Showing posts with label Nashville. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nashville. Show all posts

10.13.2012

Currently

Hello there sweet blog!!  Oh, how I have missed you!  Sadly, it's been almost a month since I last posted :(  I feel so incredibly behind!!

It's seeming lately, that I need to first read and reread this post and secondly, just be present in my life.  Free moments, let alone, free time to blog are few and far between these days.

My weeks are spent doing school work, house work, working out, attending to and enjoying my fur babies and rare dates with friends and weekends are spent enjoying time with my husband, our fur babies and our little family.

Blogging has taken a back burner for now.  Which, truthfully, makes me sad.  It may seem silly, but I really miss blogging!  I miss writing and recapping our weekends and what we've been up to.  I miss sharing pictures and recipes and anecdotes from our lives.

I really hope I can get back to blogging more regularly, and soon, but I'm not sure if I'm there yet.  I've seen several "Currently" blog posts floating around so in the mean time, here's what's going on Currently with The Shucks....

Loving:  Lately, I'm loving this weather!  It actually feels like we've had a fall this year and didn't just jump over to winter!  We've been enjoying fires in our new fire pit...



playing with Berkley outside, and sleeping with our windows open!  Lovely I tell ya!

Reading:  Well, not much lately.  As we've covered, I have close to zero free time lately so not much reading has been going on.  Every now and then I try to read a little at night, but reading at night puts my straight to bed, ha!  I've been reading The Other Wes Moore for about 2 months now.  I have Gone Girl and Where We Belong just sitting in my night stand, waiting to be read!  I have high hopes to finish these 3 by the end of... spring break!?  Haha

Watching:  Sticking with my current theme of being behind, my DVR is bursting with new fall TV, but what I have watched so far this fall, I am loving!  Some of my favorites include Modern Family, Parenthood, Grey's Anatomy, Boardwalk Empire, and New Girl.  We watched the first episode of Nashville last night and really liked it, too!  I can't wait for Happen Endings to come back on and I'm now 3 weeks behind on Private Practice.  Whoops!

Listening to:  Some of my current favs include Phillip Phillips - Home, anything by Maroon 5, Fun. - Some Nights, as well as {no shame here} Taylor Swift  - We Are Never Getting Back Together and the Biebs - As Long As You Love Me!  If any of these are on the radio, you better believe the volumes up and I'm jamming out :)

Thinking about:  All things holidays!!  We've gotten some new fall decor...


...and have some outdoor fall decor in the works!  Fall gets me so excited for our Anniversary, Thanksgiving & Christmas!  We recently drew names for our family Christmas gifts so I'm in the process of putting together my wish list :)  This will be our first holiday season in our house and I'm so excited to decorate and celebrate!!!

Looking forward to:  Babies!!!  My SIL is due any day now with my 4th niece or nephew and my sweet friend Rachel is also due soon with her first baby!  Brandon's sister & BIL find out the sex of their baby on Monday!  Ahhh, can't wait to meet all these sweet babies!!

Laughing at:  Berkley's new Halloween shirt!


Making me happy:  Quiet weekend nights at home.  Like tonight!  Maybe I'm boring, or just getting old, but nights like tonight....dinner out and now sitting and blogging with my husband laying beside me, the dog running around and a movie on - perfection :)

Celebrating:  Lots of fall Birthdays!!  

B turned the big 2-9 at the end of September!  His mom came into town for the first time since our wedding and we had a great weekend of celebrating!


We took Joan to Asheville for the day and toured the Biltmore House!


The next day we had friend meet us for dinner and cookie cake back at our place to celebrate!


Last weekend we celebrated my sweet nephew, Jude Leeland!  Can't believe he's already 5!!

Some birthday loot!

Cakepop love :)  Such handsome little nephews!

Tomorrow is my handsome brother's 32nd birthday!!  Happy Birthday Josh!  Couldn't be prouder to call you my older brother :)


Wearing:  I love me some fall fashion!!  Boots, sweaters, leggings, scarves....love it!  I've made a few new fall purchases, but I'm trying to rein myself in from spending too much!

I just got this cute Gap sweater in the mail...

via

As well as this Under Armour running shirt to benefit Breast Cancer Awareness!

via

B and I are in the need of some new running shoes as well!  I think we're heading shoe shopping tomorrow and I really excited for some new kicks :)

Planning:  Our 2nd Anniversary trip to Nashville!!  We love Nashville and are so excited to go back and really explore a little this time!  A spring break trip back to Puerto Rico has also been in the talks, but we'll have to see about that one.  Keeping my fingers crossed!

