Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

I am having so much fun decorating my new home for Christmas. I have a real Fraiser Fir in my living room and my tiny aqua tree from years past. All the little hand-me-down decorations make it feel so warm and cozy.

I'm a Homeowner!!

HGTV makes it look so simple. You find three houses you like, you pick one, and by the end of commercial break it's yours. The actual home buying process is a little bit longer, a little bit more complicated, and a lot more emotionally draining.

In my path to home-ownership, I looked at a ton of places, varying from nice and out of my budget to just creepy, small, and unlivable. I put in offers on three different properties. Negotiated on prices. Got emotionally invested, heart-broken, super-excited and finally just relieved to have the keys. It is a process that I do not want to do for at least another 5 to 7 years.

But after all that, I finally have a place of my own. Somewhere that I can paint and hang my pictures without thinking what the landlord will care about it. I don't have to save big bags or boxes for the day my rent is up and I have to move. I can just settle and make it my home.

I have some big plans for my new place. I owe a huge thank you to my most amazing parents for helping me out this whole time and for giving up their weekend to help me paint and get everything set up before I move in. My aunt Cin surprised me on Saturday with paint brush in hand and even came back on Sunday to help pick up furniture. She is awesome!! My bf also pitched in bringing his box of tools and even went on a much needed caffeine run for us all. Greyson decided he wanted to help paint the wall with his face and then watched conveniently from my lap. It was a very busy weekend and a great way to kick-off my new adventure of being a homeowner.

My (potential) First Place!

Renting in Atlanta can be very expensive. So much so that when I worked out the numbers, I found that buying a place would actually be saving me money every month (not to mention build my equity and get me out of the rental rut).

I am super lucky to have my mom as my real estate agent. She and I have been looking all around my preferred areas of town trying to find my perfect first place. And we found it!!

After putting in offers on two other places that both didn't work out, I was about ready to throw in the towel and renew my lease with my current condo. My mom called me at work and said she found one that just came on the market and we need to go look at it on my lunch break.

Here is the tour:

(Front)

(Living Room)

(Dining Room)

(Kitchen)

(Guest Room)

(Master Bedroom)

The place is a two bedroom, two and a half bath townhouse/condo in my favorite area of town. It is a great blank slate that I am really looking forward to putting my design stamp on. I am currently under contract!! And scheduled to close in early November.

Mini Vacation

This past weekend, the BF and I went on a mini vacation up to Helen, Ga. We've both been so busy lately and it was nice to get away and just hang out, even if it was just for one night.

I left work on Friday and dropped the pup off at his pup-girlfriend's house and Alan picked me up straight from his work. We got up to Helen right around 7:30, which was nice to not have to find our way in the dark. Although it wasn't as mountainous as I was expecting North Georgia to be, the roads were definitely windy.


We stayed at a place called Bernie's. It is a quaint restaurant/B&B in a very old house. It has a lovely back porch looking onto a huge backyard/field. It is the kind of place where the proprietor wears all the hats: host, chef, etc. All the staff were very pleasant and helpful.

Arriving right around dinner time, we were hoping to eat at Bernie's restaurant but unfortunately it was completely full. So, we went to the Nacoochee Grill and had a wonderful dinner of duck tacos, shrimp and grits, and chipotle bbq. I also enjoyed a glass of the house wine, grown right around the corner at Habersham Vineyards. We ended the meal sharing dessert, a cheesecake filled chocolate mousse cake which put both of us into a food coma as soon as we got back to the B&B.

It was so nice to sleep in and wake up to the smell of bacon. After a delish breakfast of eggs, bacon, and blueberry waffles, we packed up and headed to Alpine Helen. We wasted a few hours walking around the kitschy little village waiting for the wineries to open up and ended up at a never-ending antique mall. The rooms were completely filled and the old house seemed to just keep going. The whole time we were looking around, we could hear the blue grass band on the front porch of the coffee house next door. It was very fitting.


After antiquing we ventured to a few different wineries, my favorite being Yonah Mountain Vineyards. The owners are a sweet couple from Atlanta who are living their dream of owning a vineyard. They really knew their stuff and kindly invited us to the wine festival coming up.

Alan indulged me and stopped at an organic soap store on our way out to town. We were lucky that the soaps we picked out actually smell nice because the store itself smelled so strongly that we really couldn't tell the difference between the soaps or the candles or the incense.

It was such a quick mini vacation, but I really had such a great time. The rest of the weekend was packed full, it was easy to appreciate the slow lifestyle of North Georgia even for just one night. Nice to visit once in awhile... but I do enjoy the busyness of the city and my normal life. More on the rest of the weekend later...

Best Date EVER!!!

