Welcome, Fall!

Well, fall is finally here in the great state of North Carolina. Took ya long enough, geez! It literally went from being in the 90's with a blazing sun and record setting humidity to a nice 60-70 degree days with a chilly breeze to boot. What happened? Well, a "monsoon" hit, also known as Tropical Storm "Nicole". Nicole dumped a record setting 8+ inches over the period of a few days and we are STILL under a flood watch for the Neuse River. But, I welcomed Nicole with open arms and was tempted to all but open up my guest room so she could stay as long as she wished. We didn't have a single drop to rain for over a month before this storm so to say we needed a good soaking, well, that'd be an understatement. We are now enjoying cooler daily high temps and even nights dipping into the 40's. This is the kinda weather that makes me want to get out of my house and enjoy the day.

So with the start of fall came a great day out at the park. We were celebrating a friend of Ava's 2nd birthday on base and the day was just fantastic. We even needed jackets when we first got there! I tend to be the one behind the lens these days so I rarely find myself in a picture with Ava. I'll try to be better!

I don't really have much news to report other than the big wedding coming up this weekend! My dress is ready to be picked up tomorrow morning, just in time, as we're leaving around lunch to make the 7-8 hour drive up to Pennsylvania to see our families. I hope Ava sleeps for most of it! (Keep dreamin'...). Ava usually does really well on long car rides but seeing how her last road trip, which was only about 4 hours, was a major bust...I'm a tad worried. Fingers crossed! Prayers said! Entertainment packed! Let's do this...

My Mom is hosting a 2nd birthday party for Ava and we only plan on having immediate family there. I promise I'm not intending on leaving out all the friends we have at home on this night but you see, I'll only be in PA for about 48 hours and I want to soak up as much time with my sisters as possible. My parents and, of course, Curt's mom and dad will be at the wedding in Maryland so we'll see them all weekend as well. We just plan making up for lost time, eating, drinking, relaxing, and celebrating Ava's second birthday. I'm taking another quick trip home early November sans Curt so I'll catch up with everyone then!

Ava is doing so awesome these days! I have to say, her sense of humor lately has been cracking us up. She's laughing out loud when she watches cartoons, playing tricks on Curt and I around the house, and just being such a fun and creative little girl all around. (Remember those easy-going days? Eh, me either...). Ava just bring so much entertainment to our lives these days! We just love her to pieces and have to keep ourselves in check with how much we spoil her with love and attention these days. Not that it's even possible to love too much, but you know what I mean. We need those boundaries to be in check too!

This past week we found ourselves a "back up" babysitter. We already have a girl that we really like as our primary sitter but just the other day a really nice 17 year old girl who lives two houses down came to our door with her own little babysitting business card. No joke. She's "CPR/Red Cross certified, trustworthy, and responsible". We did a test run today, which is what I always do with a potential sitter, and she came over to play with Ava while I was home. Based on all the noise and laughter coming from the toy room, I'd say she was a keeper. Ava ran right into her arms the second she walked in the front door...and she'd never even met her

before! Yes, please!

Okay, so before I ramble on any more, here are a few of the pictures I mentioned from the other day out at the park. Sorry my facebook friends, you've already seen these.

Dressed To Impress!

Well... I hope so, at least. Friends, I've been fighting off the "need" to buy a new dress for my brother in law's wedding mainly because of the dang cost of it all! Why oh WHY must an evening dress be so freaking expensive? Do I want to look nice? Of course! I'm not just a guest at this wedding, I'm family so I need to bring my A-game, ya know? I love dressing up just as much as the next girly girl in the group but seeing how we have formal and semi formal AND cocktail events with Curt's work all year long, this stuff gets expensive. This wedding is black tie so cocktail dresses were right out. The only 3 formal gowns I own are all in the beige to ivory family and seeing how I'm going to a wedding, that's just wrong. Anything in the ivory/beige/cream/white family is strictly off limits unless you're the one tying the know. It's funny how often people break that rule these days. Get a clue, people. Be traditional and leave the white to the bride.