Feeling:  Overwhelmed and stressed.  Finding balance between work and non-work activities has seemed near impossible this year.  I can't really put my finger on why, probably the same ol' reasons as always, but it just seems to weigh on me so heavily this year.  Praying it all levels out here soon.

Also feeling:  so incredibly blessed!  Whenever I fret over the stuff I mentioned above, I start to feel guilty.  My problems could be so much worse!  I have a wonderfully, fantastic life that I share with my amazing best friend & husband as well as my incredible family & friends.

Really, I'm just a big mess of feelings, haha!

Browsing:  For a Dining Room table!  Instead of buying for each other this Christmas, B and I plan to buy some dining room furniture (and hopefully a rug) for our large, empty dining room.  I have a general idea of what I want, but there are so many options out there.  Hopefully we find the right one soon, so that it's actually here by Christmas!

Enjoying: Girly at home manicures :)


It's simple little things like this that get me through the work weeks!  Right now I have a fun, sparkly brown on my nails!  Makes me happy when I look down :)

Cooking:  All things Paleo!!  I swear a Paleo post is coming, but in a quick summary, I'm down 5 pounds and having some of the best workouts I've ever had!  I feel so much better about myself, the way I look and feel.  It's been very eye opening.  I can't wait to write that blog post :)

Dating:  This sexy beast!!!

B finished his 2nd Spartan Race today -
the Spartan Beast Race!!

How luck am I!?  For real, I married a beast!  I'm so grateful for him - the way he partners, the way he motivates me and supports me in all things!!

Savoring:  Sweet snuggles from the fur babies!  This was us last night :)



A kitty in my lap, then a cute white doggy snuggled on the other side!

Wondering: If my Panthers are going to win again anytime soon!?!  :(  Don't get my wrong, they're still my team and I love & support 'em!  But I need some more Ws this season!!  Tomorrow is our bye week...so at least we can't lose!

Missing:  Blogging more :(  

If you read this far, well, bless you!  Haha, and thank you!  I definitely hope to be back more frequently.... So posts won't be this ginormous....at least a weekly update or something!?  We shall see!  

Hope you all are well my sweet blog friends!  Thanks for sharing this ride with me :)


8.02.2012

Oh the place you'll go...

Over this summer, I've seen a few other bloggers recap all the places they've traveled alongside their significant other.  I've loved seeing all the places each blogger had been & I like the idea of keeping a log of all the places Brandon and I have traveled...so I thought I'd follow suit!

A few places are obvious repeats (MI, VA), but each trip was unique so I wanted to document the repeats anyway.

Hopefully, as we travel more over our lives to new, different, and exotic places (a girl can dream right!?), I can come back and update this post :)

Since March of 2009, when I first met Brandon, we've traveled to...

Matoaca, VA - Lake Chesdin - June 2009
My cousin Ashley's HS graduation - and the first of many trips to the lake

Myrtle Beach, SC - July 2009
A first for B, although I'd visited many a time!

Folly Beach, SC - September 2009
When my love affair with Folly Beach began

Crowder's Mountain & Chimney Rock, NC - September 2009
Hiking on Labor Day

Grand Rapids/Hudsonville, MI - December 2009
Meeting B's family for the first time!

Crystal Mountain, MI - December 2009
Squeezed in a little skiing while in the Mitten :)

Beech Mountain, NC - January 2010
A little local ski day trip!

San Juan, Puerto Rico - April 2010
My Spring Break & a very memorable trip - where we got engaged!!

Atlanta, GA - June 2010
A weekend in the ATL & the Tigers vs. the Braves

Matoaca, VA - Lake Chesdin - July 2010
Back to the lake - my family vacay

Hudsonville, MI - August 2010
Our Michigan wedding shower :)

Folly Beach, SC - September 2010
Labor Day Weekend at the beach with good friends!

Blacksburg, VA - VT - October 2010
Central Michigan vs. VT

MTNs of NC - November 2010
A weekend in the Mountains 2 weeks before the Big Day!

Negril, Jamaica - November 2010
Our Honeymoon!

Hudsonville, MI - December 2010
Our first married Christmas in Michigan

Myrtle Beach, SC - December 2010/January 2011
New Years at the Beach

Greenville, SC - February 2011
A weekend away

Atlanta, GA - March 2011
Visiting my Parents

Spring Break & my first visit to Universal Studios!

Blacksburg, VA - VT - May 2011

Durham, NC - July 2011
Durham for the night for a Durham Bulls Game

Corolla, NC - OBX - July 2011

Grand Rapids/Husdonville/Muskegon, MI - July 2011
B's Company's Summer Work Party & my first helicopter ride!

