Tough Times in the Economy

Wow, its been a couple weeks since I last posted anything....well, I'll try to catch everyone up with some pictures later but for the time being its probably the economy thats on my mind most! On top of the ridiculous gas crisis that the state of Georgia is facing right now due to Hurricane's Gustav and Ike, our country is facing one of the biggest economic windfalls in history....what's happening to good ol' US of A? I can't help but worry about Matt and I's job security. While consulting firms tend to do better during times like these - I'm not so sure about Matt's financial world.
We're doing out part when it comes to the gas crisis....working from home in an effort to conserve....should we be doing the same with our money? I'm thinking so. We were thinking about putting our lovely townhome on the market in the spring, but that doesn't seem like the best idea these days....we might just wait this out a couple more years and enjoy our low mortgage payment and 5% interest rate. That trip to Greece next summer isn't looking like the best idea either.....who knows. Hopefully McCain will get elected and we won't have to worry as much about raised taxes and an inexperienced leader of the free world....but thats a whole other tangent. Wow...if only getting older was easier? I'm tired of growing up! These are just a few things that Matt and I are concerned about these days....I'll try to write something more cheerful next time.....

A Labor of Love for my Auburn Tigers!

Catchy title huh? Thought it would encompass Labor Day festivities with our Auburn game day fun! This past weekend Matt and I drove to Auburn to enjoy our first game of the season against the lovely Louisianna Monroe. As expected....it was a shut out! 34-0! WAR DAMN EAGLE! We had a great time and tailgated with my brother and some of his frat buddies and then with Paige and JH and finally at Barrett and Nancy's posh RV digs before heading into the game. I only last thru 1st quarter and then decided to meet up with some friends at the bars. It was way too hot to sit in a stadium and watch the game with no alcohol. Jim Beam minis are more Matt's thing ;) Still, we had a great time and headed to the lake on Sunday to meet up with my parents and Hayley, Evan, and Collin. Trev and his buddies joined us later on. We were all ridiculously hung over, but only Evan showed it ;) Love ya buddy! Anyways, here are some pics from our fun Labor Day weekend....off to Boston on Thursday for some "Jacket" fun! :)


Trevor and Evan at the Lake

WAR EAGLE!!!

Tailgating with Paige and JH

Trevor and I at the FIJI tailgate

Football season is upon us!

As any loyal SEC fan knows...football season is upon us. This weekend marks Auburn's first game against Louisianna Monroe. A relatively "easy" opponent, however I've learned never to underestimate Auburn's adversaries after watching Ga. Tech defeat Auburn a couple years ago. Still...the first game of the season is always fun and I'm excited to have a different job this football season (one that doesn't require me to work on the weekends) so I can enjoy all the tailgating festivities.

We're staying with Trevor while we're there and looking forward to seeing Paige and JH again this weekend. They were in Atlanta this past weekend for Mandie and Charles' wedding and it was great to be with all my Auburn girls again. The wedding was at the 755 Club at Turner Field and the DJ kept us dancing and drinking until the weee hours, in true Auburn fashion!

At any rate, we'll be in Auburn this weekend and then off to the lake with my family to enjoy the rest of the Labor Day holiday.

Here's a picture of Matt and I in front of an empty Turner Field.

Here's hoping my Auburn boys play a good game this weekend because Matt will be in a bad mood if they don't :)

"Most Awesomeness in One Place"