My ebay find fell through because the price got a bit higher than I wanted it to and if I'm buying something off ebay, I'm not paying a lot. That's the point of ebay!

So here's what I just bought. It's Calvin Klein, and I hope I bought the right size or then I'm really in trouble. According to their "size" charts, I'm one size on top and another size on the bottom. Fantastic. I have approximately 8 business days to get this thing delivered to my house and altered to fit. In other words, I need a miracle. I bought it from Nordstrom and they're usually pretty speedy with the shipping, even though it's saying 5-7 business days. Eek! Also, the lady who does my alterations is really great about getting things done quickly when you need them. I may have to throw a little money at the problem, story of my life, to make sure we're all set in time.

It's really pretty, classic, satin, and I do believe it will hide my lady flaws and make me feel like a million bucks that night. Pretty, right?

(Ummm, did I just dedicate an entire post to my dress drama? You bet I did!)

Happy Anniversary...To Us!

Curt and I celebrated 6 years of being married to each other this past weekend in Charlotte, NC. Why Charlotte? Well, mostly because it was a change of scenery from our normal G'boro life and even the weekend trips that we always take to Raleigh. We decided to bring Miss Ava along for the trip, which was great. However, Ava used to be awesome at long car rides and now? Not so much... We had all the appropriate entertainment but for some reason, she was OVER it from start to finish. Made it a tad stressful but we are still really happy she came along with us. We always sit around and miss her when she's not there!

We didn't do any major tourist attractions, mostly because of time. We left on Saturday morning and came back on Sunday afternoon. It's about a 4 hour drive so... There was a really fun kid-centered place we were hoping to try out but it wasn't even open until noon and since Curt had to go into work tonight and study, we didn't have time to wait. Bummer.

However, after much lusting and saving, I came home with this beauty. Yes, this bag is "end all, be all" for me. (Not the "last" bag, is that even possible?) :) Unless you truly love and appreciate timeless handbags like I do, you wouldn't understand the excitement and fulfillment I get from such a luxury item. I know I'll love this bag forever AND ever and someday, when she's ready, it will be Ava's. I was so excited to finally buy this bag that Curt was just as excited for me. About a purse. Madness.


To celebrate 6 years we reminisced, ate A LOT of good food, spent a lot of time with our feet up, watched A LOT of football...

SPEAKING of football! My gift to Curt was a couple of tickets to the Eagles game when we're home around Christmas. So, NO, he didn't leave empty handed. Thanks to my great friend, Katie and her FIL who hooked it up with some of their season tickets. Not sure what I'd do without her, and not only because she helped me out with Curt's gift. Our daily texting and tweeting gets us through so much, big and small!!!

Such a great weekend!

We're really looking forward to our trip up to PA next week for Drew's big day! It's going to feel so great to be home for such a big, family event. Counting down....

"Ava-ism's"

Look at me! Three posts in less than a week??? WATCH OUT, Y'all! I'm back...

New word: "Ava-ism's". Creative. I know...

Ava has a couple really cute and fun phrases that she's been using a lot lately! The fact that we can practically have a conversation these days is just crazy to me. Although I'd like to believe that this leaves a lot of the guessing out with what she likes, wants, needs...we're not quite there yet.

So, Ava is a music JUNKIE. It's what she loves most in the this world. Asks for it ALL THE TIME. She doesn't like to dance alone so at least I can now say I have moderate daily exercise built into my life. Whenever a song comes on she says, "What song is this?"! Or, if she doesn't want to hear that song she says, "New song!". She's quite particular and although she loves her Barney songs and dance, this girl is all about the hip hop. Anything with some beat and a base, she's happy!

Back to the potty training business. She now hates to being in any kind of a dirty diaper. In public or in the privacy of our own home she YELLS, "Mommy! Poopy diaper! Change it...". I'm even more motivated to get the potty training now that we're tearing through diapers at the speed of a newborn. $$$!!!

I think Ava's favorite new phrase has to be, "I don't like it!". Man, she uses that one a lot. This past weekend it was all about the Tylenol. I'd say, "Ava, time for the medicine!", to which she always replied, "No! No! I don't like it!". She uses it for pretty much anything she doesn't want to do or like. Napping, sitting in the cart at the store, new foods, too much tickling.... Like I said, she uses it a lot!

