This weekend I am looking forward to going back in time, where my life began. I'm headed back to Tennessee for a friends wedding and its been almost 2 years since I've stepped foot on its soil and I'm ecstatic to be spending the weekend rehashing the only thing that I knew for 22 years. I'm blessed to have been raised in such a small glorious town, it was such a great place for kids to be raised. It was a place where a a 10 minute trip to Walmart turned into an hour trip to Walmart because seeing everyone you know is just part of the daily hussle bussle of Tullahoma. Its things like this that make you really appreciate where you've come from.
Over the past 4 years I've travelled and seen so many great areas of our country such as New Mexico and now Charleston. Don't get me wrong, I love being able to experience knew places and cultures but home will always be my comfort zone i.e. Tullahoma. I always look forward to going back and seeing all the places, people and things that I grew up with but I'm usually quickly reminded that places change and people change or leave. I'm still learning that its all just part of growing up and moving on with life.
My boyfriend is joining me on this trip and I'm extremely excited for him to see where I come from. We've been seeing each other for almost 3 months and I feel that there's a giant side of me that he hasn't seen or doesn't know, not that this is a bad thing, just a big piece of me thats important. Tullahoma is where I started singing and performing, its where I graduated high school, its even where I cruised the strip on Friday and Saturday nights....don't judge me for being a social butterfly with my surrounding town rivals! I'm nice...even to them. :)
This weekend should definitely be a good one. Wedding in Nashville Saturday night and friendly visits with people I haven't laid eyes on in years!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
Summer Lovin
Its beginning to look a lot like SUMMER! Ahhhh, the smell of skin burning and sand in the crotch...its all beautiful. The past few weekends have been spent either pool side or on a beach absorbing the sun and relaxing from the daily grind of work. I try and take full advantage of my days off on the weekends and I feel that laying by a pool or laying on a beach is exactly what I should be doing.
Last weekend was eventful...E.V.E.N.T.F.U.L. It started off with my singing the National Anthem at the Riverdogs. Always a good time for not just me but for my friends as well, they like to surround themselves with a star and..I don't blame them. We definitely enjoyed watching those dogs give the Augusta greenjackets a beating(sorry V)!
After belting my heart out in front of baseball players and my friends I then belted my heart out at the Lady Antebellum/Tim McGraw Concert because sometimes I think the coliseum can hear me and only me. riiiiiiiight. It was a fantastic concert even though I did NOT have my meet and greet with them......don't ask don't tell....its still a very sore subject...moving on...
Since my birthday was on a Monday, V decided he would take me to a delicious dinner Friday night (Trattoria Lucca)so that we could enjoy a glass of wine and PINK champagne!!! PINK! To match my PINK dress! The dinner was perfect and more than I could ask for. After dinner we met up with a few of my favorites (X, Cal Cal, and S) for a few drinky drinks. Perfect ending to a fabulous night....or so I thought it was a perfect ending.....until V surprised me with GOLF CLUBS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Notice...THE PINK! and the PLAID!!! I am sooooo excited!!!! We took them out to the driving range where the clubs and I bonded over 120 yard drives and ending in blisters... :) Ignore the tshirt...it was 2am. :)
Saturday was spent hanging out around the pool soaking up the rays while the boys played their round of golf. It was a nice laid back kind of day due to a rockin Saturday night on a boat. My brother-in-law is making Captain in the Air Force so it was mandatory for the 20+ Captains to rent a booze cruise for the evening sailing around the harbor. SHIT SHOW? YES! After the booze cruise the piss drunk pilots decided to take their game downtown to a new bar called NV. Great bar...a little pricey but fun. After a few drinks we all decided it would be best to hit up a McD and head home. Sidenote: The McD's on Ashley Phosphate ladies and gentlemen is where I witnessed my very first "woman hitchiker gets ride from two men in a truck." yeah...that happened.....right next to us. Note to self: Never use the Ashley Phosphate McD's.
