Honeymoon - Day 2

Day 2 in Myrtle Beach, Tuesday, we decided to go exploring and do a little sight-seeing/shopping around town. We were technically in North Myrtle Beach.

Here's a view down main street. Very quaint I think.

North Myrtle Beach is home of the shag....who knew?!

And, Wesley thought he saw his mom, but it wasn't! : )

(Notice how sly we were pretending to take a picture of me, but really getting the other lady! You can see my ear and sunglasses on the left side of the picture.)

Then we went to some old time arcade thing. We played some games, it was fun! Then, Wesley redeemed his tickets to get .......

and he bought me this pretty little number!

Then it was time for ice cream! ....

"Ice cream, when the *$)% did we get ice cream?!"

(kudos to you if you can name that movie!)

A nasty picture of us after ice cream!

Then, we spent some time on the beach! It was WONDERFUL!!!

I'm doing soduko right here....wishing I'd brought my beach chair!

Then we showered and changed and at sunset went for a nice walk on the beach looking for seashells (sadly, we didn't find to many).

And this is getting into the next "day," but here I am on the way to the midnight premier of HP6!!!!! That's right, I love Harry *aLmOsT* as much as I love my Wesley! I've been a fan since the beginning; before all the mania that exists know was around, before many people knew who Harry, or Ron, or Hermoine, or Dumbledore, or Voldemort were! I LOVED the movie. It didn't matter that it was wayyyy past my bedtime or that it was nearly FOUR a.m. when we finally got to sleep. It was worth it! Wesley on the otherhand, got himself some naps!

That's all for Day 2 - but do take notice to the hair in this last picture....it's the last one you'll see like that! : )

Show Us Your Wedding Dress

I just recently got married, on July 11, actually.  So, I don't have pictures back yet from the ceremony.  But, here's one of my bridal portrait pictures that was at the reception.  Yes, I took a picture of a picture in the frame.  But, I didn't have it on my computer and this was the quickest way.  Is it weird that my favorite picture from my bridal portraits is from the back and you can't see my face?  I love, love, love this picture!  I took my pictures around Auburn's campus, War Eagle!, and this one was actually taken in the quad.  Auburn is special to Wesley and I.  Not only does Auburn have a gorgeous campus, and we are huge fans, but this is actually where we met.  I'm so happy to finally be married!  And, very glad that I get to participate in this week's blog hopping !  : )

(You can check out this post to see a picture of the front of the dress that I snagged off someone's FB!)

8 days married! : )

No pictures for this post, just a few random thoughts.

I believe it was Wednesday night of the honeymoon we went to the Carolina Opry (very good - pics coming later).  But, before the show started, the emcee was interacting with the audience and wished some couple a Happy 30th Anniversary.  Everyone clapped, they waved, you get the picture.  Anyway, then Mr. Emcee asked the husband what was the secret.

*Let me stop right here and say that I've been in more than a couple of audiences, etc., where this type of question has been asked.  The answer is always the same:  lots of love, laughter, learn to let the little stuff go, a good drink every now and then, etc.  You get the picture.

Husband of 30 year's answer was the same.  His secret to a long, happy marriage, "lots and lots of love."

Now, I've been married 8 days....a longgg way from 30 years.  My parents have been married 29 years.  The in-laws (or in-loves if you're using my mother's terminology-I agree, I like "in-loves" better) have been married 26 years, I think.  Anyway, 

it's a long time, and you get the point.  I'm rambling, back to my point

BUT - JUST ONCE - I'd like to hear a husband say that his marriage lasted that long because he tried to love his wife like Christ loves the church.  JUST ONCE!

I wonder, do these people not know the Lord, and not know how to love their wives as Christ loves the church?  Or do they just not give credit where credit is due?  Or maybe it's because they don't want to do so in such a large public setting.  But, JUST ONCE, I'd like to see a husband stand up and give God the glory for a marriage that has lasted that long.  Because, while I love my husband (hehe, so fun to use that word!) very, very much and I know that he loves me very, very much, I know that the only way we will have long, happy marriages, just as our parents have, is to keep God at the very core of our marriage.

My prayer is thirty years from now, is that Wesley can say his secret is no secret at all, that he tried to love me as Christ loves the church.  And in thirty years, I can say that I have loved my husband because Christ first loved me.

I love you my Wesley!

(I did manage to swipe one picture from Facebook.)

Honeymoon - Day 1

Well, it is technically not Day 1 of the Honeymoon. We left the reception Saturday evening (more on that, and pictures, to come later). We headed to the other side of Atlanta and stayed there the first night. Sunday was mainly a driving day. We got to Myrtle Beach around six-ish and didn't do anything other than check-in, unpack, make a Wal-Mart run, and cook spaghetti for dinner.

Here are a few pictures of our place for the week!

We were on floor 15/16!

View of the Atlantic looking left from our balcony and view of the street looking right!

On Monday we left North Myrtle Beach and headed to Myrtle Beach to visit the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, which inspired the television show (did anybody else watch that - lOvEd that show)!?!

When you entered, this thing was starring you in the face: a six legged bull, cow thing. One of these was born in Kansas, or Nebraska, (can you tell I just took a picture with it....I didn't read too closely....)!

Wesley and I next to the world's tallest man. He was 8' ??''.

I wonder if he was married? How tall was his wife? OR was she a shortie? What did his kids look like?? hmmm.... they don't tell you that...

Crazy picture of me! : )

Crazy picture of Wesley!

Here's a picture of some man that can hold a dozen eggs in his palm!

My hand compared to the hand that can hold one dozen eggs.


And Wesley's hand.