Here's one I'm not too proud of, but let me give you some background so hopefully you can show me a little bit of sympathy. Last week while Ava was playing in her room, I was trying to get a whole days worth or dishes into the dishwasher. So, the water was running, the TV was one, and Ava was moving around the house like she always does. As I turned off the water I noticed this strange scratching sound coming from the hallway. I turned off the water and as I turned the corner out of the kitchen I noticed that Ava was WRITING ALL OVER MY WALL WITH A PENCIL! Gahhhhhh! So, my initial reaction was, unfortunately, "Dammit!". So, I get myself together, put Ms. Ava in a timeout (as we have been in the situation before with chalk) and attempt to clean it off. Does it come off? Of course not. Our builder used a flat paint, for whatever reason, and although it's in a pretty inconspicuous place, it still bums me out. Fast forward a few hours and we're at Walmart picking up a few things. When we get out to the car the wind manages to push the cart into the car, not too bad, but just as they came together, my sweet and angelic Ava yells out at the top of her lungs, "DAMMIT!". Oh, what a proud moment that was for me. She has used it, appropriately, on numerous occasions since the incident happened and we're doing our best to try and fill her up with suitable replacements. Think, "Oh geez!". Good work, Mommy. Good work.

Speaking of timeouts, when Ava finds her little tushy in timeout she always tells me, "Ava being naughty.", which I've only said ONCE in her lifetime. Man, you gotta be careful around this girl. She remembers it ALL. On a lighter note, she does like to tell me, "Go play Ava's room?" when she wants to hang out in there. She has about a million books and around bed time when she's doing her best to procrastinate the inevitable she runs back and forth from the couch in the TV room to her bedroom with a slew of books asking, "Read book?". The best part, when she runs back to her room she always says, "Be right back!".

Okay, so we're had a pretty long week and since Curt was in Vegas all weekend and Ava managed to run a fever the whole 48 hours he was gone, we're ALL exhausted. Unfortunately for him, I have little sympathy in his post drinking-gambling-all night long partying exhaustion so he's just going to have to suck it up! ;)

We're taking a short vacation next weekend and it's all kind of on a whim! We have no hotel reservations - yet, and we have no idea what we're doing there. Sounds like a plan!

Ode to Jessica Biel

Okay, seriously. This girl needs to just go away. Her perfection is killing me! I wish I had a suitable hair stylist capable of doing this "ombre effect" to my hair without making it look like I did it on purpose, which I think is the point. Her hair, her make up, her in-amazing-shape physique...I mean, really!

I absolutely love the subtleness of her make-up here. Less is more in my world. Gorgeous!

Um, someday I'll be motivated to have a body like this! I'm thinking P90X is somewhere in my future. I hear really good things about it...

Lust List

Okay, so I've always got my eye on something, don't I? Rest assured my priorities are in order. I care most for my family, my health, and happiness... But, this girl likes the pretties! AND, I'm not ashamed!

So, here's what's on my radar these days:

-Delicate Raymond Pendant necklace. I spied this on Carrie Underwood in my stylewatch about a year ago and have been going back to admire the picture more and more these days. I'm really liking gold accessories and since they can be worn all year round, I think it's a good investment! Gorgeous, right?



-Michael Kors oversized men's watch (for women, of course). Big and bold, I love it! It fits in really nicely with the boyfriend trend that seems to be sticking around.



-Tom Ford "Jennifer" Sunglasses. I've seriously worn my sunglasses to death. We're going on the same pair for the past 4 years. I still love them, but they really need a break. I'm getting sick of them and seeing how I made quite the investment when I bought them, I don't want to wear them into the ground. These seem like a good replacement!



-Pearl Cluster necklace. I've actually been admiring these for a while. You can go the costume route and still make a really big statement. Obviously real pearls will surely break the bank and if you're looking for a single strand, I think that's the best way to go. For something a little more dramatic, the artificial still looks really great for a fraction of the cost!