This is a quote that Evan said while driving through the streets of Charleston and I have to say, Matt and I are somewhat obliged to agree.....we had an amazing weekend there with my sister, Hayley and her boyfriend, Evan. Hayley cooked a delicious spagetti dinner for us the first night and we got a chance to meet Evan's sister and husband (who Hayley says we have a lot in common with), so that was nice. Dinner was great and after polishing off a bottle of Reisling, we decided to venture out to the bars in downtown Charleston. We had an oyster shot at Pearlz, one too many Sweet Tea Vodkas at Social and finished the night with a few beers at this whole in the wall bar, Griffins. Needless to say, we were struggling on Saturday. Still, we rallied and after a Chick-Fil-A chicken biscuit and coke we were on our way to Sullivan's for some beach time. We spent the day drinking and sunbathing and then one of Evan's friends, Collin, picked us up by boat and we headed to Morris Island for .... you guessed it, more drinking! Are we noticing a theme here? We stayed out on the boat until almost 8pm and by the time we got back to Hayley's on James Island, Evan didn't know his name, Hayley was burnt and I was just exhausted. I don't know how these crazy kids do it these days! We stayed in that night and ordered pizza and watched the Olympics.....and Evan.....he was entertainment alone! "Don't chlorox the carpet" .... "I bought it, I'm going to drink it!" :) Our last day in Charleston we had an awesome brunch at Mimis on the marsh and listened to music outside and then headed into town to putz around the Battery and marketplace. After a little shopping on King Street it was time for Matt and I to hit the road. We had a FANTASTIC time though and hope to go back more often. It had been a year since we'd last been there and we can't let that happen again! Love you Hayls!

Are we getting older....or just better?

Tonight was my mom's birthday and as we sat there celebrating her 58th year on earth I thought about what it means to really age. I mention it because just last night Matt and I sat around outside on our new patio set with Candice, Brenda and Steven grilling out, drinking some wine and entirely too much Michelob Ultra. Before we knew it, it was 11pm and we'd been chatting about anything and everything for hours! It was one of the most fun and most relaxing nights I've had in awhile and Candice made the comment that we must be getting really old when this is more fun than hitting the clubs or yelling over people at some loud bar. I thought about it and I've come to the conclusion that its not so much about "getting old" as it is just getting tired of doing the same old thing over and over again. They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and hoping for a different result.....I think that as we get older, we just get tired of doing that same thing over and over again, so as any "sane" person would deduce....you change it up, you evolve, you find new and fun ways to entertain yourself and if thats grilling out and having a low-key Wednesday night....then so be it! Sign me up, I'm officially old and I'm embracing it with full vigor and enthusiasm :)

We're off to Charleston tomorrow to see Hayley and Evan. Seafood at Mimis on the marsh, drinks atop the rooftop bar at Vendue and a little beach time sounds like heaven right now. Matt has a break between summer and fall semesters, so he wanted to take full advantage of it and well, we always know I'm up for a trip. As always....pictures to come!

Wedding in the Laurentians

This past weekend my family and I were a couple hours north of Montreal in Ste Agathe, otherwise known as the Laurentians. Its a beautiful area best known for skiing. My cousin, Brian, and Nathalie live there and the whole Mitchell clan drove up to see the two of them tie the knot....French Canadian style! It was an amazingly personal and unique experience for all of us and I really enjoyed getting to see my extended family. For those who don't know....I come from a VERY BIG family and its growing everyday, so its always nice to see everyone in the same place!
To Brian & Nat - I hope you guys are having a great time on your honeymoon in Europe and thank you for sharing your special day with us! We had a great time (some of us had a really great time....Trevor! :) Thanks again for everything! We love you!
Nat, welcome to the family!

Martha's Vineyard

Here are a couple pictures of my family trip to the cape and Martha's Vineyard. It was beautiful up there!

The Cape

So....for those of you who either don't know me or don't keep up with me these days, my life is one trip after the next. We just got back from Hilton Head on Saturday and its Tuesday and I'm packing for my 7am flight tomorrow morning to Boston. My family and I are heading up there for a little "just family" time before heading to my cousins wedding in Montreal (well, just north of Montreal). I have a little work to tend to in Boston first, but then we're off to the Cape (as Bostonians call it). I've never been to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, or Nantucket so I'm really excited to see it all. A co-worker of mine suggests we don our yuppiest clothes and pop our collars if we want to fit in....I told him that was right up our alley, so I think we'll be fine! At any rate, pictures to come I'm sure. With the exception of the great white shark sightings, its sure to be a fairly pleasant and peaceful trip. We'll be at "The Cape" till Friday and then we head to Montreal to see my grandparents and then up to a little town north of Montreal for my cousin, Brians', wedding. I can't wait to see the extended family......weddings always bring out the best in us! Ties to the sky here we come! Now, if only I could get all this packing done.......