Monday was our actual birthday and since I get my birthday off from work, me, V, my sister and brother-in-law decided to have a relaxing day at the beach at our favorite station on Sullivan's Island. It was a typical day at the beach until my boyfriend being the adventurous 'one with nature' guy decided to swim out to the sandbar to check it out. His first round of convincing got me as far as the break and then I chickened out. After 30 minutes or so he ventured back to shore where he told me about a 5ft shark that had washed up recently and that I needed to see it. Need? Not. However, being the loving gf that I am....I DID IT! I.DID.IT! I SWAM ACROSS TO SEE A FREAKING SHARK! A 5FT SHARK! Panicking? Yes, a little panicking....but more so on the way back after actually seeing and laying next to the creature. Fortunately, I made it back in one piece. OH the things we do for the people we love. He'll never forget it.
SHARK!!!
Last weekend was eventful...E.V.E.N.T.F.U.L. It started off with my singing the National Anthem at the Riverdogs. Always a good time for not just me but for my friends as well, they like to surround themselves with a star and..I don't blame them. We definitely enjoyed watching those dogs give the Augusta greenjackets a beating(sorry V)!
After belting my heart out in front of baseball players and my friends I then belted my heart out at the Lady Antebellum/Tim McGraw Concert because sometimes I think the coliseum can hear me and only me. riiiiiiiight. It was a fantastic concert even though I did NOT have my meet and greet with them......don't ask don't tell....its still a very sore subject...moving on...
Since my birthday was on a Monday, V decided he would take me to a delicious dinner Friday night (Trattoria Lucca)so that we could enjoy a glass of wine and PINK champagne!!! PINK! To match my PINK dress! The dinner was perfect and more than I could ask for. After dinner we met up with a few of my favorites (X, Cal Cal, and S) for a few drinky drinks. Perfect ending to a fabulous night....or so I thought it was a perfect ending.....until V surprised me with GOLF CLUBS FOR MY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Notice...THE PINK! and the PLAID!!! I am sooooo excited!!!! We took them out to the driving range where the clubs and I bonded over 120 yard drives and ending in blisters... :) Ignore the tshirt...it was 2am. :)
Saturday was spent hanging out around the pool soaking up the rays while the boys played their round of golf. It was a nice laid back kind of day due to a rockin Saturday night on a boat. My brother-in-law is making Captain in the Air Force so it was mandatory for the 20+ Captains to rent a booze cruise for the evening sailing around the harbor. SHIT SHOW? YES! After the booze cruise the piss drunk pilots decided to take their game downtown to a new bar called NV. Great bar...a little pricey but fun. After a few drinks we all decided it would be best to hit up a McD and head home. Sidenote: The McD's on Ashley Phosphate ladies and gentlemen is where I witnessed my very first "woman hitchiker gets ride from two men in a truck." yeah...that happened.....right next to us. Note to self: Never use the Ashley Phosphate McD's.
Sunday was also spent hanging out around the pool and prepping for our Birthday Cookout with friends. Since we had all gone "balls to the wall" the night before, we decided that a low key cookout would be best for everyone. It was a perfect evening with friends, cornhole, kabobs, and more presents! I am extremely blessed to have all the friends that I have in Charleston + Ohio :) My birthday could not have been more special.
Monday was our actual birthday and since I get my birthday off from work, me, V, my sister and brother-in-law decided to have a relaxing day at the beach at our favorite station on Sullivan's Island. It was a typical day at the beach until my boyfriend being the adventurous 'one with nature' guy decided to swim out to the sandbar to check it out. His first round of convincing got me as far as the break and then I chickened out. After 30 minutes or so he ventured back to shore where he told me about a 5ft shark that had washed up recently and that I needed to see it. Need? Not. However, being the loving gf that I am....I DID IT! I.DID.IT! I SWAM ACROSS TO SEE A FREAKING SHARK! A 5FT SHARK! Panicking? Yes, a little panicking....but more so on the way back after actually seeing and laying next to the creature. Fortunately, I made it back in one piece. OH the things we do for the people we love. He'll never forget it.
SHARK!!!
So all in all the birthday weekend was a smash blast hit. A perfect weekend of mingling with new friends, alcohol, cute dresses, swim suits, and sharks. I'm hoping for an even more eventful year and thanking all of you for such a spectacular weekend!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Touring My Southeast!
