I won! I won!

As I posted a few days ago, Ashley recently featured a fabulous giveaway on her blog. She announced the winner this morning, and I cannot believe that I actually won! I never win anything! I'm so excited about the blog makeoever because:

1)Iit will motivated me to blog more,

2) I have no clue where to even begin doing a makeover for myself, and

3) If the finished product is half as cute as Ashley's blog, I'm sure to be thrilled!

Check out Ashley's blog- she's going to feature yet another giveaway when she reaches for 50 followers!

Also check out Great Grabbie Designs to see more of her fabulous work!

Reading List

Here are two of my most recent reads...



A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff- This was a cute little British novel centered around Phoebe Swift. As the novel's heroine, she is haunted by a terrible tragedy, appreciates vintage clothing, befriends a wise elderly woman, and is looking for love. I enjoyed it- great, easy summer read.

The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick- There's only one word to describe this novel: strange. It's a twisted tale of love, passion, madness, and poison. It all begins when Catherine answers Ralph's newspaper ad in search of a "simple, honest woman". Altough a little weird at times, I enjoyed this book as well. Suspense down to the very last page.

Great Giveaway!

My friend Ashley over at Girl Plus Horse is doing a great giveaway. Click HERE to read about it and enter!

I also encourage you to follow her blog. She has become an avid blogger, and she and her horse Ella have an amazing story. Check it out!

bridesmaid beauties

I think I've said before that I adore bridesmaids dresses that coordinate, but do not match perfectly. I wouldn't think that I would be a fan of white bridesmaids dresses, but these look so crisp, classic, and chic. I also adore this bride's lace dress. Too pretty.

*Photos from Style Me Pretty

Twice as Nice!

Exciting news from one of my best friends! I'll be "Ah Bah" (translation "Aunt Beth") times 2 come March!

Lunch Break

Once again, I've been on a blogging hiatus. I've been busy: Clint and I started our premarital counseling with the minister who will marry us; I've decided to hire a wedding planner (more on that to come); I've been narrowing down and meeting with photographers (more to come on that as well); and of course I've been working. Speaking of work, I've been fortunate enough to be able to work in Tuscaloosa (my old college stomping grounds) lately. It's perfect because not only do I feel "at home" here in Tuscaloosa, but it's also close enough to drive home to B'ham in the evenings. As much time as I spend in hotel rooms for work, I relish any opportunity to sleep in my OWN bed. Back to working in Tuscaloosa- today after lunch we took a little field trip to the Paul "Bear" Bryant Museum. Most of my coworkers are Auburn grads, but they were troopers nonetheless! Here are few images from our visit:

Bear's Desk

Various trophies

The crystal hat

National Championship Rings

The crystal football :)

And my personal favorite- Mark Ingram's championship game gloves

funny

This is a picture of Clint's consolation prize after he literally WORE his lunch home. During one of our other restaurant outings during 4th of July weekend, Clint had a 24 oz beer, a cup of ranch, and a hamburger dumped in his lap courtesy of our waitress. She was new, nervous, and felt absolutely terrible. Despite all of Clint's reassurances that it was NOT a big deal, she brought him this as an apology. To make it even funnier- after talking to her for a while, we discovered that she had grown up in a small town not very far from where we grew up. Small world!

Proud to be an American

As I mentioned in my last post, we had a very enjoyable and LONG 4th of July weekend. Although we did not take our normal Independence Day trip, we managed to still have a very fun-filled weekend in Birmingham. Some of the highlights of the weekend:

A long-awaited and MUCH anticipated trip to Melting Pot for a FOUR COURSE meal. I think everyone agreed that the chocolate fondue was our favorite!

One morning we played a round of golf. Actually, the boys played a round of golf while Stephanie and I drove the carts around. The weather was gorgeous, and it was so pleasant to spend the morning outside with some cold beverages.

We spent some time walking around downtown Birmingham before the fireworks started. We found a fun restaurant with a patio to sit, have drinks, and listen to music while we waited for the fireworks to begin.


Happy Independence Day! It was truly a perfect weekend: great weather, great food, great friends, and great fun!

Recommended Reading

Sometime during our various 4th of July weekend activities, I managed to get in some relaxation time and finish reading The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This was hands down the best book I've read in quite some time. Most of you know how much I love Twilight (aka- my PG vampire series) and Sookie Stackhouse (aka- my R-rated vampire series), but I consider these as favorites in a different way. The Help, however, goes right up there on my favorite list next to To Kill a Mockingbird and Cold Sassy Tree. Although it was an easy read, it was a novel that actually had some "substance", and I loved all of the dialect and references that only a true Southerner could appreciate.

The novel takes place in Jackson, MS and centers around Aibileen (a wise black maid raising her 17th white child), Minny (a chubby and sassy maid who makes a legendary caramel cake), and Skeeter (a 22 year-old recent Ole Miss graduate with aspirations to become a writer). Although they are about as different as one could imagine, these women ultimately come together for a special project. It's one of those books that sucks you in immediately, and you find it hard to put down as each woman's extraordinary story unfolds.

Also of interest- while the author Kathryn Stockett was born and raised in Jackson, MS, it should be noted that she is a graduate of The University of Alabama. While I can sometimes be biased toward fellow alumni's work, this book is undoubtedly a great piece of work all by itself.

Next up on my reading list is A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff. I'll let you know how it turns out!