Happy Anniversary, Charleston!

I can’t believe how quickly the time goes by. Exactly 1 year ago today, I moved 550 miles away from home to a city I had only visited once before, Charleston SC. At this exact time, I was white-knuckling the steering wheel of my Honda attempting to keep up with our caravan and the flow of traffic on I-75 south towards Knoxville. I had my darling best friend Kim in the passenger seat and my beloved puppy dog Jackson in the back. This only lasted for about an hour… my nerves were already completely shot and the sight of watching the trailer of our furniture in front of us was causing me to replay my own imaginary version of Final Destination. Needless to say I didn’t do much driving that day, but the overall move to Charleston was a success but very bittersweet. I had left behind everything that felt like home. My comfort zone, free meals at mom and dad’s, and the greatest friends anyone could ever ask for. But looking back, I can honestly say that it has been one of the greatest challenges and most rewarding experiences of my life. Throughout this year, I’ve learned how to embrace being alone, realized what it’s like to be flat broke, and experienced relationships come full circle. I have learned a tremendous amount about myself and grown as a person, daughter, friend, professional, and Christian. More so than I ever did in the years I spent playing it safe back at home.

But in addition to the personal growth and maturing, I learned a few other things too…

Each day is a gift

It’s OK to have a dog as your best friend

How to budget for gas money

A 1 hour commute really stinks when you’re hungover and don’t have your dad to drive you to work.

I can apply lotion and/or sunscreen to my entire back all my myself

Life is short

I am VERY allergic to Oak trees

Cereal makes for a really good dinner

Fleas are very difficult to get rid of

I’m horrible at packing

It’s best to slowly break people in when they haven’t heard me sing before

The interstate isn’t THAT scary

Yuengling is a poor girl’s best friend

I ask A LOT of questions

Getting a tan is my favorite free weekend activity

The dollar store is the greatest thing on earth

People CAN change

Sometimes the Lord likes to surprise us when we least expect it and need it the most

So here’s to the past year, which has been such an amazing journey all in itself. I could not have done it without those comforts from home who made it possible to sit right beside me, even from 550 miles away. I can only hope and pray that this coming year will be just as exciting! (Just with less moving, fleas, funerals and break ups, and more money, healthier living, cheaper gas, and of course more visits :)

Happy Anniversary, Charleston!

Dieting Sucks

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels

-Drew Carey (and Kate Moss)

Oh, the woes of dieting… I’ve certainly had my fair share. It’s basically been the story of my life ever since I was old enough to feed myself. So needless to say, losing weight (or attempting to) has always been a huge part of my life. Throughout the years I’ve tried everything from Weight Watchers to Atkins, Slim-Fast to South Beach, personal trainers and food journals, as well as diet pills, supplements and crash diets. I’ve pretty much tried it all, and had success with some. I’ve actually maintained (for the most part) my 40lb weight loss from a few years ago, but still have never been able to reach my goal weight. And to make matters worse, I’ve noticed in the past several months that the weight just doesn’t come off as easily or as quickly as it used to… thank you post 25th bday metabolism, I hate you.


2002

 

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2009

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2011

 At any rate, I know that the true key to losing weight is not the actual “dieting” itself, but in maintaining a balanced lifestyle of healthy eating habits and exercise (groan). The only down side is that it requires a lot of patience and sometimes takes a while before you see any progress. But regardless, it’s still the best and healthiest way to achieve long term results. So with that said, I’m giving myself a fresh start and dusting off my tennis shoes. Setting the alarm clock an hour earlier and giving up the junk food. I’m focusing on that GOAL WEIGHT and sticking to the plan this time. And I’m hoping that with posting this particular post, it will give me a little extra accountability, even if it’s from just one person. So PLEASE comment, give recommendations, ask questions, as well as scold and/or encourage me. It’s a personal journey and transformation that also benefits from the inspiration and motivation of others.

Losing weight changes your life,

but you must change your life in order to lose weight.

Cheap & Tasty Discoveries

I made some fun discoveries this past weekend that I thought might be worth sharing. Even though I’m not a huge wine connoisseur or foodie, I AM a budget conscious shopper with good taste.  So I love sharing special finds that are also a good bargain.

The first being an excellent wine that is not only affordable but absolutely delicious! If you’ve never tried Cupcake Wine, I would definitely recommend doing so. We are privileged enough to have an excellent wine selection in our grocery stores but it can also be bought at just about any wine or liquor store. This particular bottle “red velvet” was not only smooth and fruity (without being too sweet), but it also only costs around $10! What a deal!

I also made a few cooking discoveries in my kitchen. After realizing that I was completely out of my long time favorite Lowery’s seasoned salt, I was forced to use Scott’s favorite, Old Bay seasoning. I had no idea that it is literally great on EVERYTHING. It’s also very inexpensive and one container will last you forever. That particular night I used it on red potatoes but it’s also good on corn, chicken, seafood, pop corn, asparagus, casseroles, etc. I highly recommend using it with olive oil any fresh veggies or anything you’re throwing on the grill.