It's an elephant's foot. Supposedly in Kenya they used it to cook in and eat out of.

I thought of Li. A mummified cat from Egypt.

I thought of the General again here....kitty armor! I wonder what she would think of having to wear this while she went hunting?! : )

Picture of Jesus.

Close up: it's actually the entire book of John! Very cool!

The bridge was stationary, but the walls around it moved. Combined with the mirrors it made for one wobbly walk across that bridge. I don't think I could have walked the line!

Hanging on for dear life! I felt sooo sick here!

We had a blast touring the Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum! It was very memorable.

That night we also went to Sticky Fingers and had ribs for dinner. It was sooo good! Pictures to come later! : )

Blog Hop

These are probably my two favorite photos right now. The first one seems like it was ages ago, but it was taken at Christmas, right after Wesley proposed. And now, we are FINALLY (after seven months of engagement and four and a half years of dating) getting married this Saturday! I still can't believe it all! The second picture is what my wedding cake will look like. I LOVE it! It's very similar to the pattern I picked out for our china (Lenox, Venetian Lace). I can't wait to have some wedding cake (the best part of a wedding reception! (Cake photo taken from The Knot).

Birthdays, Reunions, and Fireworks...Oh My!

It's been a busy few days for us (although, I do think next week will be busier). On Thursday we headed off to Ariton, AL, for a family reunion. It was my first, and I had a GREAT time! I never even pulled out my book, which is a big deal if you know me at all! We ate, canoed, kayaked, raced, ate, swam, played Ultimate Frisbee, ate, played cards, laughed, ate (notice a trend here), and visited with some great people. I'm looking forward to next year! I'm kicking myself for not even taking my camera out of my purse! We also celebrated Wesley's 23rd birthday yesterday. I had already given him my present before we left. Nothing exciting, just some ties (he was in need), but they are very nice. His parents gave him tools for his new grill and a grill cover!---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kelly's Korner, Show Us Where You Live: Yards

Yes, I took this picture at night, so it's a little difficult to really see just HOW cute it really is. But, I got this small flag as a wedding gift and I just really love it. Of course, I love anything with a monogram. But, it also makes the front look so inviting!

So, I know I'm late, and we don't REALLY have a yard since we're renting a town-home, but this is what it looks like when you step out our backdoor!

Here he is on our back patio, Master of the Grill.

(And, I'm quite proud of my plant that I haven't killed, yet.) : )

And, again. He wanted a picture that showed the grill off.

And this is the General. She's heard the call of the wild. Every time a door opens, she bolts out. She typically doesn't go far. She thinks she's a hunter. Her ears stick straight up and she creeps low in the grass. Other times she just rolls on her back and wiggles around, scratching it. When I pick her up because it's time to come inside, she stands at the back door and cries, carrying on meowing and pawing at the door. It's really pathetic.

_____________________________________

Fireworks

Our 4th did not consist of much. We left the reunion after lunch, and chilled at the apartment when we got back. No BBQs or anything for us. Thank goodness for McD's. But, we did have a festive time down on the river. It wouldn't be the 4th of July without the fireworks! :)

It's hard to see all the people. But it was estimated that 30,000 were in attendance. This pathetic "river" (looks more like a stream to me) is actually the Chattahoochee. Look how dry it is!

Another view of the river. There's actually grass growing out there.

Happy Independence Day! I am so thankful for all the men and women who have given and those who are currently serving our country so we can enjoy all of the freedoms we have today.

God Bless the U.S.A.!

The Mother of All Wedding Gifts

That's right. It's the kitchen aid mixer. I've looked at it with lust in my eyes for years. Ok, that seems a little extreme, but you get the idea. I've wanted it. Bad.

Here we are registering for the gift at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

Now, the Kitchen Aid mixer is very expensive. But, I was holding out for it. I didn't want a knock-off. It had to be the REAL thing! So, we were saving all of our gift cards and had ALMOST gotten enough to buy it. BUT-IT CAME!!!! I couldn't believe someone actually got it for us (I really wish I'd taken pictures opening the package, but I was in such euphoria, I completely forgot!) - BIG THANKS to Gregg and Jamie!!! Wesley and I LOVE our mixer!

We had already begun unpacking all of the wedding gifts we'd gotten and setting up our kitchen, so we had the perfect spot on the counter for it! Here are a few pictures of our new kitchen. I love all of our new stuff and how everything looks all set out together. There are still a few finishing touches that we're waiting on and a few things that we can't change because we're renting (the UGLY wall paper border), but hey, for what we've got to work with, I love it! I know we'll remember our new home fondly.

This is the view looking into our kitchen. Excuse some of the clutter. Remember, we were in the process of cleaning up and cleaning out! Notice how good that mixer looks on the counter!

I love how this turned out. You can't see the plate on the right, but it's so pretty! It was a birthday gift from my friend Emily. Above the stove are some of my granny's recipes that I scanned and then framed. I made the frames myself using scrapbook paper. Also, a black lantern, from Hobby Lobby, I think, sits in the middle of the stove. It's a nice touch.

Moving along the counter, here's our new toaster oven and spice rack. The knives and salt/pepper and oil stuff are old. We've registered for a new knife set (or Wesley has anyway). And he's holding out for it like I was for the mixer.

And, finally, here's a look at the counter next to the refrigerator. Some silver canisters and then a cookbook stand (which I'd had since college, but decided to paint it black to match everything else in the kitchen). On it sits one of my new cookbooks (another wedding gift), a southern cookbook, the name escapes me, but it also features many of Jack Deloney's paintings (the renowned artist from Ozark, AL) - and I have a signed copy by Jack himself!

I hope you enjoyed this little tour. Happy cooking!