The past couple of weeks have been almost a complete blur from running all around the southeast, literally running.....ok not really just a lot of driving. I've always wanted to just drop everything that was going on in my life and travel around the world seeing and experiencing new and exciting things, however work seems to always get in the way of that idea and lets be honest I really enjoy driving a nice looking car and having a roof over my head so the travel idea has me stuck.....until a few months ago when I started dating the most amazingly random man i've ever met. His love for travel and randomness is exactly what the doctor ordered for my life. It's going on 2 months now that we've been together and my life hasn't stopped for a split second. Since I work full time during the week we try and take full advantage of the weekends...and boy do we.
Our first weekend away together was spent in Augusta with a day in Asheville visiting the Biltmore.... (this blog can be found http://jennakate84.blogspot.com/2010/03/m-to-ia.html
A few weeks later we were in Hilton Head at the Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament where I experienced my very first pro golf tournament. We stayed with some friends in a suite at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort. The weekend was perfect.
This past weekend we traveled to Blue Ridge, GA for a weekend getaway in a cabin on the lake. It was an incredible weekend packed with alcoholic beverages, boating, play time on the dock, more alcoholic beverages, hammock naps, hot tub nights, and a flip flop hike up waterfalls. I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing weekend with my special one.
Our first weekend away together was spent in Augusta with a day in Asheville visiting the Biltmore.... (this blog can be found http://jennakate84.blogspot.com/2010/03/m-to-ia.html
A few weeks later we were in Hilton Head at the Verizon Heritage Golf Tournament where I experienced my very first pro golf tournament. We stayed with some friends in a suite at the Marriot Grand Ocean Resort. The weekend was perfect.
This past weekend we traveled to Blue Ridge, GA for a weekend getaway in a cabin on the lake. It was an incredible weekend packed with alcoholic beverages, boating, play time on the dock, more alcoholic beverages, hammock naps, hot tub nights, and a flip flop hike up waterfalls. I couldn't have asked for a more relaxing weekend with my special one.
And now this weekend I'm looking forward to another Highway 20 Ride, destination Augusta to spend another weekend away from all things Charleston. Just another opportunity for me to bond with my Honda.
More weekends away are planned and I can't seem to take all of the anticipation and excitement! I promise to take more pictures at some point....I just get wrapped up in all the funness and forget to share. Sorry!
And then ladies and gentlemen NEXT WEEKEND IS MY BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!!! 26!!!!!! The weekend is packed with a Lady Antebellum Concert, a fancy Air Force Captains party on a boat, Birthday festivities, and a friendly cookout with all my favorite Charlestonians, oh and lets not forget a DAY OFF from work!!!
Monday, May 3, 2010
THE WORLD IS BETTER IN ALL CAPS
well, hi there, nugget-lovers. my name's callie. it's such a pleasure to meet you. i'm here because jenna feels bad for her blog, but she can't think of anything to write about. actually, she blatantly asked christina or me to write an entry for her...so basically, i'm doing a favor for a friend. plus, i'm bored at work, and so this is what you're getting. enjoy. here are the important things you need to know about me:
1. i like lists and parenthetical statements (that means using parenthesis, in case you didn't know);
2. i l-o-v-e the charleston nugget;
3. i also love baseball, football, girly drinks, wearing dresses, and all things related to the south;
4. i write my own blog (though it's been severely neglected lately);
5. i will be coming to charleston for the first time in just under two weeks!
yeah, you read that right. i'll be coming to a city near you very soon to help celebrate the nugget's birthday, and let's just say that all participants involved are pretty psyched. i know you readers probably don't care that much (considering we just met and all), but trust me when i say that i'm pretty awesome, and you should consider getting excited anytime now.
now, let's briefly discuss the reasons why i like jenna:
1. her e-mails make me laugh a lot and keep me amused all day at work;
2. she is southern and she likes quotes about the south (please reference #3 above if you have ADD and don't remember why this makes me happy);
3. she's pretty, smart, honest, and a good friend;
4. we both love bright colors, yummy wine, being girly, and things with polka dots;
5. we both highly enjoy writing e-mails to each other in ALL CAPS on friday afternoons when we are too lazy to un-click "caps lock" on our keyboards.
