Ducks & The River

So....March Photo A Day....FAIL.  It was a great thought, but apparently way too much for me to handle.


This weekend was the Madison Ducks Unlimited Banquet.  Craig got involved (became Chairman) last year with DU.  He and his crew organized a fantastic Waterfowl Party in the fall.  The banquet this weekend was a pretty big deal.  They sold sponsor tables, gathered up great silent auction and live auction items, and put on a pretty fabulous party.  I was so proud to see him organize and lead this event.  They raised over $15,000 that night for Ducks Unlimited- which is wetland conservation.  #savetheducks  :)

 Craig and Doug- DU Regional Rep

 welcome to the DU banquet!

 Tonight we went to Guntersville with several friends to eat dinner at Top O' The River.  I am loving this warm spring weather so early in March, but I'm afraid it is a sign of a hot summer ahead!

March Photo A Day

I found this #MarchPhotoADay on a blog I sometimes visit and thought it looked cute.  Here we go!

So my picture from yesterday is UP.  This was taken looking UP a hill that is on my normal running route through my neighborhood.  It's not a major hill, but one that gets me sometimes.  I love this tree and it was so pretty yesterday as the sun set.

We will not be old people who cannot do anything!

Last weekend, Craig and I made apple butter!   We made it in the slow cooker, just like my Granny does.  It’s pretty good, even if I did make it! 

Craig went to Scott’s Orchard Friday and bought a half-peck of apples.  We were able to make 2 batches with the apples.  Craig helped took care of the peeling, and even came home at lunch one day to turn the slow cooker down to low.  He also rocks at canning.  Yes, my husband can handle himself the kitchen.  Love it.

So- when we were getting everything together and trying to decide which recipe to use, I said, “Just let me call Granny.  She’ll tell us what to do.”

Craig’s response?  “No!  We are not going to be old people who don’t know how to do anything!” 

Ok. . . so we figured it out ourselves.  I’m happy to say that when we are old people, Craig and I will know how to make apple butter.   All is well.

Side note- I did call Granny when we were canning the apple butter.  I wanted to make sure we left it in the water bath long enough.   She was proud of us! 

Sun.Sand.Shopping.Seafood.

Two weeks ago, I got to spend the entire week in Destin with Craig. He had to go for work and I was able to take off for five days. (no more personal days for Leah this year…) I was worried about taking off for the week on the 4^th week of school, but also wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to go to the beach for a week. We haven’t been on a week long vacay since our honeymoon in Hawaii. Best. Decision. Ever.

So, we arrive Sunday afternoon and spend the afternoon on the beach. We stayed out till about 6:30 and came in to get ready for dinner. We were worried that going to eat at 7:30 would mean a long wait. Wrong! Apparently, this was a perfect week to go the beach. We walked right into Floyd’s Shrimp House- DELICIOUS!- and sat down to eat.

Monday morning, Craig had to leave at 6:00 with his co-workers to head to Air Force Base. I took the opportunity to enjoy a *hot* run, a leisurely breakfast, and then headed down to my beach chairs about 8:30. Two chairs came with our room-score! I positioned one in the sun and the other in the shade and rotated from chair to chair for the rest of the day. Heaven.

When Craig got back, he came down to the beach and we stayed out until about 6:30. I can NEVER talk Craig into staying out that late on the beach, but it was perfect this time because he hadn’t been sitting out there with me all day. Ahhhhh! We met a group of people he works with that night for dinner at the Crab Trap. Then we ventured down to Destin Commons. By the time we got back I was worn out from a day of vacation!

Tuesday was even better. Craig had to leave again at 6, so I got up and sat on the balcony for a while and watched the dolphins. I love getting up early at the beach and sitting outside. It’s so peaceful to watch the sunrise and enjoy God’s creation. The ocean and beach always amaze me-the vastness, the beauty, everything about it. I ran again- a little later and it was SO hot and humid, enjoyed my breakfast and a little of my favorite morning show- TODAY. At 9:00, I headed to the beach to camp out for the day. Boring? Not a chance. I finished the book I started on Monday right after lunch, floated in the ocean, and listened to Pandora. I couldn’t think of a more relaxing way to spend the day.

Craig got in around 5, and we stayed on the beach until 7:00. That’s right, I was on the beach from 9-7, minus an hour break for lunch!

Dinner that night was The Old Bay Steamer. Craig loved it. I ate shrimp with the head still on. . . .I’ve decided I’d rather not look my meal in the eyes before I eat it…

Wednesday, Craig had to work for half the day. After lunch, he spent the afternoon with me on the beach. We stayed out until about 4 when a little rain shower blew in. We took that as a suggestion to drive to Seaside and spend the afternoon there. Craig and I both love Seaside and had been wanting to go spend some time there. After Seaside, we made a stop at the outlets and did a little shopping before dinner. By 9:00 we were starving and headed to Harry T’s. Yum!

