Jamaica in June

Mahalo for Honeymoons: White sand beach and fireworks

2009-07-22T17:00:00.007-04:00

Day 4 (July 4): White sand beach and fireworks

It was pretty cool to wake in Hawaii on the 4th of July because it reminds me of why I love the US so much! Hawaii is like no other place in America... and actually I can't believe it really is part of the states! It's so cool to be able to use your cell phone and pay with US dollars, but feel like you are in some exotic country!

So we headed up the coast of The Big Island to Hapuna Beach. It's pretty famous for it's white sand beach and was even ranked #1 in the US for a while! We were there early and beat all the crowds, which was nice! It was every bit as pretty as we expected! Crystal clear water and white sand! I'm not sure I would travel all the way to Hawaii for that though (the Caribbean has a lot of this to offer) but Hawaii is so much more than this! The sun is really hot here, but you don't realize it because there is very little humidity! So we baked for a few hours and then headed back to shower and get ready for fireworks!!!

We decided to go Waikola Village (where all the big resorts are) to watch the fireworks. We killed some time walking around the shops and then had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the water. This was probably the best dinner we had all week! The atmosphere was amazing and the sunset even more amazing! Oh, and the food was good too! The hotel where this restaurant is has a monorail running through the hotel! It's like Disneyland for adults! We were completely captivated and decided that we end our trip on this part of the island!

We watched the fireworks and then headed to a little Bed & Breakfast right on the beach, that we were staying in for the night!

Mahalo for Honeymoons: Finding a Place of Refuge and Golfing

2009-07-13T16:47:00.000-04:00

Day 3 (July 3): Finding a Place of Refuge and Golfing

Once again we woke up at the crack of dawn and headed out the door. Yesterday we found a place that everyone calls "The Place of Refuge". It was about 4 miles down a one lane unpaved road. Once you got there, you realized how it got it's name!

It was gorgeous! Rows and rows of palms trees, waves crashing onto huge volcanic rock and old tiki statues that truly took you back in time!

There were hardly any people there so we just explored and found a great secluded spot on the rocks. We jumped in the water where a little pool had started to form.

I read while Jason created our initials out of coral on the volcano rock! This took a lot longer than you would imagine (it's harder than it looks).

From there we headed to the golf course!

The logo of this golf course was a peacock which until we got there seemed a little odd. We got to the second fairway and were almost attacked by a peacock!

They are really intimidating in person! These were wild ones, but didn't seemed scared of people and as it approached the cart I totally freaked out! It was hysterical! We were literally chased away by the peacock! The views from this course were amazing, the pictures really don't do it justice!

It's a locals course so it's a good find if you are ever there and want to play some golf!

We were totally exhausted at the end of the day! Sun and golf had taken it out of both of us, so we bought a frozen pizza and headed back to the bungalow to drink some wine and eat pizza!

Mahalo for Honeymoons: Exploring and Relaxing

2009-07-12T16:22:00.000-04:00

Day 2 (July 2): Kayaking and Snorkeling with a side of Relaxation

We woke up about 5am Hawaii time! I'm not sure if it was the sun coming up, the roosters that roamed freely around the grounds of the bungalow or the time change but we were awake this early almost every day! It was great because we were able to wake up, eat breakfast, drink fresh grown Kona coffee and head out the door before most people got out of bed!

Our Bungalow was up the mountain that overlooked Kealakekua Bay so we decided to go check it out. This seemed to be a very "local" hangout which was pretty cool. There was a group of guys that had set up a kayak rental business at the edge of the bay so why not?

We hopped in a kayak and started across the bay. It looked a lot shorter from shore. Once we got to the mid way point we were somewhat regretting the decision, but off in the distance we could see the gorgeous waters on the other side and kept going. We got to other side and noticed that the shoreline was really rocky and as we tried to determine the best way to "land" we crashed into the rocks! We flipped over and lost a snorkel mask (that we'd borrowed from a friend of mine)! But the snorkeling was amazing and it was worth every minute of it!

