Fun
I’m fairly certain that it’s obvious that my world resolves around this little guy.
But yesterday we packed him up and shipped him off to Grandma and Grandpa’s for the night so we could go to the Denim and Diamonds party at the Junior League Showhouse.
I got a much needed hair cut, painted my nails, and actually put on makeup. Life of luxury, I tell ya!
We donned our denim and diamonds and headed off to Adamsleigh Estate, the house that will be transformed into a masterpiece by a group of talented designers over the next few weeks.
It was so cool to see the “before” version of the house- the stone walls, the servant quarters, the bajilion and one bathrooms, and the rooms that just kept on going.
I’m not much of a history buff, but seeing the house made me want to learn about it’s story and it’s past once the Showhouse tours start. I mean, there was a safe hidden in what looked like an old-fashioned locker room/closet- there’s got to be a good piece of history there!
My pictures are all cell phone pictures, so they’re not great, but they definitely captured the fun night full of friends and laughter. How can you not laugh at the hazards of an old house: bathrooms that lock people inside! {We weren’t locked inside fyi, that’s the outside of the door—>}
Can’t wait to see the house after it’s transformation!
LookBack
I realize these “look back at the year” posts are really only meaningful to the people writing them, but what better time to reflect and appreciate the year you’ve had before you jump into a new one. Plus, it’s fun digging through old pictures. 
So here are some of the great things that happened around here in 2011:
Kicked off the year with my college sorority’s 30th anniversary celebration, meaning a fabulous reunion with friends.
We celebrated the arrival of new babies…
…and the marriage of friends.
We turned our rickety deck into a screened in porch…one of those projects that you think will take 3 weeks but really takes 3 months.
In April came my only race of the year. It was an absolute blast- one of the best I’ve participated in, the Rugged Maniac mud run.
I skipped drinking these:
when we got our biggest news of the year.
A baby!!
Which was followed by this:
Baby blog time.
Turns out we weren’t the only one of our friends expecting- lots of babies coming soon!
Spent the summer in my favorite place: on the water. An early summer of wakeboarding and a midsummer beach trip.
Followed by my 2nd 24 hour bike ride. I’ll use the term “24 hours” loosely this year. 
I worked on my photography skills.
And grew my business.
The husband and I celebrated our 5th {6th?} post-graduation college homecoming. {yikes}. And I graduated with my Masters.
There were countless fun Junior League events.
And lots of spending time with good friends.
I’d say it was a pretty good year. How was your 2011? How will 2012 be different?
Dinner
To celebrate actually being home for the weekend, my friend Amber came to visit with her husband and ever-smiling, long-legged toddler.
As Amber’s visits are usually sans-babies, I hardly ever see her little ones. I was shocked at how much her youngest has grown in just over a year!
Of course she loved having a new house to explore and tear apart. Who knew chairs were just as exciting as jungle gyms?!
Chasing babies certainly worked up our appetites, so we braved the heat and broke out the grill!
The menu? Stuffed peppers and green bean & potato salad. There’s a slight possibility I undercooked the potatoes. Ok, definite possibility. Eh, crunchy potatoes are good too, right? (Umm…no…)
We had much better success with the peppers!
Stuffed peppers
2 cans black beans
1 cup veggie cheddar cheese (or any kind)
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 jalapeno, diced
seasonings galore (I can’t even tell you what I used- I threw everything in!)
Mix all the ingredients together. If peppers are small, slice tops off. If they’re on steroids like mine, cut in them in half and turn on their sides! Then cram as much filling as possible in. 😉
Some of the filling refused to stay in the peppers. I improvised.
Put on hot grill until thoroughly heated & peppers start to char, then serve hot!
YUM!!!!!!!
Love weekends with friends!!
(Tomorrow’s MRI verdict day!! Wooohooo!!!!)
Other
The results are in!!
We raised $149.47!!!!!
I am absolutely floored by this. I was very nervous about how this event would be received, and I’m just thrilled to say it was great! Before the party I was secretly hoping we’d raise around $50, but wouldn’t be upset if we didn’t get that much. Lesson learned: ALWAYS SET YOUR SIGHTS HIGHER!! 🙂
We had a big mug set up to collect spare changes, and an extra box just in case…boy did that box get heavy!! I even had to cut a bigger slit in the top so people could pour their coins in easier.
The secret to a great party is easy- Good food & Great friends!
We had mini cupcakes, spinach dip with Scoops and whole wheat Ritz, cream cheese veggie nibblers, and cocktail meatballs! There was also some yummy cream cheese pizza dip but it was still in the oven when I was taking pictures and I forgot all about it!
One of my friends brought a delish appetizer with her too: she sliced a whole wheat baguette into one inch slices, then topped them with honey and blue cheese! Yum!
I definitely didn’t take enough pictures of everybody there….I had my camera out so I wouldn’t forget, but I got so distracted by our great company that I barely stopped to snap pictures.
I’m so happy about how this even turned out, and I can’t say thank you enough to all of my friends…you all are so generous, and it warms my heart to have you in my life!
PS This event is definitely on the calendar for next year!!