My BF and I have been dating for just about one and a half years. I know that some couples get into a bit of a dating rut when they've been together for awhile and that everything can become routine. Dinner, Movies, Repeat. Alan, however, constantly makes me feel all the butterflies that I felt when we first started dating. He brings me flowers for no reason, he always opens the door for me, and he does hundreds of little things every day that make me feel like a princess.

This past weekend, he totally out did himself. At the beginning of the week, he told me that we were going to go on a date for Saturday but he wouldn't tell me what we were going to do. Anticipation built all week as he dropped hints and told me I had to wear jeans and closed toed shoes (which I gave a little bit of a stink about since it has been 1000 degrees outside) and I wondered what on earth we could be doing.

Saturday evening came, he picked me up and off we headed to dinner. We jointly picked a fusion Indian restaurant that happened to be right around the corner from our intended destination. After dinner, we got in the car and I was all nerves. I kept trying to guess where we could be going and Alan simply poo-pooed my every guess with a huge smile on his face.

We ended up parked outside a house... just a house. Nothing special about it. No markings, no signs. I quizzically looked at Alan. Maybe he got the address wrong. He simply smiled at me and we walked up to the door. Walking in the front door, I was immediately surrounded by a rainbow of colors. Vibrant blues, reds, greens and yellows were on the walls, ceiling, desk. It was all pieces of brightly colored glass.

We were at a glass forming studio!

The instructor greeted us and brought us to the back of the house where there was a huge shed and workshop area. He had a platter of cheeses and grapes laid out for us and my favorite beer (which Alan had called ahead and requested). I was beyond excited. Alan called me a kid in a candy store.

Our instructor went over the basics and showed us what we would be creating. It was really really hot out there and I was nervous about getting burnt or dropping the glass. He helped us both through the process of forming, heating, forming, and reheating the glass. We each made a flower and a paper weight.

It was by far the best date I have ever been on.

Me, heating the glass so it is malleable.

Me and the instructor, designing the glass flower.

Alan, picking out the colors to melt into his glass piece.

Alan and the instructor, creating his glass flower.

Alan's Flower

Alan's Paperweight

My Paperweight

My Flower

Summer Dinner Party

Last week, I had the urge to throw a dinner party. I never rarely entertain in my little condo, but the weather has been nice lately so I thought I would invite a few friends over so we could just relax and hang out. I live on the ground floor right off a courtyard that happens to have a grill which is very convenient. It was a relaxed evening with great food (if I do say so myself) and good company.

BF and Greyson waiting for the rest of the guests to arrive.

Chips and salsa, my staple appetizer.

Honey Chicken Kabobs, deeelish!

Grilled Corn on the Cobb with Old Bay.

When all (4) of my guests arrived, I got so excited to entertain and host that I completely forgot to take anymore pictures. Next time I throw a dinner party, I'll try to take more pictures than just of the food.

Whirlwind of a Weekend

Friday seemed like a normal day. Better than normal, actually. I had almost all my projects done at work. A bunch of people from the office and I went out to lunch together. The weather was nice. It was all adding up to a nice, relaxing weekend ahead. Sometimes when things are just going so right, there is something waiting just around the corner to throw you off.

I didn't know that Friday morning, my mom went to the emergency room to find out that the crampy feelings she had been having was actually a tennis ball sized tumor pressing on her colon. I got the phone call from my sister at 3:00. She could barely get the words out, "Have you talked to mom? She is in the hospital."

A brief conversation with my boss, and I was out the door heading to the hospital faster than the tears started to fall from my cheeks.

Hospital. My mom. What is going on?!?!

I got to the emergency room and found the little room my parents were in. My mom calmly explained that she sat down with the doctor after getting scanned and he held her hand as he said "We found a mass. You need surgery." A mass. Just another four letter word.

They kept my mom in the hospital over the weekend. She had surgery on Monday. Surgery doesn't seem like the appropriate word. It was almost six hours long. It felt like a lifetime. I was able to visit the hospital in the morning before she went in. My mom is the strongest, toughest, most amazing person I will ever know. She was so calm and so brave. My dad, sister, and I were able to follow her right up to the doors of the surgery wing. We said our goodbyes and we all parted ways. I asked my sister as we were walking up the stairs to leave the hospital, "how long do you think it will take the two of us to burst into tears when we leave here." She answered, "immediately."

I was a zombie at work trying so hard to stay focused on each project. It was the end of day and I still hadn't heard from my dad that she was out of surgery yet. I went home, changed, and headed back to the hospital. As I was driving up, my dad met with the doctor. "Everything went well and she is in recovery."

We were waiting for her in her room when the nurses wheeled in her with a warning that she was still very groggy and she was not allowed to get up. The first words out of my mom's mouth were "Can I play tennis?" We all smiled. Yes, tennis is definitely in your future.

My mom was a star. Each day passed with stunning progress. The haziness went away and she walked and talked and had visitors. We're planning on bringing her home soon, tonight or this weekend. As nice as the hospital is, I will be so happy that she can rest in her own bed with non-scratchy sheets.

