Stephen has been working a lot lately and I’ve been sick (looking at a computer screen gives me a headache) so I thought I would give a quick update real quick.

We went on a road trip to Houston a few weekends ago, so I thought I’d share some of our fun times with you

.

.

Got to visit our friends Kelly & Brian

.

Lunch @ Swampy’s
(had some delicious Cajun food)

.

Had a girls night with Sarah

.

we were in Texas, so the guys wore some boots

.

I think this is my favorite pic from the whole weekend

.

Our group shots before we left

.

a true personality shot

.

After Houston we drove to New Orleans to see our friends Matt & Elise. It was great getting to see everybody that’s moved away over the past 2 years. Gotta love a good road trip

On occasion Stephen has to visit a different location for work. The company he works for has 3 stores, and yesterday he went to one of their Alabama locations.  On our drive that morning he asked me if I’d like to head over after work and have dinner together and visit the outlet stores. I, of course, said yes!!

After work I plugged in the address and our TomTom led me straight to him {side note: how did we travel before our GPS?!? It’s so incredibly convenient having something show me and tell me where and when to turn!}

After I picked up Stephen he took me to a small local place called Fish River Grill. When you sit down you are given a cup of soup called swamp soup. Both the look AND name made me question dipping my spoon into the greenish substance. Turns out it was really good, it had a mixture of  beans & turnip greens. I have never been a fan of turnip greens, so to eat something that 1) looked like it was taken out of an actual swamp, and 2) had turnip greens it, really took me by surprise with it’s great flavor.

After the soup we received a basket full of fries and our burgers…

.

Hurricane Burger
(can feed a family of 4)

.

The Swamp Burger
(smaller, but still more than enough for 2 people)

Being in Alabama I should know better than to be surprised by the amount of food you get for 1 entrée. Stephen’s burger was about the size of my hand, and sooo thick. It was crazy. My own burger was huge (but thankfully a good size smaller).

We were even more pleased when the waitress came up and told us we get a free cozy for ordering burgers. We happily accepted and chose 1 for each of us.

.

.

Stephen chose the Camo to “complete the Alabama experience”.

While there we talked to the owner for a bit and she was telling us how she under-predicted the oil spill effect on their place. If people aren’t coming to the beaches, they aren’t coming to the outlets, and aren’t eating at the local restaurants like this Mom & Pop burger/fish joint. The oil spill is really starting to hit the coast, so hopefully we will get some northern winds to whip the oil in a different direction and give the Louisianna, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida coastlines a break.

After dinner we went to the Tanger Outlet to walk around for a while. Driving with a full stomach is anything but enjoyable, so we wanted to walk off that full feeling. It was a good decision!

We made it back to town around 10 last night. I have to say, it was a nice change to my normal Tuesday   I think mini-trips are going to become a new regular thing for us!

This past weekend we were in Biloxi for a family reunion. We had an amazing time and I was able to  see some family that I haven’t seen in 20 years, since the last reunion on the coast!

One wonderful occurrence was that my immediate family was all together in one city at the same time! That is a rare occasion for us these days so I couldn’t help but share the special moment with you:

.

.

We started as 6 and now we are a family of 10!  Gotta love it

I’ve been swamped since we got back, so hopefully I’ll have more  for you soon!

I can say that I am counting down to the 3-day weekend ahead!!  I love the  4th of July! For our family  it’s a time to eat some delicious bbq and relax in the sun with friends and family. That, and a reason to  high-five my brother Jeff and thank him for serving our country and protecting my everyday freedoms.

How do you celebrate?!?

I can’t believe it friends, but June is actually here. The winter and spring have come and gone and summer is definitely here. I can’t believe how quickly it has come. Stephen and I have been in our house for 5 1/2 months now! We have accomplished so much, and still have many fun projects ahead!

With today being the 1st day of June that means Memorial Weekend has come to an end. We had an amazing time up at my grandparents cabin on Lake Martin. Here are some pictures to make ya jealous

.

A Warm Welcome meets you at the door

.

I bought some new floats to enjoy. These comfortable green beauties were a great purchase!

.

My sister Miriah, and bro Jeff really enjoyed them

.

Amanda and I enjoyed a paddle boat ride, and had a tagalong giving us a good workout.

.

Those green floats did come in handy

.

It was a weekend full of sun, laughter and catching up with friends and family

.

Amanda, Charlie & I

.

Our friends Steve & Amanda came up to the lake on Sunday to relax and hangout with us. We had such a great time getting to relax with them since they moved this past January. I can’t wait until they move back so we can continue some awesome games of Dominoes. Perhaps with Steve’s delicious chicken tacos and Amanda’s brownies and ice cream (hint hint)! hehe

While a few of us decided to head up to the porch and enjoy some shade for a bit, Steve and Stephen spent some time fishing.

.

.

While the boys fished I gave Ava, Steve and Amanda’s eldest daughter, a bottle of bubbles I picked up. I think she enjoyed them…

.