-Hunter Rain Boots. Yup, still want these.


-Frye Riding boots. This "Paige" style is really classic! My Mom and Dad bought me a really beautiful pair of Frye riding boots last year for Christmas that I LOVE. They're a rich, chocolate brown color and the quality is just outstanding. My super fun cowboy boots that I wore in my TLohse photo shoot just a few months back is another pair of Frye boots that I absolutely love. These tend to be a bit pricey but let me put them into perspective for you. When I told my parents that I wanted these boots for Christmas my Dad laughed and said he STILL HAD A PAIR of Frye boots upstairs in the attic. Now, if this man, who could care less about fashion saved these boots, that surely is reason enough to believe that they are worth the splurge.

I have to let you all know, Curt and I have the most amazing system set up in our house so that we make sure all the important stuff is taken care of financially from our monthly mortgage, to retirement savings, to a general savings account, to Ava's college...the works. He's all about the numbers and our budget is something we really stick to, and we have for the past few years. Lucky for me, my super understanding husband knows and "supports" me and my lusts by setting aside some fun money for me to do what I see fit. I can save it up, spend it...it's all in my discretion. It's the best system ever because everybody wins! Now, are my eyes bigger than my bank account? Of course. But, I live within my and our means, always. Some things I want may take 1+ years to save up for but in my mind, it's totally worth it.

Let's Get Married!

Like I mentioned recently, there are so many weddings coming up for Curt and I in the next few weeks. I'm excited to say that Ava will make her debut as a flower girl in October for my brother in law's wedding! SO FUN! We are having her dress made and she's going for her final fitting tomorrow. Ava has been less than impressed with her dress appointments and doesn't like to be measured. I guess that's not shocking, but it's been making things interesting. The woman who's making her dress is super nice and I even managed to get her to make Ava's Halloween costume! It's a surprise for Curt so I'll keep the costume under wraps. Last year she was kind of shafted on the costume so this year we're making sure she looks fantastic. Down here in G'boro it's crazy cheap to have things made. Ava's flower girl dress is $20. Yes, twenty whole dollars. Ha! That's amazing! Pictures to come!

Ballet class is going well! Ava asks to "dance with Ms. Tara?" on a daily basis. She loves to show me how she dances in class. We even got to see a small preview at the end of her class this morning on how they're learning to follow dance routines, which is so up Ava's alley, and how to do a somersault. It's ridiculously cute.

Curt and I have been keeping up with our daily routine here so nothing really new to report. He's headed to Vegas this weekend to celebrate Drew's last few weeks of freedom with the traditional bachelor party. They go pretty big, right? I guess this is what "grown-up's" do? When Curt and I were married we were practically babies and we thought heading into Philadelphia was big stuff. (For the record, my bachelorette party was bangin'...).

Lastly, Curt and I are headed to Charlotte next weekend for our anniversary. Nothing to crazy as we're taking Ms. Ava along with us. We're just looking for a change of scenery and seeing how our actual anniversary falls on a Saturday, we're taking advantage. I'm buying myself a little something special while we're there that I've been saving up for what feels like the better part of my lifetime. I'll share more when we get back!

I'll leave you with a picture of the two dresses I bought for the wedding in a few weeks. One for the dinner rehearsal and the other for the wedding and reception, which is formal. It's going to be a great weekend!

Please ignore the weird looking mannequin. I scored this dress for the wedding and reception on ebay, so what can you do!? I've honestly paid full price for some many dresses in the past and I'm over it! You don't wear them enough and I'd rather save up for the things that are going to be around for a while! AMEN! (If anyone is interested in my ebay seller for BCBG, holla at me! It's legit, he's a "powerseller" and I've bought a couple things from him in the past. It's been a lifesaver for the Bank-of-Curt, trust me!)


Annnd, sticking with the "cheap" theme, for the dinner rehearsal I found this at F21 online for a mere $27 dollars! I'm imagining black opaque tights and black patent pumps and a black pashmina. It will be October and chilly in the evenings, after all. Lovely!