a day late and a dollar short!

happy friday friends!

last night while cleaning up the labels on my past posts (to make my blog searchable by topic), i noticed that i never shared a picture of my most recent tattoo. it's a dang shame too because it's my absolute favorite to date! i had been waiting for it to heal up to get a good shot, but that was a few months ago now and i just completely forgot about it.

so here ya go...

some people have a hard time figuring out what it says in person. so if it's not reading clearly in this pic, here's a hint...

hope a great weekend is enjoyed by all!!!

happy 2011!

happy new year friends! i'm feeling very well rested after a good little bit away enjoying time with friends and family. i hope you all enjoyed a fabulous holiday as well! 2011 seems to be off to a bit of a rocky start, what with the transmission in my car giving up today, but i've still got high hopes for this year ahead. with my sights set on the future i thought it only proper to take a moment today and enjoy some of my favorite moments from this past year. 2010 was one for the records in my opinion! here's my own personal highlight reel...

kicking off the year with a day of sleds, home cooking, and game nights...

learning to embroider...

swinging in our hammock...

lots of road trips with barkley...

my first oil painting in years...

the master cleanse. it may not sound like a highlight, but it was quite a bonding experience!

our first garden...

tons of salvage yard trips to hunt for cast iron...

my first trip to hooters. again with the bonding...

two of our bestest buds, adam & steph, got engaged! evan & i are in the wedding in a few months. so stoked!

a few highly memorable beach trips...

and another amazing year with my mister...

i'm not so sure how 2011 can top this, but i'm gonna do my best to make it happen! so again i'll wish a very healthy happy new year to you. i'm super grateful for all of you and can't wait to share another year!

happy friday the 13th!

in honor of this most lucky of days, adam, steph and i decided to honor the age old tradition of getting 13 tattoos on the 13th. the day went as follows...

we are a bunch of silly fools!

adams...

stephs...

mine...

and a close up...

happy friday the 13th one and all... have a great weekend!!!

all tattoos courtesy of the fabulous a.j. lingerfeldt...

memories...

weekend happenings...

i had been wanting to get my feet tattooed with the last names of my grandparents for a bit now, and on friday our friend chris just happened to have a cancellation and was able to get me in. i had a rough idea of what i wanted on each foot and he did such a good job balancing them out and making them cohesive.

the cards are for my mom's parents, who taught me how to play cards at about age 4, as well as the value of a truly good poker face. my grandmother was never without a roll of pennies in her purse just in case the chance to gamble with the grand kids might arise. so many of my younger memories are of spending days at their house. taking walks to the pool, making cookies, playing with my grandma's jewelry, and lots and lots of crossword puzzles. the most valuable life lesson though was from my grandfather who said, "always walk with your head down, 'cause you never know when you might find some money." thanks for that gem grandpa!

the cardinal is for my fathers parents. my grandfather just loved cardinals and i think that after he passed away the love transferred to the rest of my family. cardinals are all over the place here in nc, they're actually the state bird, and every single time one swoops in front of me i can't help but feel like it's my grandfather giving me a little hello. when i think of them it's all about big family gatherings with a pot of sauce cooking on the stove all day, golf lessons in the backyard, watching pretty woman for the first time ever in their guest room, and being the only girl to go crabbing with the boys.

they are missed...

in addition to new tattoos, we also got a new little something for our home. yesterday was our one year anniversary! i can not believe just how quickly one year of marriage flew by. my parents drove up from atlanta to hang out with us for the weekend, and while they were here they purchased us probably the greatest anniversary gift ever... a hammock! i had been wanting one since we moved into our house, and was set on having one for the summer. we have two perfectly spaced trees in the backyard that were just calling for a hammock, and i thought it a shame for them to not fulfill their destiny. thanks again mom and dad, i can already see many a summer evening spent swinging and relaxing here.

perhaps i'll go kick up my still swollen feet right now, hang out in the hammock for a bit, and think about just how lucky i am to have the greatest family anyone could ask for...

friday the 13th...

this past friday, yup the 13th, my husband, our friends, and i got together for a bit of a gift exchange. the gift being one terrible tattoo. each chose a name out of a hat, then laughs and good times followed. i sat out of the tattooing part and just took the photos...