i could continue, but let's face it, if you're reading jenna's blog, you probably already know all the reasons she is wonderful. so, moving on to the real topic of my post. as i mentioned, this little midwesterner is heading to the gorgeous city of charleston (i'm pausing to give you a second to cheer and celebrate), and christina has already come up with a list of things for us to do. i'm here on jenna's blog asking you for additional "must-see" people/places/things for my trip. i am obsessed with mini vacas, and i want to make sure to see every important landmark in the city while i'm there! here is christina's list - copied and pasted directly from a friday morning e-mail:
possible plans:--
--whole foods for cheese and $4 wines (so good) and gelato!
--party at the point
--the market saturday morning downtown for crepes and charleston stuff!
--beach day
--celebrate NUGGET'S bday
--walk around downtown
--mimosas or brunch
--EAT EAT EAT DRINK DRINK DRINK DANCE DANCE DANCE
(see, i told you i wasn't the only one who's excited about this!)
so, adorable readers of the charleston nugget, what else is there to do? what one thing will make my entire trip complete? help!
xoxo,
callie
p.s. random fact: i just wiki'd charleston and discovered that its nickname is the holy city. i also learned that it is supposedly the "best-mannered" city in the united states. (note to self: practice your etiquette and your holiness?)
p.p.s. in case you were curious, this blog contains 3 lists and 7 parenthetical statements. that makes me smile.
p.p.p.s. you probably make me smile, too.
1. i like lists and parenthetical statements (that means using parenthesis, in case you didn't know);
2. i l-o-v-e the charleston nugget;
3. i also love baseball, football, girly drinks, wearing dresses, and all things related to the south;
4. i write my own blog (though it's been severely neglected lately);
5. i will be coming to charleston for the first time in just under two weeks!
yeah, you read that right. i'll be coming to a city near you very soon to help celebrate the nugget's birthday, and let's just say that all participants involved are pretty psyched. i know you readers probably don't care that much (considering we just met and all), but trust me when i say that i'm pretty awesome, and you should consider getting excited anytime now.
now, let's briefly discuss the reasons why i like jenna:
1. her e-mails make me laugh a lot and keep me amused all day at work;
2. she is southern and she likes quotes about the south (please reference #3 above if you have ADD and don't remember why this makes me happy);
3. she's pretty, smart, honest, and a good friend;
4. we both love bright colors, yummy wine, being girly, and things with polka dots;
5. we both highly enjoy writing e-mails to each other in ALL CAPS on friday afternoons when we are too lazy to un-click "caps lock" on our keyboards.
i could continue, but let's face it, if you're reading jenna's blog, you probably already know all the reasons she is wonderful. so, moving on to the real topic of my post. as i mentioned, this little midwesterner is heading to the gorgeous city of charleston (i'm pausing to give you a second to cheer and celebrate), and christina has already come up with a list of things for us to do. i'm here on jenna's blog asking you for additional "must-see" people/places/things for my trip. i am obsessed with mini vacas, and i want to make sure to see every important landmark in the city while i'm there! here is christina's list - copied and pasted directly from a friday morning e-mail:
possible plans:--
--whole foods for cheese and $4 wines (so good) and gelato!
--party at the point
--the market saturday morning downtown for crepes and charleston stuff!
--beach day
--celebrate NUGGET'S bday
--walk around downtown
--mimosas or brunch
--EAT EAT EAT DRINK DRINK DRINK DANCE DANCE DANCE
(see, i told you i wasn't the only one who's excited about this!)
so, adorable readers of the charleston nugget, what else is there to do? what one thing will make my entire trip complete? help!
xoxo,
callie
p.s. random fact: i just wiki'd charleston and discovered that its nickname is the holy city. i also learned that it is supposedly the "best-mannered" city in the united states. (note to self: practice your etiquette and your holiness?)
p.p.s. in case you were curious, this blog contains 3 lists and 7 parenthetical statements. that makes me smile.
p.p.p.s. you probably make me smile, too.
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