Later in the day we went to a place that had couples hot tubs and massages. We were ready for some relaxation after our day of adventure! This place was so cool, it had huge barrels as the hot tubs and each hot tub was completely secluded and surrounded by gorgeous flowers.

Very romantic! After the hot tub you could rinse off in a natural rock stone shower.

Then we headed to the massage tables that were outside!

This is one of my favorites parts of the trip!

We ended the day with dinner at Huggos. The food wasn't all that great, but the atmosphere and sunset made it worth it!

Mahalo for Honeymoons: Traveling to The Big Island

2009-07-11T15:57:00.002-04:00

So the wedding is officially over... but we ended the amazing experience with the best trip of our lives! It helps that A) it was our honeymoon and B)that we were in Hawaii for almost 2 weeks. We went to The Big Island, which from what I understand is one of the least traveled islands in Hawaii and let's keep it that way!

It's like discovering a private island! So much to see and so much to do! We could have spent 2 months! I kept a little journal of what did each day, so I could remember everything and hey, you might want to go sometime!
So here we go! I'm going to do a post for each day to keep 'em shorter!

Day 1 (July 1): Traveling to The Big Island

Our flight left at 10am from Atlanta and we connected through LAX. Of course I had to use my "Just Married" luggage tag that my mother-in-law gave me! It was kind of crazy to pass 10am in other time zones as we flew over then! I'll never really used to the whole time change thing. Anyways, the flight to LAX was awesome, a huge plane so I was totally cool!

Then the flight from LAX to Kona was a smaller plane, but a really smooth and surprising short 5 hour flight. I say short because it really went fast! I'm pretty sure that's because I was more excited than a 2 year old on Christmas Day!
As we approached the island you could see the top of Mauna Kea! It's summit is over 14,000 feet above sea level and way above the clouds!

So we landed in paradise at 4ish there time. This is what their airport looks like! It's all outside! That is when you know you're in paradise... check in and baggage claim, even the gates were all outside!

We picked up our jeep (which will later become a bad decision) but at the time we were pumped!

We headed to the grocery store to get food for the few days we'd be at the bungalow and then headed about 30 minutes south to the "Banana Bungalow"!

It was about a 5 minute off-road, bumpy ride up to the bungalow! It was literally in the middle of nowhere! Kind of creeped me out... but a very cool welcome to Hawaii!

That was the end of day 1! After the long day of travel, we totally crashed!

We belong in the zoo!

2009-07-01T00:01:00.009-04:00

I took my nieces to the zoo this past weekend and it reminded me of three things: 1)how super cool the zoo is and how cool it is that it's so close 2)how awesome it is to be a kid and 3) much I adore spending time with them!

Isabella loved the lion statues and the real tigers!

This tiger was just chilln' in the water and Isabella wanted to "wait until he was finished" to leave the area! Very cool to see a tiger so close up!

Bridgette bear and me having some lunch! She is getting so big... can't believe it!

Isabella not loving the "photo op" as much as Aunt Beck!

So much fun spending the day with my girls and at the zoo! Go to the zoo and save the pandas!!

Captured Moments

2009-06-26T13:48:00.006-04:00

(One of my MOST favorite pictures from the wedding!)

So I wanted to post a few more pictures from the wedding! I now have a few of the professional photographer's photos as well as the other professional photographer that was attending the event, April Carretta!

(maybe might second favorite picture!)

Just FYI, you missed your calling April! Your pictures were amazing! Thank you so much for capturing the day in such a beautiful way! I can't thank you enough!

Getting Hitched in Mo'Bay!

2009-06-15T14:49:00.008-04:00

It's official!!!! I'm officially a McKinley! Finally! We had the most amazing week leading up to the wedding in Montego Bay and then had great weather for the actual wedding day on June 6th! It was so awesome to have all of our closest friends and family there! We kept having to pinch ourselves because it was just too great! I have so much to post and I'll do more later, but wanted to add pictures from the week and wedding!

Champagne waiting for us at the hotel lobby!