Isn’t she adorable?!

The boys enjoyed themselves too…

.

My brother Matt and Stephen

.

This is the view of the cabin from the dock.

.

.

I love these views…

.

.

The weather was spotty with some occasional rain, but rain doesn’t hurt when you are in the water. Plus, it made for some great pre-dinner napping!  Grilled ribs and chocolate pie made for a great last night at the lake.

I think the lake is the perfect getaway for Stephen and I because he can take naps and read while I hangout in the water and chat the day away. On the way up to the lake we made that stop at Walmart where I got the new floats and bubbles, and while we were there we also picked up a fishing rod for me and this helpful device:

The new GPS

I always gripe to Stephen that we don’t need electronics to get from Point A to Point B because we can look at a map if we get lost. Well let’s just say that I’m not the best navigator, and with us using Stephen’s iPhone for our ‘mapping’ we had a few stressful moments when we had no signal on our trip. For some reason AT&T doesn’t know about Alabama – someone should really let them know…

that is how the GPS came to be. I finally gave in after we travled the new route we take from our new town. It was the first time we have gone into Alabama since the move, and it was so enjoyable. Next time we know of some awesome flea markets and coffee shops we want to visit.

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. We hung out and fished on Monday until leaving after lunch. We got home just in time to grab some Gordita’s for dinner

I am so excited that we officially have plans for Memorial Weekend! We will be traveling a few hours north to my grandparents lake house on Lake Martin. I love going up to the lake. Not only is it a mini-vacation, but it’s a beautiful site to look at.

.

.

The lake is absolutely gorgeous. It’s peaceful, serene, and relaxation central. The older I get it’s becomes more difficult to go visit like I used to. We used to spend weeks at a time at my Papa’s Lake house, and now we only get to visit during holiday weekends. That is one reason why I am SO very excited that it’s Memorial weekend, and we will be spending it on that lake!

I plan on doing a few things while we are there.

First, spend time with these people

.

Papa & Grandma

.

My Papa built his house on the lake before it was a popular place. He spent every weekend up there hammering, sawing and piecing his home together. What started as a small cabin, with no air conditioning, is now a 6 bedroom home with plenty of air conditioning and a newly renovated kitchen! My grandma had to wait many years for that, but it was well worth the wait! When we were little we would ride in the boat and the houses were far between. Nowadays the houses aren’t only closer, but HUGE and definitely expensive! Some people have pools, which makes me laugh since there is free water just a few feet away, and others have huge boat docks with sun decks on top. It’s always fun to see what new homes have been built each time we visit.

Second, I plan to stay super busy right here:

.

.

That’s right, I plan on floating in the water as long as the sun allows. Then, when I’m not floating in the water, I plan on laying on the dock soaking up rays, and thirdly:

.

the grandchildren eating at the “kids table”

I plan on eating BBQ, fruit salad and everything else put in front of me! We always eat so well at the lake  You can’t say no to grandma’s cooking and grandpas grilling!

I have spent many wonderful times at the lake. With my Papa back home after spending a few unexpected months at the hospital, I am more excited than ever to visit and hear him tell stories of when he was a kid and what mischievous adventures he took part in. I’ve told him time and time again he needs to write a book, and I pray that one day my own kids are able to hear him tell his stories.

I was reading through some blogs today and found a listing for a 3-story flea market that isn’t too too far from our trusty home in the Panhandle.  It’s called Eastbrook Flea Market and Antique Mall, and the reviews online were really positive.   I usually would never consider leaving our own town to visit a shop, that’s gas money that could cut into my awesome-shop-finds budget.  However, this isn’t just a shopping trip I’m hoping for. 

I have been wanting to visit my friend Melissa since she moved in August.  She actually moved to go  BACK to school, law school to be exact. I told her she was crazy, going back to school after we escaped it’s pointless term papers and pop quizzes.  But she has a dream and is going for it, which happens to be one of the things I admire most about her.  I know she’s gonna continue to kick butt in school, and if I ever get into trouble one day I’m calling her.  First,  for friendly advice and second, for legal advice!  Hopefully she won’t charge me for both phone calls

Google maps made my day when I checked the location of the antique shop to the area I visit.  It’s under 7 miles from couch to crafts!  I think I can handle that.

Now I just have to plan a trip that way.  It would definitely have to be an entire weekend, which is A-Okay with me!!  

Plus, everytime we get together me and Lissa go all out and treat oursleves to delicious mexican food!!  Ohhh, I’m dreaming of the endless chips and salsa as I type…

I have family that lives out that way, so it could be a wonderful jam-packed weekend.  I’m pretty sure I could spend an entire week up there and not get enough time in to visit with everyone.  My Aunt Vicci and cousin Lindsey like to shop, so maybe they would like to go too.  That means multiple visits would be in order!  Maybe I should start planning a few trips…