2011 in Review -- Part I!

2011 was an extremely blessed year for me!  Not only did I get engaged to my best friend, but we also got a new doggy, and I watched as some friends celebrated some great milestones!  Here is a look at 2011 from the eyes of Melrose:

January was spent soaking up the last little bit of time before work got really busy and took over my life.

I rang in the New Year with great friends at a party hosted by Patrick!

I ran in my first 5K (the Resolution Run) on New Year's Day with Mickey and Kathleen!

 During our trip to Louisville, KY, we spent some time doing all of the following:

Playing and being silly in the snow...

...trying to stay warm by riding around town in the free trolley...

...visiting the Louisville Slugger museum...

...having a nice dinner at the Brown Hotel...

...and (my favorite) visiting Churchill Downs!

I also ran with Alysia in her first 5K (the Zoo Run Run)! 

We pretended to be kids again and went to the circus!

 

And at the end of January, I finally ordered new bedroom furniture!

Once February started, my life was pretty much all about survivial for the next 3 months.  I did manage to still fit in some fun though:

We watched as Baby Hannah turned 1 (and isn't such a baby anymore).

I had a wonderful Valentine's dinner homemade by my beau!

I went on a date to the Nashville Dinner Theatre.

I threw Patrick a surprise Birthday party.

I went bowling with Patrick, Alysia and Ed.

And I ran in my first 10K - The Purity Moosic City Dairy Dash

Immediately after busy season ended, I took a few days off and had a little fun:

My beau and I spent a weekday afternoon at the Nashville Zoo!

I went to the Iron Fork with the lovely ladies from my Dinner Club!

And I celebrated Easter with my family (this very rarely happens because Easter is usually BEFORE April 15).

Soon, things got back to normal and the rest of April and first part of May looked like this:

I ran/walked my first half marathon (and my family was in town to catch all the action).

I celebrated my birthday at a fun but rainy Steeplechase!

I (along with Anna Catherine, Andrea, and Jennifer) threw Kathleen and Mickey a couples' wedding shower!

Next up, mine and Patrick's fabulous trip across the pond!  We experienced so many things in just such a few short days, including all of the following:

We watched our first sunset from our cruiseship!

We visited Monaco and took in the views!

We visited the Monte-Carlo Casino.

We got all dressed up for dinner!

We helped hold up the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

We had a delicious Italian dinner in Florence.

We made a wish in the Trevi Fountain...hmm, maybe this was foreshadowing of things to come later in the year.  =)

We saw the Pantheon.

And Vatican City...

And the Sistine Chapel.

And the Coliseum.

We also met some very nice people at dinner!

Had Sangria by the sea (this led to a summer long addiction on my part)  =)

And we visited Park Guell in Barcelona.

Even though we were sad that our trip was over, we also had a very busy June coming up...here's all that June held this year:

Kathleen and I watched our friend, Anne, make the Titans Cheerleading squad! 

We got a DOG!!!!!  Sweet Zoey became a huge part of our life!!!!!

We met Baby Connor and hung out with his mama Stacy K.

I helped Stacy M. have one last fun night before becoming a married lady..

I also had fun with Kathleen during her final days as Miss Condon!

And, finally, I danced the night away with my favorite dance partner at the NJC Gala.

The first half of 2011 was such a wonderful year!  However, stay tuned early next week because the second half only got better!  =)

#9 -- DONE!!!!!

This girl is the proud owner of her very own iPad!  Thanks to my parents, Patrick, my brother, and sister, I was able to get this bad boy for Christmas and I LOVE it!  It is my new addiction and toy and I couldn't be happier with it!  I'm still learning all the bells and whistles, but I'm sure I'll figure it out over time.

So happy to mark one more thing off my 101 Things list!  WOOHOO!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Hello Bloggy friends!  I can't believe it's Wednesday already!  I spent all day yesterday thinking it was Monday, so even though I was bummed out to be back at work, at least the week is going by quickly!  Here's what I'm loving on this wonderful Wednesday:

1.  That this Friday is dinner with 2 of my BFFs:  Kathleen and Anna Catherine!  Since we all are accountants (and no, we don't sit around talking about taxes and 10-keys), we all pretty much have no life for the next 3 months (give or take a few weeks), so we always get together this time of year for one last gossip session, and I can't wait!  Since I can't find a recent picture of the 3 of us, here are a couple of recent ones of me with each lady:

Me with Kathleen at her wedding last summer!

