Another Goodbye

Sorry folks.

I know I just got back in town but I'm off on another adventure.

I'll be in North Carolina until Sunday Night. (Woohoo 5 day weekend!)

Hope everyone has a fabulous week!

The TEN Year Reunion

Waking up in sunny Memphis on Saturday morning made us happy.
Can you tell?

We started the day with a little Starbucks...then headed over to my mom's house for a lunch with the whole family. After a year and four months of dating, CV finally got to meet my mom, sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew, brother and my brothers gf. (I guess that's what happens when you live 500 miles away from your family. It's hard to introduce people!)

After the visit with the fam, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for my TEN year reunion.

We met a few friends at Bahama Breeze (this has literally been our "get together hang out" for the past four+ years) for dinner, which made us about an hour and a half late. Oops.

And then I got lost while driving to Woodland Hills which made me another 30 minutes late. Double Oops.

Sooooo, I was the last person to arrive. Triple Oops.

But...we made it and had a great time!

These were a few of my main girls from high school. AND luckily, most of them are still my main girls today! Ten+ years of great friendship!

Here's my friend Zachary: The only one to show up in a tux and bow-tie!

(Typical Zachary)

And a few more friendly pictures:

All in all, it was a great 10 year reunion. There were about 125 of us there (not very good numbers since I graduated with about 500) but it was still a good event!

We both had a great time and I'm so glad I attended.

I didnt want to be one of those people who regretted not going!

Did you go to your reunion? Or do you plan to go when it's time?

Hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I know we did!

500 Miles to Memphis

I spent this past weekend in Memphis with CV.

It was his first visit to my hometown...which means...he was about to meet my mom, sister, brother, (and other family members), as well as, a long list of my friends for the very first time.

Does he look nervous? Ha :)

Our first night was spent touring Harbortown (where I used to live), seeing the Pyramid, and eating at the  Rendezvous restaurant for their famous ribs.

It was his first time eating Memphis Style (real) BBQ. I think he was pretty satisfied.

After dinner, we went to Bardog Cafe to meet up with some of my friends for drinks. (Hi Lauren!)

Then, we took the Main Street Trolley over to Peabody Street to meet a few more friends at Silly Goose (Newsome, Graw & Jeremiah) for more drinks and coffee tequila shots!

We didn't make it to Beale Street, but we did drive by twice so I could show him the Beale Street Fun.

It was a great night in Memphis.

Will post about the rest of my trip and my high school reunion soon...

THIS was me....TEN years ago!

Tomorrow, CV and I will  be headed to Memphis to attend my TEN YEAR high school reunion .

Yes. I'm THAT old!

Take a trip with me down memory lane, won't you?

Pep Rally Day with two of my high school BFFs, Amanda & Kelley.

Don't you just love school spirit?!

Another Pep Rally Day picture with another BFF Stephanie!

Hula Day with Kelley & Nina.

*On a funny note: I remember this day. Kelley and I were walking down the hallway in this outfit and we overheard two girls talking and they said "Oh My Gosh, those girls are wearing BIKINIS. They MUST BE SENIORS." Haha.

And Graduation Day with a few of my ladies!

Vanessa-Joanna-Betsy-Haley-Miranda-Leigh

Natalie-Kelley-ME-Lisa.

They made us wear white shoes!! My little strappy platform numbers make me laugh.

I feel like a lot of people hated high school but I absolutely loved it. It was a great four years & I can't wait to see everyone again and rehash the memories!

What about you? Did you love or hate high school?

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

I'll be back next week...with details and pictures!

Think Happy. Be Happy.

A few of my "happy" pinterest finds:

Hope everyone has a happy-big-smile kinda day! :)

Fall Trends

Another edition of Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge.

Today's Topic: Fall Clothes/Trends

This outfit says it all.
Layers

Blazer

Scarf

Browns/Olives with A POP of color!

Ahhhh, I love it!

I love these outfits too.

Love cottons, stripes, boots and scarves!

(Although I would probably jazz each outfit up with a more colorful accessories!)

And ofcourse I love this Kim K. Outfit.
Casual & Stylish.

And is it weird that I LOVE these pants. Pair this outfit with a black blazer and a long pendant necklace...and BAM!! I would love that look on me! :)

And I am a total fan of dark nail polish for fall. And big rings & accessories!

What are you trending for fall?

