you all had as great of a holiday as I did!

A Halloween Weekend Update!

Even though I only had to work 2 days last week, it's always nice to see a Friday evening arrive!  Because we were out of town, we were a little behind in planning our Halloween costumes.  Fortunately though, yours truly came up with an excellent couples costume, but it was going to take some craftiness on our parts.  After running around town finding all the necessary materials, and having a quick dinner at Chili's to watch the last game of the World Series (Go Cards!), it was time to head home and get to work on our costumes!  After a couple of stressful moments, we were ready for the party on Saturday night!

The costume making is underway!

Saturday morning, I was up early to run in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.  AND...I am SUPER excited to report that I ran the entire thing!!!!!  No, I didn't do it particularly fast...37:13...but the point is that I did it, and I didn't stop!  I was so proud at the end, I had tears in my eyes!

After coming home and cleaning up, Patrick and I headed out to check out some potential reception venues.  I won't go into any further details, but can I just say that weddings are expensive!!!!  I mean, REAL expensive!  I knew they were very pricey because I've had many friends get married in the last few years, but it doesn't really hit home until you see the dollar signs yourself.  I'm sure we'll get it all under control, but in the meantime, this girls' a little overwhelmed!  I'll definitely report back with more details when I have them.  =)

Saturday night was time for Fred and Wilma Flintstone to leave Bedrock and make their way to Nashville:

We headed to our friend Dobber and Nicole's Annual Halloween Party, and had a great time...It was kinda a bummer that the host and hostess had the exact same costume idea as us, but it made for an excellent photo op:

Let me tell you...red hair spray is a TERRIBLE idea!  Poor Patrick has red residue all over his bathroom!

Sunday was a day of relaxation, but we did manage to make the drive up to Hendersonville to use a Groupon we had bought for Shuckle's Corn Maze!  We had a great time, and both decided this trip was much more relaxing now than it will be in 5 years when there will be kids in the picture.  =)

Patrick in the Corn Maze!

See those kids hunched down in the background?  Yeah, those kids scared me just as this pic was being snapped..hence the funny look on my face!  =)

Hanging out with the Scarecrow!

On the Hay Ride!

And even though I know that Monday is not still the weekend, I had to share some pics of Sweet Zoey on Halloween.  Isn't she adorable?

Hope everyone's weeks are wonderful!

Weekend Update!

Hello to my lovely readers!  I hope you had as fantastic a weekend as I did!

Friday night, my beau and I packed up the car, ran by doggie daycare to pick up Zoey, and headed out on our way to Knoxville!  Despite our constant battles with car sickness, Sweet Zoey did great on her first road trip.  Not sure if it was the fact that she was exhausted from playing with all the other doggies all day or the fact that we slipped her some Benadryl into a Mickey D's ice cream cone, but she slept most of the way and handled it perfectly.  Patrick MAY have been "Driving Mrs. Daisy" most of the way because I had to sit with her in the back seat, but whatever it takes, right?  =)

She looks THRILLED to be having her picture taken, doesn't she?

Hiding her eyes...she just couldn't watch!  =)

On Saturday, my mom and I were up early and headed over to the high school track for me to run a couple of miles and her to walk.  Next the entire family (well, minus my sister...we missed you, Laura) headed out to lunch at this really yummy diner called Scott's, where Patrick ordered the biggest burger they have:  The Big LC Burger!  It was 1 pound of ground beef!  OMG!

After running a few errands and sleeping off the big lunch, Patrick and I headed out to Blount County for our friend, Zach's 30th Birthday Celebration.  It was supposed to be a lake party, with the boats out and everything.  Well, Mother Nature had other plans for us, so instead we watched the football game (Go Vols!), played a little cornhole, and ate lots of BBQ.  It was a great time and I think Zach really enjoyed his B-Day!

Sunday was church with the fam, a lunch cookout at my parent's house, a little swimming, a little cornhole, a little homemade ice cream, and a little relaxation.  We even got Zoey in the pool to see if she'd like it.  She did great, but was a little scared...I have a feeling that if we took her swimming all the time, she'd be a waterlog!

Relaxing after a yummy lunch!

Patrick wants Zoey to jump...just joking!

Here's a video showing off Zoey's swimming skills!  (Please excuse all the talking in the background...we were having technical difficulties.)

She'll definitely be heading back to the grandparents soon!  At the end of the day, this is the way I found her:

She was one pooped little doggie!

After a short visit with Rob and Andi, we were on our way back to Nashville!  This morning I was up BRIGHT and EARLY to run in the Franklin Classic 5K...I almost got back in bed after taking one look at all the rain outside, but I decided that if I paid to do the race, then I needed to suck it up...therefore, I got in the car and drove through the rainy, rainy weather and ran in another 5K.  I did okay in this one...37:07, but I'm hoping that my time will improve even more now that I'm actually running more than 1-2 times per week again.  I'm also glad I did it because amazingly the rain slowed down A LOT right before the race started!

The rest of the day, Patrick and I took full advantage of the rainy day by relaxing, napping and watching movies.  In the mid afternoon, we decided to head out and see a movie, and guess what my beau took me to see:  The Help!  I was soooooooo excited, and of course, I loved it!  

Now, I'm just relaxing in bed and trying not to dread this week too much!  Work is going to be CRAZY, with the September 15 deadline coming up!  Hope all of you have wonderful weeks!

Weekend Update!

So, once again, I've been a terrible blogger this week.  I am so amazed by how overwhelming my life can be sometimes.  I love staying busy but at the same time, I wish I could have a little time to just breathe.  For some reason I am constantly tired these days and never seem to be able to catch up on my rest.  Anywho, despite being busy, busy, busy, I was actually able to get some rest last weekend...

Friday night, I just hung out with Ms. Zoey.  Saturday morning, I was up bright and early to run in the Tomato 5K in East Nashville.  I have never ran in this race, but have heard only great things about it!  Therefore, Alacia and I decided to give it a shot:

It was a really fun race, but man was it hilly!  I didn't think the hills would ever end!  My time wasn't the greatest at 38:49, but I haven't really been training like I should, so I didn't beat myself up about it too much!

After taking quick showers and relaxing for a few minutes, Alacia and I headed back down to East Nashville with the boys and Hannah for the Tomato Arts Festival.  This event is always so much fun, and dog friendly, too.  Zoey was pretty happy to be spending the day with her mom and dad...despite the fact that she got kinda car sick on the way there...  =(  Poor girl...I don't think she'll ever get used to riding in the car.  Here are a few pics from the day:

Hannah was quite the Rock Star in her sunglasses and tutu!

We had to get a picture with the dog!

This is typical attire at Tomato Fest.  =)

Me and Sweet Zoey!

Patrick made me take a pic with this sign because of my obsession with ketchup!

Me and my beau!

Since all of us were completely exhausted, we headed home and took a nap in the early afternoon.  Then Patrick and I decided to head to a new sushi restaurant near my house for dinner and to watch the first Titans game.  The sushi was delicious and the game was also good with the Titans pulling out a victory!

Sunday was a pretty relaxing day with a lot of laying around and a little bit of pool time...oh, and we won 2 kickball games...no big deal.

I promise not to wait another week before posting THIS weekend's update.  Hope you all have a great week!