My other discovery was homemade beer cheese. Since we don’t have the luxury of having the Kentucky brand or Halls beer cheese sold in local grocery stores, my friend Joanna brought a little surprise down on her last visit to Charleston. It was an easy seasoning/ mixing pack from Flag Fork Herb Farm to make my very own beer cheese! It was super easy to make and was absolutely delicious! All this time I was feeling deprived of one of my favorite flavors from home and had no idea how easy it was to make! So if you’re a beer cheese lover like me, I encourage you to try your own homemade batch. Not only can you play up your favorite flavors, it’s a lot cheaper and you can make a larger batch than what you would find in the storeJ

Here is a simple recipe to get started…

• 20 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated

• 2 garlic cloves, grated

• 7 ounces bottled dark beer, flat

• 1/8 teaspoon salt

• Tabasco sauce

• mustard powder (optional)

1. Open beer and bring to room temperature It is desirable to get most of the gas out of the beer, but don't let it get stale. You can heat it in the microwave a bit if you are in a hurry, but don't boil it.

2. Grate cheese and garlic in a food processor.

3. Switch to the mixing blade and add remaining ingredients, mixing until thoroughly blended.

4. Refrigerate overnight. This really helps the flavors develop and meld properly.

So happy Saving & Tasting!

Introducing Admiral Halsey!

Last Friday, our little household gained a new member. One of my residents needed to find a new home for a puppy she had taken in, and we convinced her that we would be a perfect fit for the little guy. He is a 7 week old border collie/newfoundland(?) mix that Scott has decided to name "Halsey" after Fleet Admiral Halsey of WW2 (hoping he will be a water dog). He is an incredibly sweet ball of fur with GIANT paws and has already proven to be extremely intelligent... which might get interesting as he gets older. But so far so good! He's been doing well with his crate, eating, and "doing business" and even though he keeps trying to nurse from Jackson, they are getting along quite well.

Needless to say we are very interested to see which breed he takes after the most. At almost 8 weeks old he weighs close to 10lbs (light for a newf but heavy for a bc). His coloring is normal for either breed and he shows personality traits of both. So I'm guessing he could end up as a calm and lazy 100lb lap dog, or a genius herding houdini. Or hopefully a balanced combination of both! In the meantime, we're just focusing on potty training, teaching him his name, and establishing our "pack" (thank you Cesar Millan).

Fun w/ Foam Paper

I recently discovered a very cheap and fun way to make party decorations and place mats that can be reused for multiple occasions. If you've never used vellum, it's a very cool material to work with and you can find it at just about any store that has a craft section.

It's great for scrapbooking, ornaments, cards, and in my case Scott's nautical themed 30th Birthday decorations and place mats. All I needed was a few packs of the vellum paper, a ruler, and craft glue.

I was very pleased with the way everything turned out, and the best part is we can use them again! I guess normally that would be weird, but this is Charleston after all, and nautical is so in right now.

Snakes, Lizards, and Poison Oak... Oh My!

On April 1st, Scott and I became the proud renters of a quaint little house in North Charleston (geographically located a few miles to the west of Charleston). I have to admit, and I'm sad to say that "North Chas" does not have a very good reputation. The crime rates are high, along with the drug and gang activity and the traffic is a nightmare. However, contrary to belief, there are some VERY nice parts of North Charleston. We were fortunate enough to find a rental house in one of them, and it fits our every need!

*picture circa 1990


Within the past month we have learned and realized that renting a house is a lot different than renting an apartment. Especially when you have a "hands-off" type of landlord. So in some ways, we're getting a small taste of home ownershipismness.


THE PROS

We can decorate and hang things however we want. There are beautiful hardwood floors and tons of space and natural light.

THE CONS

Critters that slither inside the house, poison oak all over the place, snakes that hide in the leaves, and a yard that hasn't been cleaned up in over 2 years.

Needless to say we love the place, but have quite a bit of yard work ahead of us if we want to get the most out of having a front and backyard. And even though there is A LOT to be done, I'm actually looking forward to getting my hands dirty and seeing the final results!

I suck at blogging...

Alright, I’ll say it… I suck at blogging. It’s even worse than my journaling skills. But there are way too many fun things going on in my life right now to not share! I was recently inspired by my dearest friend, Anna Holland whose blog, The Culture of Home, is rather impressive and entertaining.

The Culture of the Home

It made me realize how many fun projects and life experiences I want to share with others! So with that said, I’ve decided to give the ole blog a little make over, a new face, new purpose, and new motivation.

but before I get started on my new chapter, here is a little photo recap of the past several months…

I discovered that Jackson likes cats

*Jackson with my old rommmate's cat "Moo Shoo"

That I enjoy eating raw oysters



*Boone Hall Oyster Festival Jan 2011



That my family has a great sense of humor



* My cousin doing her "Demarcus Cousins" impression. Christmas 2010

I miss Graeter’s pumpkin icecream, beer cheese, and ale-8



*Rebekah's Thanksgiving surprise for the Kentucky girls.

And that Scott and I can actually take a good picture together!

*Minus the soy sauce on my face.

Now without further adue... On to the next chapter! Stay Tuned!