April and I lounging by the pool on Thursday!

This is my idea of a wedding weekend!

My sister and I at The White Witch golf course for diner on Thursday night

Jason and I before our catamaran ride on Friday! Crystal clear waters!!

Laura and I before the rehearsal dinner on Friday!

Jason and I dancing to David Gray "Be Mine"

My best friends ready to celebrate!

More to come!

Slightly Above Par

2009-05-25T16:20:00.003-04:00

Jason and I headed to Richmond, VA this weekend to spend some time with his Grandma who is in the hospital. She won't be able to make it to the actual wedding in Jamaica, so we wanted to spend some time with her before the big day.

While we were there Jason took me to a place that meant a lot to him growing up... the golf course! Salisbury Country Club, a place that basically saw Jason grow up! It was really cool to meet the golf pro, Mike, that has taught Jason for many years.

Evidentially the teaching has worn off, because this was not one of my future husband's best rounds!

I love to go tag along while Jason's plays! Who doesn't love driving the cart?

My usual view is from the golf cart with a beer in hand.

Today the views were upgraded just a bit... as Jason managed to hit two golf balls into the same lake, and then one into a cute little patch of dandelions (see below)!

Makes me appreciate the ability to laugh at yourself and just have fun with someone! (even though Jason's going to kill me for this post!)

The UPS man does not like me...

2009-05-14T16:07:00.004-04:00

One of the many fun things about being engaged and planning a wedding is the arrival of packages (that seem to come on a daily basis now) to my doorstep! I got home from work yesterday and was greeted by this

This particular delivery was my welcome totes!!! So exciting! I'm definitely not complaining -- I'm just starting to feel bad for the UPS guy!

Before I'm a Mrs.

2009-05-13T16:17:00.011-04:00

Once again I am thanking my awesome friends for a wonderful shower! The Swan Coach House is one of my favorite places and so it was very special to be able to have the shower there! Jason's mom flew in from Richmond, VA for the occasion. It was very sweet to have her there along with many friends and family members! This was my last official "event" before the wedding! So now the countdown is really on for June 6th!

The hosts - Laura and Mikaela

Laura had the cutest favors (A tropical candle with brown and aqua ribbon tied around it). She also made name tags for everyone with a special message on the back!

Mimosas - my favorite part!

Opening gifts is so much fun!

The moms! (my mom on the left and my future mother-in-law on the right in the cute red hat!)

Welcome to Roanoke

2009-05-04T16:06:00.005-04:00

Jason and I headed up to Roanoke, VA this past weekend to meet with the minister! It's actually Jason's cousin, Bryson that is marrying us! He wanted to meet me before the wedding and go over a few "things" with us. I was a little apprehensive at first, I mean what happens if you don't pass the test? Can you still get married? Seems a little late for all of this, right?

Well, I was wrong. It turned out to be an amazing experience and I highly recommend it to anyone getting married. I know a lot of people go through marriage counseling so this isn't anything new or special. But unlike some couples, Jason and I took this really seriously. It was a great chance to verbalize our future, our goals, and how much we loved each other. After we went through the first couple questions, Bryson shut his book and basically said "Wow, you guys are the real deal. Just keep on keeping on and you'll be groovy!" We already knew that, but it just felt so good to hear him say that!

I feel so lucky! And as the countdown continues I continue to be thankful for what I have!

My Friends Rock!

2009-04-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

I was nice enough to share my bachelorette party weekend with the San Destin wine festival and I must say it was a good partnership! My closest girlfriends met up in San Destin, FL (a.k.a. Paradise) for my last official girls trip as a "Todd"! We had so much... here's a little recap of the weekend:

Thursday - got out of work and hit the road. Mikaela was nice enough to drive (even with a boot on her right foot!). The drive is pretty long, but not bad when you entertain yourselves with stops in tiny little towns, invites to bachelor parties from gas station peeps, hitting raccoons, drinking sugar free red bull the whole way and eating stuff that I normally don't eat! We arrived in San Destin at about 11pm Central time, checked into the condo and hit the bed.

