Thanksgiving

I'm a little late on this post, but I have been working a lot, and when I get home I just wanna do nothing! My mom and dad drove up to Cleveland the Monday before Thanksgiving and stayed the week with us! Luckily, I was able to take off Thursday and Friday and spend some time with them. Tuesday they picked me up for lunch at Paninni's. It was a nice break in my day! That night, Matt made a taco bar for us- one of our favorites! After work on Wednesday, we headed out to Crocker Park. Dad and Matt went to the bar for some drinks, while me and Mom enjoys pedicures with martinis. :) Then we ate at Vieng's. Oh, Vieng's. I can't even describe how much I love this restaurant! We ate and ate and ate, and drank and drank and drank. :)
Thursday, we were up early. Pumpkin spice coffee and the Macy's Parade! Matt got the turkey in the oven, and I got the dressing started.
This was our Thanksgiving Menu:
Turkey
Mammaw's Dressing
Green Bean Bundles
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Rolls
Pumpkin Bread
Apple Pie and Ice Cream

It was sooo good! And... we only had leftovers for about 2 days! HA!

Friday, mom and I battled the crowds. We got to the mall about 6 am and hit the ground running. We shopped the mall, Target, Pier One, and Books A-Million. Then, we came home for some Razorback football! The HOGS got beat, but no big complaints here. They were playing the #1 team!! Mom and Dad decided to get on the road Friday night. They drove all night... and I'm sure they were EXHAUSTED the next day.
I don't know what I was thinking, but I didn't even get my camera out all week. We just had a great time visiting and relaxing.

Playing Catch-Up

I didn't realize how long it has been since I posted! Last weekend we went to Fayetteville to cheer on the HOGS for homecoming, and we had a blast! Zak met up with us in Atlanta Friday morning, and we flew right in to NW Arkansas. Zak's mom and dad came up to visit, so of course, Mrs. Debbie and I got in a little shopping Friday! That night, The Hemmer's took us to dinner at Mimi's Cafe, which is one of my favorites. Saturday, I slept in while the boys took the Ethics part of the Bar... just one step closer!! Brad drove up in time for lunch, and we headed to Five Guys. YUMMY. That afternoon, Mike and Teresa came up and, once again, me and Teresa did some shopping! :) She bought me the CUTEST Razorback tree. EVER. It is on its way to my house right now... pictures to come when I get it up!
The game was at 6, so we went down to tailgate a little while with Justin and Jenny and the boys. It was a little colder than I had expected, but the weather didn't stop us from having fun. Then, it was time to go call the hogs! Matt, Zak, Brad, and I sat with Mike and Teresa. We had a great time!

Teresa found these gloves... how cute!!

It was another WIN for the Razorbacks! We beat South Carolina 44-28. 

Dad's Visit

We had the BEST weekend. My dad's birthday was earlier this month, and we used some of our sky miles for him to come up and see us! He got in late Friday night, and he was ready for the weekend with us! Saturday morning we got up early and headed straight to the Apple Store at Crocker Park. Dad gave Matt his upgrade for the iPhone 4S, and Matt gave Dad his iPhone 4, so we had to be the first people at the Apple Store to get the phone... of course! After Crocker Park, we went to Strongsville and did a little birthday shopping for me :) and had lunch at Five Guys. Yummy. Saturday night we went to Champs and watched some football and baseball... we are pulling for the Cards in the World Series!

Sunday was the BIG day. Everyone was up early ready to go the Brown's game. Even though it didn't start until 1. We decided to walk to the stadium from our house because it was only about a mile away and it was absolutely gorgeous outside!

We walked through the Heritage Hall in the stadium and had lunch before the game started. It was kinda like the NFL Hall of Fame just for the Browns. We had AWESOME seats. 8th row up, 35 yard line on the Brown's side. We were so close!!

Peyton Hillis didn't get to play because of a hamstring injury, but he was there on the sidelines! The game wasn't very impressive. No one scored a touchdown... seriously! But, the Browns came away with a win over the Seattle Seahawks. 6-3 was the final score.

Later that night we went out for hot wings and more football and baseball. Then it was off to bed early since Dad's plane left at 7:30. It was a long day, but so worth it! We had so much fun!!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday is my favorite day of the whole year. It is MY day. I woke up this morning to my phone dinging... texts, Facebook, and missed calls. My dad felt that it was necessary to call me at like 8 this morning. :) I headed to Crocker Park for a pedi and a little shopping, grabbed Chick-Fil-A on the way home, and had lunch with Matt while we watched some football.
We have both felt bad all week- actually, he has been sick for almost 2 weeks, so the Wilkins' house hasn't been much fun. Tonight, we got some cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory and are now hanging out with a box of kleenex and antibiotics. This is exactly how I wanted to spend my birthday...