Thursday I was so excited to get down to the beach. All week I had been watching people on these things called paddle boards. Basically, it’s a surf board you stand on and you have a paddle to steer and paddle. Every morning, while the water was so smooth, people were going up and down the beach on these things. I’d talked with the umbrella guy about renting them, and decided to wait until Thursday morning when Craig would be with me. I was bummed to find that the water Thursday was NOT smooth and the waves were rolling in- so my plans got scratched. Oh well! We still enjoyed the great breeze and sunshine.

Friday was overcast thanks to the Tropical Depression stirring in the Gulf. We slept late, grabbed breakfast at Chick-fil-A and made it to the beach about 10. Even though it was overcast, we sat in our beach chairs and both read, took a little stroll, and read some more. By 2:00, we were hungry and decided to go the The Back Porch for lunch. It’s one of my favorite places. After we ate, we both agreed that a nap sounded fabulous. That night, we spent some more time at the outlets, then ate at a fabulous Mexican restaurant- La Rumba. After 6 days of seafood, we were ready for a break.

Saturday we woke up to heavy rain. That was fine, because we had to leave. Boo. We loaded up and headed home. We listened to the Bama game, made a quick stop at Peach Park, and finally arrived at home. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect week!

For those of you who made it through this looooooong post, sorry for all the details. Just wanted to document our trip. Now I’m counting down to Jamaica in June. . . . .

West Virginia

Just a few pictures from our trip to West Virginia. Craig and I have been for the past 3 summers for the White Family Reunion. Craig’s dad grew up in White Sulphur Springs. We usually take a ride through his old stomping grounds. It’s a beautiful area right in the middle of the mountains. This year, we even found the cemetery where his grandparents are buried. We may, or may not, have “trespassed” and I use that term loosely. We just had to drive up through a grassy pasture and then go through a gate.

We saw deer everywhere this year!

Driving through the beautiful mountains near Gap Mills, West Virginia.

We didn’t find the headstone of Herb’s grandparents. Lots of them were very overgrown. I took a few pictures though and we traipsed through the weeds. Craig was very squeamish of the sunken in parts of the ground. It was funny to me to see him that nervous.

One of the places where Herb went to school.

Craig and some of his sweet aunts at the Reunion.

The Igo Bunch

Craig, Uncle Myles, and Herb

We stayed in Lewisburg, about half an hour from White Sulphur Springs. Downtown Lewisburg is cute and has lots of history!

Let me guess- Backstreet Boys?

Last week, Abby and I took a quick road trip to Nashville for the New Kids on the Block-Backstreet Boys concert (NKOTBSB). I saw them on the summer concert series on TODAY earlier this summer and recorded it for Abby to see. The performance was SO good and we both got giddy just watching it on TV- while Craig looked confused. We decided to see where their tour would be heading this summer and were excited to find that they would be in Nashville! That was enough for us and we purchased tickets!

The whole way to Nashville we talked about how excited we were, shared about the songs we’d been listening to on our BSB Pandora station, and laughed at ourselves for being so excited. When we arrived at our hotel on Tuesday afternoon, the valet greeted us as we excitedly spilled out of the car. He looked at us and said, “Let me guess, Backstreet Boys?” I guess we gave off the “we’re-so-excited-about-NKOTBSB-concert” vibe. We were not offended.

Our hotel was just a few blocks away from the arena, so we walked and didn’t even care that it was raining. As we got closer, we joined the flock of other women heading to the arena and felt right at home. I cannot even explain the anticipation we were feeling as we got inside and found our AWESOME seats. I don’t think either of us stopped smiling the entire night.

Favorite quote of the night: when the lights lowered and the boys were about to come out and the entire crowd was screaming excitedly, Abby looked at me and said, “I might cry when they come out!” And so began the screaming fest for the night. Yes, we screamed the whole time. The show was AMAZING and I felt like a teenager again as I watched NKOTB and BSB wow the crowd. We certainly weren’t the only ones screaming our heads off. I’ll also admit proudly that we remember all the lyrics. We are true fans.

To top off our AWESOME seats, Jordan Knight came to our seats at one point during the show. Abby recorded it on her phone and I laugh every time I watch it. You can’t even hear what he’s singing for the screaming in the background. Awesome.

They played for over 2 ½ hours. Best concert I have ever been to and worth every penny I paid for my ticket. We got back to the hotel around 11:30 and it took us another hour or so to calm down. I know it was a great time because the show was great, but also because I was with my best friend. And although we are both adults, only my sister could scream like a child with me at the NKOTBSB concert.

The Right Stuff

I Want It That Way

And just to be clear, Abby never did cry. :)