Friday - wake up and get some groceries for the weekend (Laura was prepared with a shopping list and itinerary). We got back to the condo and went to the pool! It was a gorgeous day and I really love the fact that we were laying out on a Friday while everyone else we knew was at work!

I checked on April through out the day (she was making the long journey from Chicago via the Pensacola airport). She had a lay over in Atlanta and then a 2 hour drive from Pensacola to San Destin! She wins the longest distance traveled award and I really appreciate her being there! April arrived later that night and a few hours later Heidi rolled (after her long drive from Atlanta, which included getting lost and sitting in traffic for a few hours).

Watched the sun set from the porch and then we were ready to party!

Laura made some "cookies" and came prepared with party favors for the night! We had dinner at "Marlin Grill" and sat at a table outside, had drinks and just talked. It was a great night!

I only had to take one shot... and Mikaela joined me!

Saturday - we woke up and made the morning trip to Starbucks in the village. The condo we were staying in was right above the shops in Baytown. It was the perfect location and I'm so thankful to Mikaela's dad for letting us stay there!

Mikaela made waffles for everyone and then April, Mikaela and I hit the beach for a few hours and a cocktail!

We have to be thankful for the awesome weather we had all weekend! The sand was white and the water was gorgeous (cold, but gorgeous)! It was time for the wine festival so we headed back and all got ready.

We were right above all the action so all we had to do is get ready and walk downstairs into the wine festival (basically heaven for me!).

We walked around and tasted wine

met some random people

took a few pictures

And after an awesome day tasting wine, we headed back up to the condo. When we got back to the condo we had a little lingerie party!

Very fun -- but I can't show all of these pictures until after the honeymoon! After a day of wine tasting the zip line that takes you across a lake in the center of the village looks very enticing!

Laura wasn't feeling up for it, so she stayed at the base to take pictures! It was awesome... and I'm pretty sure the alcohol helped ease the nerves!

After that we stopped and had dinner (and more wine) at a pizza place and called it a night! It was an amazing day and I couldn't ask for a better Bachelorette weekend!

Sunday - April left at 4:45AM to start her long journey home, so I woke and said bye to her and then went back to sleep for a few hours. Once everyone was up and moving we packed up the cars and had breakfast with Mikaela's mom at "Another broken egg". I'm still confused as to why it's another when there isn't a first broken egg?? But it was awesome!

We all got into the cars and made the drive back home!

We missed some of the people that couldn't make it... but it was the best weekend and I really can't thank my awesome friends for the best weekend ever!

First Time for Everything

2009-04-21T16:54:00.007-04:00

It's amazing to think we were all little at one point in our lives! I have watched Isabella grow up and can't believe how much of a little lady she has become. She was just a baby a few days ago!

Now I am enjoying watching Bridgette (niece #2), enjoy all the fun things life has to offer a 9 month old! This past weekend I was there when she clapped for the first time! That may seem like a very small thing to do... but I don't think you ever get over the feeling of seeing someone do something for the first time in their life!

Let me set the stage for you... Bridgette has just started to crawl and quickly learned to pull herself up on stairs and small chairs. My sister and watched her pull herself up a few times on the stairs and then we clapped for her. After a few times of getting applause, she started to clap for herself!

This video was taken right after that!

I'm so excited to see her start walking and then talking! More to come, for sure!!!

On the Hunt (for eggs)

2009-04-20T12:55:00.009-04:00

I'm a few days late in posting this, I know. Wedding planning took over my life last week (and a crazy week at work... oh yea, work)!

So I'm playing catch up and here you go!

Easter in Atlanta was GORGEOUS! It's always been one my favorite holidays. I'm not sure why... but I'm thinking it has to do with the fact that Easter was basically the only holiday where I got a new dress (not a hammy down from my older sister). That is a really weird word, hammy down, and I'm not sure if I spelled it right. So anyways, I love Easter and this year we did a little Easter egg hunt for the girls!