Who knows what is to come in the future. Radiation? More surgeries? I'm not allowing myself to dwell on that. What is most important is healing. Emotionally as well as physically. This whole heart-wrenching weekend has brought my family so much closer together. We leaned on each other for strength. And the strongest is by far my mom. "Tough as nails," the doctor said with admiration in his voice. My mom can do anything.

Before surgery the nurse said something I will never forget. "Crossing your fingers only gives your hands cramps. Prayer works." God is great. We've gotten through some pretty difficult times and there may be tough times ahead, but I have faith that He will give my family the strength to get through anything as He has in the past.

Meeting Baby Nathan

This past weekend, I finally got to meet my new nephew, Nathan. My mom, sister, nephew Carter, and I decided to tag along on my dad's business trip down to Orlando. We stayed at a great hotel that overlooked Epcot and the Magic Kingdom.
On Sunday, Kristin, Ryan and baby Nathan met us at the hotel. He is so little!! I am so used to seeing my first nephew Carter who is a little over a year old that it really surprised me how small Nathan is. He is such a good baby. He slept most of the evening at the hotel and I held him for the first time.


My mom and I took a drive to Vero Beach on Monday. We looked at six houses and grabbed lunch at a cute little diner by the beach and then picked up some shells for Carter. Kristin cooked the whole family a delicious meal of shrimp and grits for dinner.

It was a great trip, but not nearly long enough. I miss getting to see my big sister and it breaks my heart that they all live so far away. We'll get to see each other over the next few months and I can't wait to see little Nathan grow. I am so blessed to have two adorable nephews.

Doggy Play Land

My parents left for a trip out of town and I offered to watch their three dogs. That makes four dogs in my tiny condo. My mom dropped them off and not five minutes after they arrived, someone peed on three of the four rugs I own. So I rolled up the main rug, stuffed it in my little closet, and created doggy play land.

I have heard the expression "herding cats" before, and that is what I felt like when my mom and I took all four pups outside in my complex. Two of them won't walk on a leash, one of them likes to wonder, and one of them has the never-ending energy of a toddler.

Other than the chaos of herding them all into the condo, I don't see it being any trouble watching these three relatively lethargic pups. I am looking forward to leaving them behind with the other dog-sitter and meeting up with my parents in Florida this weekend. I get to meet my tiny baby nephew Nathan!!

Exploring Brookhaven

Most people know that Buckhead is a posh part of Atlanta with great shopping and dining. Right next to the fabulous Buckhead, is Brookhaven, a much smaller but growing neighborhood. One of my favorite things to do is explore this little area of town that is right around the corner from where I live.

My parents made the ~45 minute drive down to take me out to dinner (and drop off their dogs, but thats another story). We went to a restaurant off Dresden Drive called Verde. I highly recommend the house margarita.

My parents are trying to sell the lake house that I grew up in during the summers of my childhood and while at dinner, they kept talking about the vacation and eventually retirement house they would like to buy after the lake house sells. I happened to inherit my mother's real estate gene and love house hunting. Which I do via my computer all the time. I tried to convince them to buy a condo in Brookhaven that I would rent from them, but thus far my suggestion has not sparked their interest. Oh well, it never hurts to try.

I love this little area of town and plan to stay here for quite awhile, especially if they keep building cute little strips of restaurants and shopping like on Dresden Drive.

1.23.11

My boyfriend and I went on our first date a year ago. It happened kind of as an accident. We were out to dinner with a big group of our friends and two of them mentioned that they were going to the High Museum afterward. We both happen to enjoy art very much and decided to tag along. It was one of those miserable January nights that was cold and misty. But, it was such a fun night. We walked through the galleries and discussed the different pieces we saw. After, we went to my favorite cafe for dessert. It was such a fun and spontaneous night. (Our first official date was almost a month after, which was also one of the most fun nights).

Fast forward to this weekend...

In celebration of our first date, Alan planned a whole weekend of surprises. On Saturday afternoon, we went to lunch at the Flying Biscuit in Midtown. Then, we went to the Atlanta Center for Puppetry Arts and saw a musical. After the musical we walked around the museum (which could be a little creepy at times, especially the room filled with marionettes). For dinner, we went to the Vortex, a local burger restaurant. We ended the night at an improv comedy show. I loved it! They pulled people out of the audience and asked for suggestions. It was a fantastic end to the night.


Surprise of all surprises, Alan bought us ticket for Sunday to see the Blue Man Group at the Fox Theatre. Probably one of the top shows I have seen there. They interacted with the audience and ended the show with a kind of rave with lights and giant glowing beach balls bouncing around in the audience.

This past weekend was so much fun. Thank you so much to Alan for all his planning and surprises <3