The Journey [Is a Long One]

Dude, hoooooly driving..

Where the trip to South Carolina went off without a hitch, the haul back was quite the contrast:

Cons: There was so. much. traffic. 

There were detours.
Ignorance was running rampant on social media.
Thirteen. Hours. In. The. Car.

PROS: 
Woke up to the smell and sound of the ocean, palm trees and sand.
Tackled the journey with one of my best friends & her beau.
It was gorgeous weather the entire trip.
North Carolina bartenders will make you a specialty Wedding Tea, if you ask!
Plenty of time to peruse and reflect on photo reels from the weekend.
Finished reading City of Bones (now on to City of Ashes!)
Took a stand against ignorance and self-made bigot #forthewin #saynotowestborokids

Traveled back through the 5 states: SC, NC, TN, KY & OH! 

Returned to my family: Rob, Syd & the Pups!

I'm... tired. Like, beyond tired. Today was a gorgeous day, and while I'm here blogging, the newlyweds should be well on their way to their Caribbean honeymoon. I'm so thankful to have been a part of this wonderful weekend, and can't wait to see the pictures!! 

Love, love & sleepinginmyownbedyesssssss... 

xo | cmd 

Saturday Projects

Today was... a busy day!

First things first, our new microwave unit went in today! Per the request of our landlord, the old vent unit in the kitchen has finally been replaced by a smaller vent system that happens to include an overhead microwave [yay!]

before & after! :) 

I took off mid-project and left the guys to their devices in working through this project. I'm so excited to be a part of Brittany and Wayne's wedding early next year, and the first step in that was the fitting for and purchasing of my bridesmaid dress! I'd share some pics now, but I wouldn't dare spoil that surprise. It's nice to have it out of the way first thing this weekend, and not have to worry about missing any deadlines :). I can't wait!

Back at home, my little family was hard at work on their own projects, right alongside the two installers working on the vent unit. 

syd & rob :) 

The early afternoon wound down; the installers finished up and left, Rob took to the boat to finish up some additional work, Sydni took to hunting for baby bunnies to pester in the yard, and eventually we all reconvened in the house for the USWNT's last friendly game before they head off for the openers of the World Cup! 

nil-nil at half 

Good News? TWC came through this time with the station broadcast.
Bad News? This was the final score, after 93 minutes of play: 

womp womp.

It's the first time in several years that the US team has gone through a shut out on home turf, but fortunately it was a friendly game that doesn't stand for a whole lot right now. It was still worth watching, and I cannot wait to follow through coverage of the tournament! 

Laundry. Yardwork. Housework. Family work. That's been our day today. 

perfection :) 

Gosh, this little family of mine. I'm one happy mama! 

xo | cmd

[The Baja's] Maiden Voyage!

The moment of truth was upon us! [Will she sink or will she purr?]

Before the day got started, Rob and I set out on our separate tasks to prepare for the day: He readied the boat and I headed out to grocery shop for the cooler. Our timing was perfect; Jessica & her friend Andrew arrived right on time and we were on the road by 11.

Eastfork, we have to admit, is not necessarily a place of any sort of splendor. It is however, very convenient for us, and the perfect place for Rob and his new toy to really get to know each other. Norris Lake & Cumberland are on the list and we'll get to those as soon as we can plan the weekend out.

We were so excited to get going that I skipped taking any pictures right away. You know it's intense when my camera isn't out ;). We held our breath as Rob throttled out for the first time and we were off into the day. We cruised around for a bit to feel out the ride [which was pretty. daggone. awesome] before settling into a cove for a bit of swim time.

It wasn't long before Brittany and Wayne joined the party; the rest of the day passed by without a care in the world, and I'm pretty sure we were a bunch of happy little campers by the time it was over :)

happy people, happy day!

There's nothing better in this world than enjoying life in the moment, whatever that moment may be. Today we did just that.. in the company of some awesome friends and a day that was at our disposal.

We. Are. SPENT.
Rob's burnt, too.. and it's time for us to call this one another awesome day for the books.

G'Nite (:

xo | cmd  

BURN IT DOWN TOUR!

It's here, it's here, IT'S HERE!!

We bought tickets back in what, February for this? YAY, COUNTRY CONCERTS!

[Picture time!]

ready to go!

my perch for tailgating!

tailgating with a thousand of our closest friends ;)

jessica & anna stopped by to join the fun!

It came time to head into the actual concert, so off we were, into the swarm of people at the gates of Great American Ball Park. We made our way down through the bleachers and onto the FIELD :D, where we located our seats and prepared for an awesome night.


on the field!

fgl

miranda!

happy birthday, again, babe!

my long lost love natascha

cincinnati's here to party!!

a... is for aldean!!

burn it down tour

jason!!!

kelly clarkson made a [video] appearance

yeah, jason!

happy birthday, to this man.. I.. LOVE YOU!!!

There's some video footage to go along with all of this; please pardon the shakiness and semi-decent sound quality - It was LOUD!

 

Rather than post each and every video here, I'll give you links, if you feel that inclined to go watch them :)

 

Florida-Georgia Line - This is How We Roll

Miranda Lambert - Automatic

Miranda Lambert - Baggage Claim

Miranda Lambert - House That Built Me

Miranda Lambert - Mama's Broken Heart

Jason Aldean - My Kinda Party

Jason Aldean - Night Train

Jason Aldean & Kelly Clarkson - Stay

Jason Aldean - Fly Over States

[NEW!] Jason Aldean - Burnin' It Down

 

 

We rounded out the evening with a late-night grub-out at The Yard House with Brittany and Wayne before heading home [sidenote: staying late = postponing parking lot madness!].

 

What an AWESOME night!!! Here's to country music, country friends and an incredible round out to Rob's birthday festivities.

 

We're some happy people here, folks. Tired, but happy.

G'Nite! ♥

 

xo | cmd