Fall Traditions

I decided to link with with Neely & Amber for their Fabulous Fall Blog Challenge:

Today's Topic: FALL TRADITIONS 

My traditions include:

Lighting Pumpkin Scented Candles

I lit this "Pumpkin Buttercream" candle for the first time this weekend.

AND OH MAN...it's the most fabulous fall smell I could ever imagine! :)

Carving Pumpkins

Last year was actually the FIRST year I've ever carved a pumpkin. BUT I loved it so much I'm going to do it every year. It's such a fun thing to do to get ready for Halloween.

Making Soup
The first week it gets cold, I love making a big pot of soup. Speaking of which, I made a big pot of homemade Chicken Corn Chowder last night, served with grilled cheeses. Mmmmm. Definitely gets me in the "fall" mood! Here's the recipe I posted last year.


Cleaning Out My Closet
Just like with spring, I have a Fall Tradtion of cleaning out my closet and donating clothes to charity.
(And I have a tradition of shopping and buying new fall clothes too!)

What are your traditions. Visit Neely or Amber to link up!

How To Reupholster and Paint a Chair

The Victim:

An Ugly, Old, Boring, Wooden Arm Chair that CV found for me on the side of the road.

Good thing he spotted it so I could bring the poor thing back to life.

Step One: Seat Removal

Remove the seat from the chair. (Usually can be done with a screwdriver)

Step Two: Fabric Removal

Remove the old fabric from the seat. (You may need to remove staples, etc)

Here is what I was I had to work with.

This chair was so old the leather seat covering just fell off.

Gross.

Step Three: Sanding

I sanded the wood using two sanding blocks, course and fine, to get down to the bare wood.

Then, washed off the wood dust with a damp rag.

Step Four: Priming

After the chair was dry, I used a white primer and sprayed a light coat to the entire chair. Note: Make sure you are in a well ventilated area!

Step Five: Painting

After the primer dried, I sprayed two (almost 3) coats of black spray paint over the entire chair.

Step Six: Protecting

After the paint was dry, I applied one coat of clear enamel protector. This helps protect the paint from chipping and adds a glossy finish.

Step Seven: Watch Paint Dry

Wait about 24 hours to let your final coat of paint/enamel dry. (Or up to 3 days depending on the quality of the paint/wood.)

Step Eight: Batting/ Foam Cushion
(This is great to do while you are waiting for your paint to dry.)
Check the quality of the current seat, if you can reuse the batting and foam, please do. My current chair didn't have any foam or batting so I purchased some so my seat will have a little cushion feel to it.
Lay your seat over your batting and cut around it, leaving about 2 inches all around.
Then staple the batting around the seat.

Step Nine: Upholstery

Lay your seat over your selected fabric and cut around it, leaving about 3 inches all around.
Then staple the fabric around the seat.

Step 10: Apply Seat to Chair
Now that your seat is covered and your paint is dry. You can screw your new seat onto your chair.
And Tada.

What do you think?

Here is the cost breakdown:
CHAIR - Found on side of the road - FREE
SANDPAPER BLOCKS - ACE Hardware - $5.66
PRIMER - ACE Hardware -$4.25
PAINT - ACE Hardware - $8.50
ENAMEL - Ace Hardware - $4.78
STAPLE GUN - Already Had - $0.00
BATTING - Joanne's Fabric - $4.46
FABRIC - IKEA - $9.55
TOTAL - $37.20

If you missed my first project, click here!

Mulch Love

9/11
A day that will never be forgotten.

A day that teaches us to not take anything (or anyone) for granted.

A day that reminds us to be thankful and to appreciate life.

AND

A day that makes me want to give back to the community.

And so I did.

I couldn't think of a better way to spend the 10th anniversary of 9/11 than to volunteer. So, I joined the forces of Cincinnati Parks, along with 20 of my fellow coworkers, to volunteer our time to help preserve part of the park.

What did it entail? Well, MULCHING. We mulched an entire hill to preserve the trees and nature. It involved a lot of teamwork, a lot of effort, and a lot of fun, actually. (And playing wiffle ball and frizbee during our break was fun too!)

Sure, mulching a local park didn't have a global impact, but it sure made all of us feel good inside and glad we spent the day, remembering...helping...and showing some love.

And...there was beer afterwards!
(Or in my case, a Strongbow Cider)

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. ~Aesop