Brad

Brad and Zak met us in Dallas. They both arrived late Thursday afternoon and started the party. Because Matt was back in Little Rock, I got to hang with the boys by myself. We had dinner with Mike and Teresa at the hotel, and the three of us continued to hang at the bar. Until they closed.
If you don't know Brad, let me tell you. He is a hoot. Brad is Matt's cousin and is in school at UCA. Every time I see him, he teaches me something so incredibly stupid. This weekend he taught me "the turkey", "the snail", and "the snurkey". Don't worry- I didn't wear them out. :)  Let me explain. You know how you fist bump? Well, when you go to bump, one person puts his/her hand up like a high five, and it looks like a turkey and that's "the turkey". "The snail" is similar, but instead of putting your hand up for a five, you go under the other person's fist and hold 2 fingers up. It looks like a little snail. "The snurkey" is a combination of the other 2, but both people have to participate. I can not believe I just explained that. WOW.
He also taught me something else that is equally as ridiculous. Brad thinks it is so funny to add "sk" onto the ends of words. He started this habit when he watched Burlesque and thought the sound of the word was too funny not to incorporate into his everyday life. So, now Brad says things like "hogsk", "airplanesk", and "mallsk". He has started adding the suffix on every word that comes out of his mouth... some I can't repeat on my blog. :)
We always have so much fun with Brad. He's the life of the party!
I don't have a good picture of us from this weekend, but to show his personality, these 2 were taken at our wedding...

WPS!!

The Crew

What a weekend!! We have been ready for this game since the Hogs won the Southwest Classic last year!  Not only did we get to see the Razorbacks play at Cowboy Stadium for the 2nd time, we got to see a heck of a game that ended with a big ole W!! Matt and I left Cleveland early Thursday morning, met up with Zak in Detroit and continued on to the BIG D. Unfortunately, we got some really bad news when we landed in Dallas, so Matt headed straight to Little Rock to be with some friends during a really tough day. Luckily, our friends got some good news, and Matt caught a ride with Mike, Whitney, and Emily back to Dallas Friday afternoon.
After spending some time with the boys, and their new toys :) we had a few drinks at the hotel bar and headed to bed for the early game Saturday! We made it to the stadium about 9:30, and the game started at 11.

Jax loves his Aunt Mo Mo

It wasn't looking so good to be a Razorback fan during the first half... the Aggies came out strong! But, they just couldn't keep their momentum up after half time. Welcome to the SEC, right? :)  Justin had so much fun leading our section in... "That's another Razorback..." It was too funny watching him, especially at the end! 

Jeremy is a die-hard fan!

During some of the not-so-exciting parts of the game, Emily sat with me and her Uncle Matt...

She had a HOG sticker like all the girls :)

After the game, we headed back to the hotel, freshened up, and went for an early dinner at the Galleria. Then, everyone kinda split up for some shopping! Brad and Zak left with us early this morning to catch our flights home... We had a wonderful weekend! So glad the HOGS came out with a win and now are in the TOP TEN!! WHOOO PIG SOOOIEEE!!!

Date Night

Date nights are my favorite. I love getting out of the house and spending some time with my man. :) Last night, Matt had a hair appointment at Crocker Park's Charles Scott. Since Anthony Vince is right next door, I couldn't resist a pedi!

After all the primping.... we walked down to Brio. It is an amazing restaurant, and we haven't eaten there in forever! Matt had a fettucini something (oops) and I had sweet potato and chicken risotto. Heavenly. We also shared a bottle of Chianti... yummy :) And, of course, we had a chocolate molten cake with gelato. It was nice to get out during the week- no waiting or reservations needed.

We were enjoying ourselves so much, I didn't even think to take our picture! :(  Next time...

I heart Fall

I. LOVE. FALL. 

Everything about it.

The weather. Football. The clothes. My hair. Boots. Sweaters. Hoodies. Candles. MY BIRTHDAY! 

Fall has always been my favorite. I love fall decorations for my house! Pumpkins and apples, cider and hot chocolate, routine, scarecrows, games every weekend, Halloween, Thanksgiving, food, mums, and my birthday. :) 

I love those mornings when there is a frost on the ground, but the temps get to 65 during the day; the days where flip flops are gone, but it isn't quite freezing yet.

I also love getting birthday surprises in the mail. Just today I received:
$20 off purchase at White House Black Market
$10 off purchase at Victoria's Secret
$15 off purchase at The Limited
$20 off purchase at Vera Bradley
ALL just because it's my birthday :)

Birthday Wishes...

My birthday is right around the corner, and I have a long list of wishes :)

These Toms are AWESOME!!

Razorback Colors :)

And I am totally loving these sunglasses from BR...

(And I really do NEED a new pair.... ;))

I also LOVE this Fossil watch. Stylish and reasonable.