Hilton Head...home away from home!

I don't know what it is about Hilton Head, but it always feels like home to me.....sometimes even more so than Atlanta. I'm guessing the past 24 years of coming here have something to do with it, but even still....there is just such a comfort about this place. Matt and I came here for a little vacation with my family and old friends, the Glennings & Dunbars. We've been meeting them here in the summertime for awhile now and yet the twins had never met Matt. So thankfully we were able to steal a few days and have them meet him this past weekend. Unfortunately he had to go back for school yesterday, but we're hoping he can come back on Thursday and stay through the weekend. I've been fortunate enough to be able to work from here....thank God for WIFI! And I have to tell you....nothing beats working while listening to the ocean waves lap outside. Its heaven! Despite the weather reports, the weather has been beautiful and I've definitely had a chance to work on my tan. Hayley and Trevor get here tomorrow and then on Thursday the whole family is going deep sea fishing. I can't wait! I'll have to write more later, but I wanted to attach a picture from paradise!

Another year older.....

I felt like such a celebrity with a sparkler birthday cake and all.....thank God the smoke alarms didn't go off!

Thanks to everyone for the kind birthday wishes and to those who were able to make it over for the BBQ!

New Patio Set!

Alright...probably not the same as the news of a new house, baby, or wedding....but its the little things in life that mean the most...and right now I'm ecstatic about our brand new patio set that Matt got me for my birthday (you know you're old when...) We got it last night at Home Depot and I absolutely love it. Matt was kind enough to stay up until midnight last night putting it all together and it turned out beautifully! I have to say, I'm quite impressed with my husband these days....when we first got married he couldn't even hang a picture and now he's putting grills and patio sets together just like that! I'm of course always there for moral support...like any good wife. We watched Rambo while putting it together and suprisingly enough, it wasn't too bad of a flick. I should issue a disclaimer though...definitely not for those with a weak stomach; if not warned...the extensive bloodshed could definitely give you nightmares for weeks. Still...I was pleasantly suprised how much I enjoyed it.

Bound for Greece!

As most of you know, Matt and I absolutely LOVE to travel! And we're always looking for new places to visit, new things to see, and most importantly....new adventures. Among the top on our list of places to see is Greece and come June 2009.....we're going to make our dreams a reality! We are currently planning a 10-day cruise on Celebrity Cruises' new ship, the Soltice (http://www.celebritycruises.com/). It leaves out of Rome and travels to places like Mykonos, Rhodes, Santorini, Sicily, and Turkey before docking back in Rome. My reason for "blogging" about this is to extend the invitation to our friends and family. We would love to get a HUGE group together to make this experience that much more fun for everyone! As you may or may not know, Mediterranean cruises have a way of attracting an older clientele....so the more hip twenty-somethings we can attract the better! Only kidding. The more the merrier, so check out the link and let us know what you think. We're thinking June 5th-15th would be the most ideal time to go. If you're interested just comment on our blog and I'll send you some more information. The countdown begins now!

First time blogger

Wow! I saw a couple people do this and thought...hmm, might be a cool way to keep in touch with people and a couple clicks later....I have my very own blog. Not too sure what to write about now, I have a birthday coming up this Friday and I'm having some difficulties accepting that I will in fact be in my LATE twenties. Although it could be worse....I could be almost 30! Sorry Matt! :)

At any rate....now that I have this wonderful blogspot, I guess I'll start posting some pictures and such.

More to come.......