One of my all-time favorite pics of AC and me...I really have no idea what (or who) we were talking about , but it's so US!

2.  That this weekend Patrick and I are having our engagement pictures made!  Exciting times!!!!!  What's equally as exciting is that the high on Saturday is going to be 58!!!!  No more of these below freezing temperatures while I stand outside trying NOT to look cold!  Now, let's just keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain!

3.  That this is only a 4 day work week!  I know, I said it above, but I'm just THAT excited!!!!!  I can't wait until Friday at 5:00 to get this fun weekend started!!!!!

4.  That my mom MAY have found a MOB dress for my wedding today...she was shopping with my sister and Laura texted me a pic of the potential dress...so pretty!  It just screams my mama!

5.  And finally, I'm always loving these 2:

Head on over to Jamie's blog and tell us what you are loving today!

Resolutions Are All the Rage!

'Tis the season to make resolutions and to reflect on the ones you may or may not have kept from 2011.  Last night I took a look at my  2011 New Year's Resolution post and decided that even though I was pretty ambitious (with SIX resolutions), I actually did quite well for myself.  Here's a look at where last year's resolutions stand:

1.  Complete 36 items on my 101 in 1,001 list.  Okay, so I came up a little short on this one, having completed only 16 of these tasks.  However, at least I didn't give up on it completely and since I revised the list in December, I think I'll get back on track in 2012.

2.  Lose 10...maybe 15 pounds and keep it off the remainder of the year.  Well, I know that I lost 15 pounds this year...and yes, I may have gained SOME of it back...however, not nearly as much as I have in year's past.  In fact, the last time I weighed myself in 2011, I was only .8 pounds away from having kept 10 of those 15 pounds off...I consider that a success!  =)

3.  Run in six 5Ks during 2011.  I actually ran 7 5Ks this year:  Resolution Run (January), Zoo Run Run (January), 4th of July 5K (July), Tomato 5K (August), Franklin Classic 5K (September), Race for the Cure (October), Resolution Run (December).

4.  Run/Walk a Half Marathon This Year.  Done and Done!

5.  Simplify My Life!  While I don't feel I really figured this one out until December this year, I actually think I have a pretty good handle on this one.  =)  We'll see how long that lasts!

6.  Be More Positive.  While I feel this is a constant work in process, I'm still trucking along, and hope I'm in a better place now than I was a year ago.

Now, for the 2012 resolutions...I'm going to try to keep them a little simpler this year.  I've only done 3, but I think they will be the best resolutions for me to continue on my quest for a happy life!  So, without further adu...

1.  Exercise at least 3 times per week.  This sounds easy enough, but even though I am in much better shape than I was a year and a half ago, I've never really been consistent enough.  I do realize there will be some weeks that I just can't live up to this; however, I'm not giving up...I REALLY hope to become a more consistent exerciser.  =)

2.  Blog every week day that I go to work!  I love blogging and even though I have really slacked off lately, I have missed it like crazy!  I feel that blogging is a great way for me to express myself in a positive way.  However, since I haven't really been able to fit it into my life enough lately, I have decided that I need to figure out how I can still keep it up...my solution to this problem?  Get up an hour early before work on week days. This means that I won't make an obligation for myself on vacation days/holidays/weekends.  However, hopefully, I can make this a habit and really get back into one of my favorite hobbies!

3.  Get to my goal weight and stay within 3 pounds all year.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know what you are thinking...if I had just done this last year, it wouldn't still need to be on my list.  WELL, it is and there's nothing I can do about that...except work on it continually throughout the year and do my best to make sure it stays OFF my 2013 Resolution list.  =)

That's pretty much it!  What are some of your 2012 resolutions?  Do you tend to keep them or do they end up being pipe dreams?

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!

Project 365 - Weeks 35 & 36

Sunday, December 18, 2011 -- Homemade Dog Treats

Monday, December 19, 2011 -- My First Us Weekly Issue Arrives!

Tuesday, December 20, 2011 -- Christmas Present from My Beau!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011  -- Relaxing with my iPad!

Thursday, December 22, 2011 -- Andi's Baby Shower Invitations Arrive!

Friday, December 23, 2011 -- New Outfit Purchased Today!

Saturday, December 24, 2011 -- Laura and Zoey are Excited about Christmas!

Sunday, December 25, 2011 -- Tired and Missing Her Daddy!

