Vacay-shee-oonnn

My summer was extremely busy, but lucky I was able to unwind a little with a four night-five day stay in Florida before fall semester started. I just got back into town this past Sunday night, and I am SUPER tan! My husband and I went down with a few friends, and some of our family and family friends met up with us later in the week.

The place we normally stay is always great, but this time we took a stroll down the highway towards Ft. Walton and checked out a new resort called Emerald Grand. This place is beyond awesome! Everything you need is right there within walking distance. They have shopping, restaurants, water-sports, bars and live concerts. The entire area is called Harbor Walk. I recommend it to anyone looking to stay on the Gulf Coast. We also enjoy going to Howl at the Moon, which is a dueling piano bar. It may sound boring, but I promise it is very worth the visit. They light the piano tops on fire and duel for tip money. It's located over the bridge in Ft. Walton next to a night club called the Swamp.

A few restaurants the we frequent while in Destin are Capt Dave's and Pompano Joe's. These two places are great for seafood lovers. We tried out Bubba Gump Shrimp (yes, solely based on the movie) and even though my food was great, the rest of my party had terrible food. The prices were expensive for the small portions they serve, and the staff weren't very friendly. I don't particularly recommend this place.
Anyway, here's some pictures from our trip!

(If you hadn't noticed, I LOVE pictures!)

My friend Anna and me riding to dinner.

The hubby and me enjoying a drink before the free concert.

Baby Shower

As promised, here are some pictures of my sister's baby shower. I decided to go with the monkey theme because it's my sister's favorite, and she's decorating the nursery to match! We had such a great time at the shower and saw so many old friends. The food was amazing and the amount of gifts received were overwhelming! I definitely cannot wait to meet my nephew, Wiley. He should be gracing us with his presence in about 7-8 weeks.

The diaper cake I made. It turned out so cute!

Monkey theme all the way!!

We added lots of tropical plants to make the room feel like a jungle.

Me and my beautiful sister!

Catch Up

I know I haven't posted a new blog since May, so it's time to play a little catch up. I've had a lot going on this summer! I started a few online summer classes, and they've kept me so busy! I also turned 26 in July and had a nice quiet dinner with a few close friends, then another dinner with my family. My sister flew in from California to visit during my birthday week. We had an amazing baby shower for her *pics will be up later. I didn't realize how much I missed her until she was leaving again. We both broke down crying and hugged each other, said goodbye and she was gone. I will see her soon though...and hopefully my new nephew!

Today is my last date of summer class, and I head to Florida next week for a much needed vacation. Once again, I'll be visiting Destin, which is my second home! I love it there and it is by far my favorite place to kick back and relax. If you couldn't tell, I'm really looking forward to getting there asap! When I get back, however, I start fall classes. I'm signed up for 18 credits again. What was I thinking!? I am keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well this semester and the goal is to graduate in May 2012. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Well I have lots more to say, so I'll post more about my summer in a day or so!

Oh Paris!

Here's a picture from our girls night out at the Funky Paintbrush. Even though our paintings didn't turn out as good as we hoped, we still had a blast! Little city of Woodstock is really making their town sqaure a great place to hang out.

Mommy's Day!

Yesterday, we celebrated the once-a-year holiday known as Mother's Day. I've gotten a lot closer with my mom over the past five months so I wanted to make her day special! I wanted her to know that even though we haven't always gotten along (typical mother daughter stuff) that I appreciate her more now than I ever have. She is my support system and gives me the strength to achieve any goal.

In order to make this day extremely special, I had to get her away from the stress in her life. I spent the entire day with her; just me and her. We went to a nice brunch, then I took her shopping, and we finished out day with facials. It was amazing and the perfect way to say "I love you, mom". I couldn't picture a better day!

Painting Class - Sips N Swirls

There's a new fad going around, and I've latched on! This place was called Sips N Strokes, but recently changed the name to Sips N Swirls. It's a painting class...not just a painting class, but one where you can bring food, drinks, wine, whatever you want! There's a teacher on the stage showing you a step-by-step process on how to paint a complete picture.

You can look on the company's online calendar and choose which painting you want to attempt! It makes for a really fun girls night, and in fact, I am going again next Tuesday to the Funky Paintbrush (which is another company, but exactly like this one). Here's a picture of our latest painting.

This is my friend Anna, whom I've know since the sixth grade, and my friend Nicole, whom I've know since kindergarten.

New Inductees

On April 14, 2011, my friend Lauren and I were inducted into the Lambda Pi Eta Honor Society. This was a very proud day in our lives because we work very hard at maintaining good grades and a high GPA.  Our moms showed up to the event, and we all had a blast!

Here's some pictures from our fun day.

Pooja, the girl in the blue dress, came out to show support. What a great friend!

Before the ceremony

 Just me!

After receiveing our awards!