Life Laid Bear

A quick trip to New Orleans

This past weekend, we headed to New Orleans with two of our favorite people. It was a fast but fantastically fun weekend. I love that Tallahassee is centrally located and mostly everything in the south is in a 5 hour radius. It makes for quick weekend trips. 

 

This was our first trip to New Orleans. So I had very little expectations as to what the city would be like. Other than being known for its debauchery and Hurricane Katrina, I knew nothing about the area. We stayed at the Astor Crowne Plaza, which centrally located on Bourbon and Canal. We spent most of our time exploring the city, doing a ghost and cemetery tour, and checking out some local bars. 

Here are a couple of our favorite places (most off of Bourbon Street)

Bars

The Monteleone (The Carousel  Bar - This bar literally spins and you are sitting on a carousel)

The Backspace Bar

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop Bar

Old Absinthe House

Food

The Jamini

Stanley's (For breakfast or brunch)

Yo Mamma's Burgers

May in review

Even though it is almost July, already(?), I wanted to look back at the amazing month that was May. I didn't write much in May, which makes me a little sad. But looking back I realized that I have so many great memories that I can't wait to get down in black and white. (The goal would be to get it out in the same month it happened). May was a mass chaos of travel and really great luck. 

In May, we had some Cinco de Mayo fun. And ended up finishing our painting jobs. The living areas of the house are now a beautiful shade of white. It really makes a huge difference in the amount of light we have. 

We spent one weekend at Disney enjoying everything that is Star Wars Weekends and then a Sunday drinking around the world at Epcot. SWW was so much more than what we were expecting. It was hot and crowded, but the people were friendly and by night the weather had become beautiful and we were really able to enjoy the evening. 

 

The next day after SWW, we decided to head to Epcot and try our hand at drinking around the world. I can honestly say, WE MADE IT! Not without a few casualties. But we made it nonetheless. We had a great time, and I highly recommend this if you like trying different drinks from around the world. (Fun fact: Each country has employees actually from that area.)

After a weekend in Orlando, I spent the week in Rosemary Beach on a work retreat at The Pearl. This place, you guys, is absolutely breathtaking. It is a boutique resort right on the ocean. The week was spent sipping cocktails, laying low, and of course working. 

After a blissful weekend in paradise, I spent a weekend with the girls hanging out in Baton Rouge and getting ready to see Taylor Swift in her 1989 tour. Well spoiler… WE MET HER! I don't know what kind of luck was showered on us, but it happened and it was magical. She is just as wonderful as you would like, she is friendly and super tall. 

June has been just as wonderful, and I can't wait to get back into a regular schedule and share what has been going on. 

 

Spring Loving

All of the sudden Spring popped out and hit us here in Florida. The weather has been perfect, and the pups have wanted to be outside more and more. It is the best time right now. It isn't too hot yet so we get to spend more time outside on the weekends playing. 

The grass is mowed, the plants are waiting to be put in pots, and we are ready for some adventures this Spring. It is quickly approaching summer and we have a big to do list to get through before that time comes. So we are sticking our heads out the windows a little more, pulling out the shorts and tank tops and doggles are definitely in order. 

 

 

Four.

Today Kyle and I celebrated our fourth anniversary! Four years ago I walked down an aisle trying to calm myself down by singing Old McDonald. I was so nervous, I lost my shoe (flawlessly…NOT) heading down the aisle with my dad.

Four years later, and we are just as happy/nervous/loving as that first day. Since that day, we have made one move, two job changes and added a new dog and an unwelcome lizard. It has been hard and we have had our share of knock down, drag out fights. But nothing amounts to every morning waking up and choosing this life, with this man beside me! 

Happy Anniversary, my love! Here is to a hundred more just as great as the last one. 


 

A little overdue

I think it is a little overdue that I am sitting down to write. The words, the feelings, and the emotions are all there but the want has not been. And I think that is okay. I am not going to write in this space just to write. That is not what it is about. And I had a hard time remembering that. 

This place is to document the beautiful life we are living. To revel in all that is the past and the present. To look back one day and say "wow, that was our life". Or even "I wish we could feel that way again". 

So I think it is time to get back to regular writing. As an outlet. As a memory. As a piece of myself. 

New year, new attitude, new goals

The holiday season is over, our family is gone (sadly), (and now that half of January is already over) I am ready to think about the new year. While I don't do resolutions, mostly because they have a bad connotation about them and I don't want to set myself up for failure, I do make goals. Simple, easy to understand, and no added stigma to it.  

In 2015, I want to work on being the best me that I can be. For myself, for my family and friends, and for my husband. I have made a small list of those things I want to work on. Some are a little more personal, that I will only share with my guy, and some I feel more comfortable sharing here in black and white. It makes me feel more accountable to say/write/express it here. 

Grateful

- Being grateful for the small things was one of my favorite goals last year. It helped me stay thankful for the good weeks and most importantly the bad weeks. Of course, the bad weeks were harder. It's always a test to be positive when you don't really feel it. But all you can do is try your hardest, and I feel I did a good job. I can give myself a small pat on the back. 

- This year, I am not going to do a weekly thankful post. But I do want to spend time each night thinking about the simple things I am grateful. That really nice compliment that the girl in the grocery store gave you, the flirty mood your husband was in, or the sweet kisses that your pups gave you. Life is so so sweet. Let's try to remember it a little more. 

Open

- Let's open our hearts more often, be less angry about things that aren't worth it, and love eachother a little bit more.

-  Being open is a really hard thing to do. No one wants to put themselves out there and be rejected. But it is even worse to regret not doing something, or saying the thing you really wanted to. So I am vowing myself to be more open. To love more, be more patient, and give more of myself to those I meet. 

Being There

- With all of the technology out there and the mass amounts of ways you can connect to people, it is easy to get carried away with being on your phone all.of.the.time. I see it everyday. The couple on their phone at dinner, or the people talking in line at the supermarket. 

- I don't want to be that person. I have a friend that says all the time " be with us". Meaning, get off of your phone and be in the moment. With the people in front of you. So from now on, I am going to try to stay off of my phone and more with the people that mean the most to me. 

Productive

- I have put too much off, for too long. And it is time we get to business getting everything together. The project I said I was going to finish last month, well let's just go ahead and get it done. That room that need repainting, take a day and paint it. Just go, and do it. It will feel so much better when I can check it off of my list. 

- This is going to be my hardest goal this year. I start projects and have a lot of energy at first. But if I don't get that project done right then and there, I lose momentum. And don't end up finishing. 

Fun

- This goes hand in hand with being less serious for me. So many terrible things going on and we need to have more fun while we can. Don't turn down that free trip your parents invite you on. Don't turn down that drink with your girlfriends because you are tired after work. Because these are the days guys, these are the memories. Make them good! 

So here is to a new year and a new attitude! Cheers and Happy New Year's. I am ready to take on 2015. The best is yet to come!