Monday, December 26, 2011 -- Homemade Meal with Random Pantry Items

Tuesday, December 27, 2011 -- Best Korean Tacos EVER!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011 -- Wedding Cake Tasting!

Thursday, December 29, 2011 -- Our Beer at Girls' Night!

Friday, December 30, 2011 -- Finally Setting Up My New Printer!

Saturday, December 31, 2011 -- Ringing in the New Year with my Little Family!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

On this so-close-to-Christmas Wednesday, I'm loving:

1.  That Christmas is T-minus 4 days!!!!!  Such a fun, relaxing day to spend with my closest family...and this year my doggy, too!  I'm kinda bummed that my beau won't be with me over the weekend, but because after this Christmas many things are going to change, we decided to take this year to enjoy the family traditions each of us have always had with our respective families.  I will definitely miss him, but we celebrated in our own way last night...which is what brings me to the next thing I'm loving!


2.  Driving around to look at Christmas lights!  Last night, after celebrating Christmas with Zoey and Patrick, we headed out for one of our annual Christmas traditions and set out on a mission to check out all the cool Nashville Christmas lights.  Here are a few picks of some cool ones we saw:

Of course, they all looked way better in person, but this gives you an idea

Here is my all time favorite!  The music was tuned to a radio station, and was synced with the lights.  Please excuse the cars driving by and the conversations going on between Patrick and me:


3.  My new iPad!  Since Patrick and I exchanged gifts before heading home for Christmas, and since Patrick and my parents all went in together on my gift this year, I got to open my iPad last night, and I must say...IT. IS. AWESOME!  I love it and I just started using it!  If anyone has any suggestions for some good apps, please let me know!

4.  That I am driving to East TN a day early this weekend for my mom and I to run some errands...one of which is to look for Mother of the Bride dresses for the wedding!  I can't wait to see what my beautiful mother picks out!  I'm sure she will look stunning on my wedding day!  =)

5.  As always, I'm loving these two:

#99 -- DONE!!!!!

Even though I got a new phone over a month ago, I couldn't let it go without updating my 101 Things list!  I honestly forgot I had this item on my list until I revised it a few days ago.  So, here ya go...a pic of my new, fabulous iPhone!

This Otterbox is amazing, BTW!

Weekend Update!

When you hear how not crazy exciting this past weekend was, you will think I'm crazy, but this weekend was one of the best I've had in a long time!  As I get older, (yes, I know 31 isn't old, but it feels soooooooo old sometimes) I realize that a good weekend is one where I don't wake up exhausted on Monday morning.  =)

Friday night was a mini date night with my favorite guy...we started out with a yummy dinner at Cheeseburger Charley's, and you will be impressed to know that Patrick and I BOTH chose the Turkey burger...we're so healthy!  =)  Next up, was movie time!  We went to see this fun movie:

I know, it's a kid movie, what were we thinking????  Actually, it was really cute and funny!  If you were a Muppets fan as a kid (I missed that boat somewhere along the way), then you would LOVE this movie!  I thoroughly enjoyed it despite the fact that I never really got into them when I was younger.

Saturday morning, after sleeping in, I headed out for a quick run.  Then it was time to head out to Bed Bath & Beyond to register!  I have to admit, I've been looking forward to this all week!  It was a ton of fun, but way more exhausting than I expected.  Four hours and 15 minutes after arriving, we had had all the fun we could stand and decided to come back on another day to wrap everything up.

After resting up from our shopping adventure, we then headed downtown for our friend JB's 30th Birthday Party.  His girlfriend, Kristen, went all out!  There were backstage passes that all of us were given when we walked in the door, there was a Happy Birthday JB banner, there was food, there were cupcakes, and there was even a Miller Light Cake...so much fun!

Patrick and me with the Birthday Boy and his girlfriend, Kristen! 

Me with my Beau!

It's always great to catch up with Casey!

The bar also had shuffleboard, and Patrick and I love shuffleboard so much that we would have it in our house, if there was a room big enough!  I was pretty pumped that I actually beat Patrick...during the last "play" of the game!  These things don't happen often, so I reveled in every moment!

See that red pin?  Yep, that's mine...

And here I am pointing at it, just in case anyone is confused!

Somebody was being a sore loser!

Sunday was another day of sleeping in and relaxing until late in the afternoon, when I headed out to do the last of my Christmas shopping and get groceries!  After heading back home, I made some Christmas goodies, including doggy treats and homemade cookies.

What a wonderful weekend!