After opening Easter baskets from Erin and Aunt Beck, it was time to hunt! Isabella was so excited and was already counting the eggs she saw from the window. Once we opened the doors she was racing to find them!

Even my Dad took part in the hunt!

It was so fun to see how much excitement finding Easter eggs can create! I love being an Aunt and feel so blessed to be able to watch my nieces grow up and share special days like this with them!

A Sweet Idea

2009-04-02T14:10:00.006-04:00

I've come across some really good ideas while planning my wedding over the past few months, but nothing compares to something that I saw in person. Thanks to April for throwing the most awesome bash in history! I'm pretty sure no one will be able to live up to your beautiful wedding (but that doesn't mean we can't steal some of her great ideas!).

Here is a picture of her "sweets bar"

She had glass jars filled with different types of white colored candies. She had clear bags for guests to load up goodies into and personalized stickers to seal the sweets!

I still have the bag of candy that I put together (over 2 years ago)! It was just too pretty to eat!

I'm trying to figure out how to recreate this idea in Jamaica. Customs and melting candy poses a HUGE problem, but I'm still going to try!

Thanks April for sharing!

Time for a Trim

2009-03-31T09:50:00.006-04:00

Moving to the new house came with some new responsibilities... mowing the lawn! Jason was looking forward to his duties as "man of the house" until it was time to pull out the lawn mower! It turned out to be quite an adventure. No surprise that the first lawn mower he bought (and put together), didn't work. But luckily I got home in time to witness the successful second attempt!

Jason putting oil into the new lawn mower!

In action!

After looking at these pictures... I'm realizing that our grass is not the only thing that needs a trim! Jason's hair is out of control! Maybe I can try to cut it! New project :)

Lucky me!

2009-03-30T10:17:00.004-04:00

Jason left last week for Vegas. I was pretty bummed to spend the weekend without him, but then flowers showed up at work for me!

At least I feel a little like Spring with tulips on my desk!

Thanks woost! You made my day!

Girls Weekend in VA!

2009-03-24T15:04:00.012-04:00

My mom and I headed up to Richmond, VA this past weekend for my first bridal shower! Jason's Aunt Sandra was throwing the shower and really went above and beyond!

From a wedding theme decorated tree to a cake with our engagement pictures on it... Sandy didn't leave anything out!

It was so nice to spend the day with his family! I met some friends and family members that I had not met and even the newest member of the family... baby Harper! She is adorable! Everyone is so nice and welcoming and I can't wait to become a part of the family!

Thanks Sandra for a wonderful shower!

Moving... On Up!

2009-03-20T09:52:00.019-04:00

In my previous post I mentioned that Jason and I moved (again)... so I thought I'd follow up with some pictures of our new house! We absolutely love it! I can't believe how much more space we have -- it doesn't seem real!

Here's a picture of the house and Jason's favorite part... the garage!

The kitchen... my favorite part!

The living room and fireplace!

Our master bathroom! Double sinks and a whirlpool tub? I'm in heaven!

Aloha!

2009-03-19T17:26:00.011-04:00

After researching many different places, we have finally made a decision and just booked our honeymoon trip to Hawaii! It's a place that neither of us have been and we love that there is more to do on the island than just laying on the beach! (not that there is ANYTHING wrong with just laying on the beach!)

We'll be staying in a private cottage overlooking the ocean in the town of Kona on The Big Island! Let us know if you've been or have recommendations on things to see while we are there! I like this getting married thing! :) Yipppeeee!!

I feel like this was the right choice after finding the below picture on their website!

Boot Camp: Day 1

2009-03-17T14:35:00.002-04:00

I started boot camp this morning! I'm excited because Heidi has decided to make the trek up to Vinings to do it with me! I think it will be really hard, but exactly what we need! So we started today's session with a fit test. I think it just about killed both Heidi and I! Hopefully as the days inch closer to June 6th, I will inch closer to being more toned!