Fall candles are my favorite (and I haven't bought any this year)

(Looks like there's a coupon!!)

Victoria's Secret has some of the cutest Razorback (and Browns) lounge wear... and I LOVE VS gift cards. :)

I have been printing recipes out left and right, but they are just stacked on the coffee table. I found this recipe book that I would love to have. How cute is this?

If y'all can't tell, I LOVE my birthday! :)

Go Razorbacks!

We are all decked out in our Razorback gear and ready to go! GO HOGS!!!

LOVE Saturdays in the fall :)

Family

Sometimes I am overwhelmed with people not minding their own business! Ha! Matt and I have been married for almost 2.5 years, and we are so happy with the way our lives are. So, when we are constantly asked, "when are y'all going to start a family?", my response is this: "We started our family on May 16, 2009, when we tied the knot". Okay. I know this sounds crazy to some of you, but we are in NO rush to have a baby. Of course we want children and a big house and yard for them to play in, but for now, we want us. We want to be able to travel and enjoy each other and be able to "fly by the seats of our pants". We both feel like the most important thing about having kids is being able to take care of them, so we want to save up and be able to provide for them the best we can. Once Matt finishes law school and we are settled back in Arkansas with a home and solid careers, I'm sure baby fever will hit. But until then, we are going to enjoy each other and take it all in! :)

In the mean time, we get to enjoy these precious faces when we are back home! Oh, the cuteness.

Photography by Jennifer Goodman

TV Premiere Week

I am so excited! This week kicks off all the new (and old) TV shows, and Matt and I LOVE TV! We watch just about everything... haha! Here are some of our favorites:

2.5 Men... excited about Ashton!

How I Met Your Mother

Big Bang Theory

The Good Wife- LOVE Julianna Margulies

Grey's Anatomy

Private Practice

The Mentalist

Parenthood

Body of Proof

House- probably Matt's fave

We have more on our list, but these are the must-see shows for us!

There are a few new shows we are gonna try out...

A Gifted Man

Up All Night

Revenge

The Playboy Club

New Girl

I know all of these shows won't get picked up, but it's always fun to see which ones make it! :)

Weekend Recap

We had a nice, relaxing weekend... Slept in Saturday and watched some football before catching a movie and dinner. We saw Contagion with Matt Damon (love.), and it was okay. I think I liked it more that Matt.

After the movie, we had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, Menaro's. It's a family-owned Italian place, and it is amazing! Luckily, we discovered it soon after we moved here, so we have gotten to enjoy it and it has become a go-to. Yummy :)
Sunday, we stayed in and watched football and 9.11 specials all day!
I am continuing the job search this week... it's never-ending. Hopefully, I will find something soon!
Have a great week!

Nine Eleven

It was my first year in high school, and I was in Coach Bray's 2nd period health class when the buzz started. I listened to the teachers and administrators talk about these mysterious planes, but no one seemed to know any real details. I walked into my 3rd period French class, and the television was on the news, so I knew something big was going on. We watched the first plane crash into the tower and listened as they reported about terrorist attacks in our country. By the end of that class, WMHS was dismissed due to bomb threats on the school. Everyone was in a panic. I gathered my things and bolted out to the back parking lot. I called my mom and a bunch of my friends and moms went to lunch. At this point, no one really knew what had happened or what was to come...
I had only been to NYC once, and it was March 2001. I couldn't believe we had just been there and shopped and dined in the WTC. I couldn't believe terrorist were attacking us.

The rest of that day, I spent glued to the TV learning about the other crashes at the Pentagon and in the field in Pennsylvania.
I can't believe it has been 10 years since this happened. Since the attacks, I have visited NYC 3 times. Matt and I saw ground zero and toured the museum for the victims of 9.11, and it seemed so surreal.

These pictures were taken when we were there in 2008. I know a lot more progress has been made since then, and we plan to visit the new Freedom Towers when they are complete! 

Thousands of lives were taken that day, the whole country was affected, and so many heroes were made. We are so lucky to live in a place where, when tragedy strikes, differences are put aside and we are able to come together as a country and fight back. 

Thank you to all the firefighters, medics, and servicemen and women who work to protect our country every day. You are appreciated so much!

Cleveland

This is the best time of the year in Cleveland. It is beautiful. The highs are low 70's and the lows are high 50's. It seems like we have had more rain this year, but it should be gone within the next week or so and the weather will be perfect.. until about the beginning of November, then it gets COLD! But for now, I love it! I have to wear a sweater if we go out at night and flip flop days are becoming few and far between, and the breeze off the lake makes it feel a bit cooler than it really is. Matt made our first batch of apple cider the other night... Yum :) 

This is what we use, and it is sooo good! Aspen Cider Spices... add apple juice and heat on stove! Nothing is better on a cold night than my blanket, apple cider, football on TV, and my Matt. ;)