Nashville, TN - August 2011
Traveling with B up to MI for a long weekend with the fam

Hudsonville, MI - August 2011

Virginia Beach, VA - September 2011

Detroit, MI - October 2011
Our friends Ryan & Kelly's Wedding Weekend

Hiking & Camping

Asheville, NC - November 2011
Our 1st Anniversary Trip and a visit to The Biltmore!

Rothbury, MI - December 2011

Hudsonville, MI - December 2011

Naussau, Bahamas & Key West, Florida - April 2012
B won a cruise through work so we took it over my Spring Break from school!

Matoaca, VA - May 2012
Up to the Lake for E&R's Engagement Luau

Folly Beach & Charleston, SC - June 2012
Our favorite spot

Blacksburg, VA - VT - June 2012
Erin & Ryan's Wedding Weekend

Virginia Beach, VA - July 2012
July 4th at the Beach!

Carolina Beach, NC - July 2012
Family Beach vacay


Unless I've somehow left out a trip that I just can't remember, that's every trip we've taken together!  Each has been so fun and special in it's own way...so here's to many more trips together, babe!


8.03.2011

Blogging Fool

That's me.  I am a blogging fool this week!  Its not my fault, though.  I'm holed up in the backseat of B's Ford Escape with a mobil hot spot and my mac.  Pinterest, facebook, & blogger are all consuming :)

Yesterday I fell in love, y'all.  I fell in love with a new city!  Like maybe I need to live there kinda fell in love!  I fell in love with Nashville.  Brandon and I stayed in Nashville last night and the city pretty much captured my heart. We're already trying to figure out when we can go back & stay longer than a night!

B really likes traveling through Nashville & staying there for work, but hates that he's always alone and can never go experience it.  Not this week!  Since I'm along for the trip, we figured we'd have a little Tuesday night date night in downtown Nashvegas!


B was gracious enough to indulge me and take a timed photo before we stepped into the heat!  :)  Just look past the messy desk!

Pause.  Can y'all see my shoes in this pic??  No?  I didn't think so.  So I took a close up pic for you!


How awesome are these shoes!?  Three and a half inches of tan, wedged gloriousness, and quite comfortable I might add.  I got the exact same pair in black, ON SALE, at Belk last week.  Probably should have told y'all sooner! They were having a big sale.  I got each pair for $17.50 and saved $103!  Just sayin' ;)

Resume to Nashvegas...our hotel was off Broadway in the heart of all the honky-tonk country flair Nashville promises.


Every restaurant & bar, and I mean EVERY one, has live music 7 nights a week!  So fun!


We ate at a BBQ place called Rippy's Smokin' Bar & Grill.  Brandon had eaten there before, but it had been a few years prior, & my SIL suggested it as well.  It had a great rooftop patio!  If it wasn't 157 degrees 101 degrees we might have actually eaten up there :(  Maybe next time.  Their pulled chicken plate was DE-lish!  I ate it all, no shame!!

After dinner we wanted to explore Broadway a little more!  Our next stop was this place...


The Stage was featured in the movie Country Strong (which I loved!) so we wanted to stop in and check it out!



They, of course, had a band and they were really awesome!  We took a video of them covering one of our fav Jason Aldean songs, but I don't know how to edit it unfortunately.  All around the bar they have pictures hanging autographed by any body who's anybody in Country Music!  Lots of country music stars stop in there on the regular to play, as well!  Just not last night, ha.  You can catch a lot of the videos on their website!


There was a giant mural adjacent to the stage with all the "founders" of country music.  In fact, the man on the top left is my relative, the King of Country Music, Roy Acuff himself!  (See...Nashville's in my blood!  I think that's why I liked it so much ;)


We stopped in a music store off Broadway & found even more Roy Acuff stuff!  I told B once we have a house we need to buy a canvas print of him like they had in the store to display in our house.  He said we'll see!  They had lots of his music for sale.  Have you ever heard any?  Look up "Night Train to Memphis", I think that's my favorite ;)

While I so loved The Stage, I also loved another stop off Broadway.


If you're gonna visit Nashville, let alone live there, you have to get some authentic southern, country garb.  While B considered a sweet cowboy hat, I picked out these bad mama jamas!!

 

How gorgeous are these!?!  Holy moly I can't wait to wear rock these thangs!! These are the REAL DEAL!  I'm talking gen.u.ine. FINE, real leather!!!  Yes!  I will create opportunities to wear these if need be :)  If I wasn't gonna be cremated, I might say bury me in 'em!

I told B he should at least pick out a big belt buckle or something, but he assured me he was ok.  


Nashville, you done swooped this southern, wanna-be-country, city-girl right off her feet in a most unexpected twist of events :)  The country music, bands, and bright lights are calling me back!  So return, eventually, I will!

Until then....


 
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