And if that wasn't enough for ya... I also started Hot Yoga last night with Mikaela. It was awesome! Very hot... but very cleansing! I was impressed by how well we both did on our first try! We're doing a 10 day trial run, so we'll so it turns out. We are actually skipping St. Patrick's parties to go to yoga tonight. Are you impressed or what?????

More to come!

Loving Lane Kiffin

2009-03-16T17:23:00.003-04:00

It's been a rough past couple years to be a Vol -- but FINALLY some good news comes our way!!!

Here's a little blurb from the article on VolQuest.com

When Lane Kiffin was announced as the new coach at Tennessee, he vowed that he and his staff would go out and get the best players in the country.

Little did anyone expect that Kiffin and Co. would go out in three months and sign the nation's No. 1 player.

But in a press conference at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Vols did just that in landing running back Bryce Brown.

"I asked God to reveal it to me," Brown said. "He gave me the sign. When I first went there (on official visit) I wasn't feeling it. I had a lot of concerns about Tennessee and the offense. When I went back, I got the sign. God told me that I was a Volunteer. I just felt it."

Bryce Brown picked Tennessee on Monday.

Read the whole article here

GO VOLS!!!!!!!!!

Lucky Friday the 13th

2009-03-13T10:08:00.006-04:00

I'm not as superstitious as my soon to be husband and that might be because I was born on a Friday the 13th but either way, this weekend happens to be St. Patrick's Day which makes it lucky in my book!

Max sporting his new haircut and a green bandanna for St. Patrick's Day!

We've had some roller coaster weather lately... snow one weekend, sunny and 80s the next and then this weekend rainy and cool. So no golfing in the front yard this weekend.

Christie is coming to visit on her way back from St. Patty's in Savannah! We can't wait to see her!

I promise this is legal!

2009-03-10T14:02:00.009-04:00

Okay, you know it's scary when I have to throw that out there! But seriously, this make look a little suspicious, but it is legal! This weekend Jason and I went to the Lobster Bar with Heidi and Matt to celebrate Heidi's very exciting past week. In one week's time she managed to lose a job, lose an appendix and then get an even better job! Congrats were definitely in order!

We had so much fun at dinner that we decided we'd take the party to Divan (a hookah lounge we found a few months ago)! Mikeala and the LPs were already out, so they decided to join in on the fun!

We ended up with a private room! We're still not sure what Mikalea did to score that? Just kidding! All I know is that there might be a hookah at the wedding!

3 months to go and lunch with my future hubby!

2009-03-06T13:14:00.000-05:00

Today marks 3 months until the wedding and a lunch date with Jason! It's always a nice surprise when he comes up to have lunch with me but with 3 months to go until our big day, today reminded me how lucky and special it is to find someone to spend your life with! There are so many things that go into planning a wedding but it means nothing without the person standing at the end of the aisle!

Here's a picture of us on the day we met! We obviously clicked right away and it's only getting better!

This one's for you woost! I Love Ya!

P.S. The weather is GORGEOUS here today and that also reminded me that it's time to start working on the tan part of "tan and tone"!

Dreaming of Jamaica

2009-03-04T11:18:00.001-05:00

94 days until the wedding!

Wine Tasting in Napa (Auto Parts)....

2009-03-02T10:58:00.000-05:00

So the title of this blog pretty much sums up the night! We went to the Oakhurst Wine Crawl this weekend and were introduced to a whole new way to taste wine! We thought that tasting wine in Napa (the region) was fun, but it's nothing compared to tasting wine in Napa (the auto parts store)!

The idea behind this wine crawl is to showcase all the stores that are in Oakhurst, so each store opens up and serves wine! Among some of the fun places we tasted wine this weekend were a hair salon, a yoga studio, a chiropractor's office, a few restaurants, a doggie bakery, a shoe store and my personal favorite (besides the auto parts store) was the dry cleaners.

We ended the night with a ride on the Fur Bus! Sylvia (Lawrence and Lindsay's baby girl) will be excited to tell all of her friends that at age 3 months she took her first trip on the Fur Bus! Jason was pretty excited too...

Double Digits!

2009-02-27T09:35:00.000-05:00

99 days until the big day! Invites have been sent out and I think most of the big things have been taken care of! Yippeeee!!!

I can't believe how fast it's flying by and I'm really trying to soak up these last few months of being "engaged", even though I can't WAIT until June 6!

And marking another HUGE day in my soon to be family's history.... We welcomed Harper Elizabeth Underhill into the world on February 18th! She is beautiful and I can't wait to meet her in person! Congrats to Beth and Andy on your new baby girl! And Christie on your new niece!

A Moving Valentine

2009-02-20T10:47:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day began with 3 trips up to the new house! That's when Jason and I knew this was going to be a long weekend. We hadn't really made a dent into the mountain of stuff when realized it was almost time for our dinner reservations! I have to give it to the man --- he was still able to pull off a romantic night! I got in the car and he had 4 roses sitting in the front seat (one for every Valentine's we have spent together) and a really sweet card. You're the best Woost! Dinner was unbelievable but we both new what was in store for us the next day so we called it an early night.

DLW (the guy who has moved us 5 times, yes I said 5 times) arrived on time and got to work. After 5 1/2 hours, 3 guys and a 26 ft. truck, we were all moved in! We LOVE the new house and can't wait to have everyone over!

Then one more exciting bit of news... Jason and I went shopping for wedding bands and realized that my setting was not going to allow me to get a band that I could wear on its own. So the guy who designed my ring was able to re-set it and design a matching band to fit it! I picked it up on Tuesday and could not be more excited and happy!

Here's to a quieter weekend!

I might be a Shopaholic....

2009-02-13T15:54:00.000-05:00

Mikaela and I went to see an early screening of the movie "Shopaholic" on Wednesday night and we both LOVED IT! It's a funny take on some really good lessons that any girl who loves to shop (like I do!) can learn from! DE-CLUTTER is the main thing I'm taking from this movie as Jason and I make the big move this weekend!

Thanks Mik pants for sneaking the bottle of wine into the theater! What are friends for, right??!!!

BTW, Isla Fisher... you rock!

So I have a lot going on this weekend (moving, bunco, V-day and getting a new ring setting) and will do a full download on the weekend on Monday!

4 months until I'm an Mc!

2009-02-06T13:01:00.001-05:00

The countdown has begun! 4 months from today and I'll be a McKinley! I'm really excited about changing my last name (among other things that come with marrying Jason)! Hopefully I won't have any more emails addressed to Todd or FedEx packages delivered to a Mr. Todd Rebekah after June 6th! Whose last name is Rebekah anyways??

In celebration of the countdown I'm posting some pictures from our engagement party last weekend here in Atlanta! Thanks Erin for throwing such an awesome party!

Half Wine Wednesday... Enough Said

2009-02-05T09:31:00.001-05:00

The evening started out with really good intentions. Mikaela and I were going to hit the gym and "work out" instead of "going out". Great idea! Especially for someone getting married in 4 months! So we were really proud of ourselves... and then Heidi called. She and Matt were celebrating his birthday right down the street from me. Needless to say we were EASILY derailed from our plans. We ended up at Tierra in Midtown. It's a cute little place that has unbelievable Spanish food, oh and half off bottles of wine on Wednesdays. That's the most important part and the reason why Mikeala and I both are feeling a wee bit foggy this morning!

Anyways, Happy Birthday Matt and thanks for letting us crash your romantic dinner!

In the Bag!

2009-02-04T13:54:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited that Laura has now joined the blogging world! Hopefully this will inspire me to post more! (Hey, this is my second post today so it must be working!).

So Laura and I went to an awesome event last night at MODA (Museum of Design Atlanta). Laura gets tickets to all the fun things going on in the city! A perk of her job and a perk of being her best friend! :)

Read more about our night here.

Is this Atlanta or Chicago???

2009-02-04T13:49:00.001-05:00

Okay, I'm not one to complain about the weather... but it's friggin cold today! I think it was 18 degrees when I walked into work (ironically at The Weather Channel). I had to double check with one of the mets to make sure I hadn't taken the long way to work and ended up in Chicago!

Brrrr... April, I have no idea how you survive!!

Anyways, we are supposed to be in the 60s this weekend so I can't complain but let this be my reminder.... never move where it's get this cold more than once a year!

It's been a while..... and A LOT has changed!

2008-12-04T11:29:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a few months since my last post. April is my hero because she is unbelievable with her posts.... but anyways! I will get better at this, I promise! So since my last post I got ENGAGED! Whoop whoop!

So here's how the most amazing weekend of my life began. Jason and I decided to take a trip to Wilmington, NC. It's one of our favorite places and we go there for our anniversary each year. This time we were meeting up with Jason's mom, to show her the town and see some of their family friends who live there. So we flew in after a 2 1/2 hour flight delay and Jason freaking out because his suitcase had to be checked (with the ring in it) at the last minute! Jason said he wanted to meet his mom at the River walk for lunch and when we got there he seemed very nervous! We were holding hands and I even commented that his hands felt "clammy"! But I had NO IDEA what was about to happen! So after a few minutes of trying to find his mom I decided to go into some shops and wait for her. Meanwhile Jason was trying to get me to this special spot on the boardwalk. When I got back out to the boardwalk we both just stood there and look out at the water and talked about how pretty it was. He then asked me "what do you think is prettier... Wilmington or this...." I looked down and he had the ring in his fingers! I freaked out! I couldn't believe it and I think I even asked "Is that mine?". Ha! He got down on one knee and put it on my finger. We both cried a little bit and hugged a lot! I freaked out a couple more times and then we headed to meet up with his mom and family friends for a big celebration dinner! The next morning he asked me to go take a look at his computer. As I walked up to the screen I noticed a picture of us having our picture made on the boardwalk right after the engagement. I was totally confused and asked how he got this. I kept clicking through and realized there were 105 pictures of the whole engagement! He had hired a professional photographer to capture the entire thing! It was truly amazing! We had the best weekend hanging out on the beach and celebrating!

More to come..... but click here for wedding details!

It's not so great to be a Vol....

2008-09-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

So anyone that watched college football this weekend knows that the game didn't go as I had hoped! We got killed by Florida. We looked like a high school team, so it wouln't have been hard to look good against us! I've switched my view on our coach from Phat Phil to Fat Phil... he needs to go!

Since the game wasn't the focus of the day, tailgating took center stage! We had gorgeous weather... a little hot for football, but no rain so I'm not complaining! Every year we tailgate in the same spot with friends of mine from college whose parents have held this tailgating spot for years! Plenty of food, beer and football watching! (basically all of my favorite things!)

Anyone who went to Tennessee or has ever been to game there, knows that the entire experience is made up traditions unique to UT. One of those traditions is the Vol Walk where all the players, coaches, cheerleaders and band members walk from the Athletic Center to the stadium. Fans line the streets and cheer them on as they walk by! It gives me chills every time I see it! We have some crazy fans.... (notice the UT limo from the 1980s!)

Later on that day, we moved the party from the parking lot to the river where we became part of the Vol Navy! A friend of mine and a few of his old fratenity brothers had rented a 95 ft. houseboat.... with 3 decks and just few more than 3 kegs! I've always heard that this is the best way to tailgate and now that I've experienced and I can 100% agree!

So the game didn't turn out how we wanted it to -- but the day was AWESOME! And at least we didn't end up like this guy below.... passed out on the back of someone's boat! Go Vols... maybe we can turn this season around!

Countdown to Kick Off!

2008-09-19T13:18:00.000-04:00

So this is my first entry! Aren't you proud April?? I'm writing this (and it's going to be short for today) with the hope that my next blog will be a celebration of victory after UT beats Florida tomorrow!

Jason and I are headed to the game and are really looking forward to being back in Knoxville... seeing college friends and most of all cheering on the Vols! I'll update with pictures from this weekend on Monday!

GO VOLS!!!