Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is tomorrow and I am following the lead of some fabulous ladies here in blogland and posting things for which I am thankful. Since the ultimate day for thanks is on the 26th, I will give 26 reason my heart is continually happy, even throughout the tough times!

1. Mr. Marine. Truthfully, I could choke him at the moment but this man has taught me to love deeper than anyone I have ever known. 

2. My family. They are fabulous and I am thankful God put me with them!

3. My Mama. She's my absolute best girlfriend. I couldn't be prouder to be called her "mini-me."

4. My Dog, Riley. He has seen me though a lot. Words can't express how much I love and depend on this dog!

5. My Health. I was always told, "As long as you have your health, consider yourself rich."

6. The Marine Corps. This challenge has been one of my toughest, but it has changed me immensely. It has forced me to slow down, appreciate the present, hold on to those I love and that  no matter how tough the days get the sun will always rise and I am expected to get up and greet the day!

7. Moving. Ok, so I hate this. I'd rather just be living in Texas with my friends and family. 

8. My Girlfriends. I never knew the importance of female friends until later in life. They are my lifeblood. 

9. Travel. I was fortunate enough to grow up seeing the world. That's shaped who I am as an adult and I am incredibly thankful for those experiences.

10. My Car. It was a graduation gift that has kept on giving. Thank you parents.

11. My In-Laws. They are amazing. I was faced with having in-laws that would have been awful. So I know how to appreciate the gift I have been given with these wonderful people. 

12. Country Music. These songs make me cry. They make me laugh. They have been known to lead to my screaming the lyrics and dancing the two-step alone in my office, my house, and with many a handsome cowboy in the honky-tonks of Texas!

13. Ex-Loves. They are why I am the way I am. They are why I love the way I do. They gave me great memories and led me to the man I love with all my heart.

14. Frozen Reeses Cups. I only like these straight out of the freezer. Yum!

15. Airplanes. Thankfully they keep my family and I connected.

16. My Paid-For Education. I cannot thank my parents enough for this gift. I may be married to a Marine, and not have the job I dreamed of, but my education is everything to me. Thanks rents!

17. My Childhood. I lived in Texas, grew-up in Los Angeles and then moved back to Texas. My friends will tell you I was a "cowgirl" in California. A Southern misfit, so to speak. While my friends in Texas will tell you I definitely got my fashion sense from living in LA. I love the mix of both worlds.

18. Culture. I am thankful for being exposed to much more than what was outside my front door.

19. Art. My parents encouraged me to paint. To draw. To learn about art. I have my particular tastes but I have never been to an art museum I didn't appreciate.

20. Food. It is a blessing and a curse, but foods found across the world teach you more about a culture than most things ever will.

21. Nature. I love watching waves roll in, wheat blow in the wind, corn stalks grace the land, cows roam free, longhorns travel across the Texas ranches, snow capped mountains and fall leaves. 

22. Shoes. They make me happy and I have plenty, but will never have too many.

23. Seasons. I love them all. I just prefer winter and summer be the shortest.

24. Actors. These people make us forget. They bring us to another world and at one time or another...we all need that.

25. Memories. They may not always be happy but they got us to the next happy place. 

26. Photographs. They remind us when it is all too easy to forget.

Finally, and most importantly, I am thankful for God. He makes this list possible.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Relying on the Internet for My Happiness...Not Ok, Apparently.

Right after I decide to stop slacking and update my blog regularly, my damn Internet goes down at my house. So for the past week, I have had to go to the local coffee shop or use it at work until this is all fixed at home.

So there I was on a lovely Saturday morning reading blogs, facebooking and drinking chai tea at the cafe up the street. 

Since I decided to update my blog regularly, but had the stinkin' Internet go down, the following has occurred in my life:

- Mr. Marine dropped my camera and broke it. Not having my camera in my purse causes anxiety.

- My Internet at home isn't working. This makes me grouchy and forced Mr. Marine to give me a "come to Jesus" talk about finding things in my life that don't require the Internet. He thinks I am too dependant on the Internet for my happiness. Nice.

- Mr. Marine and I have "dates" at the coffee shop now. Both staring at different Macs instead of snuggling at home. Ahhh, married life is great! Priorities for Mr. Marine: Sports Illustrated and checking on Georgia football. Priorities for me: Facebook, Blog, Emails, Us Weekly and People. Snuggling can happen later, right?

- I started Weight Watchers for the bazillionth time. I recently found my old WW card from college, and my starting weight then, is my goal weight now. Damn.

- Political crap in the USMC is driving me nuts. I HATE being told what I HAVE to do. And I will bitch about it to Mr. Marine just to bitch about it, but he knows I will always comply.

 Dang my compliant personality.

- I vowed to begin running again. Deciding to do this as winter is approaching wasn't my best decision. I have yet to even walk down the street, much less run.

- Our precious and handsome Bulldog, and the face of Bulldawg Nation, died this week. We will miss you UGA VII.

Well, I must go home before I drink anymore coffee. I'm starting to get the shakes. 

Finally...pics of the USMC Ball!

Hey strangers! I feel like it has been forever since I've posted anything on this blog and I am beginning to miss it...and miss y'all! 

I've had a few of my favorite ladies ask me to post pics from the USMC Ball so they could see the dress and the shoes I was so excited about! So, I got off my lazy behind and obliged! 

Mr. Marine was in the ceremony so he had his sword and all that jazz! 

The proud wife and her nervous Marine...but he did an excellent job shouting his lines!

And the star of the show? These Kate Spade beauties! 

The evening was amazing. Mr. Marine had a rather large speaking (err shouting) part in the ceremony so there wasn't any pre-partying for us this year. I had major hair drama and had to have my boss fix it 15 minutes before the Ball. But aside from that, we had a great time.

I really felt like a princess that night. My dress was all that I hoped it would be (after the debacle at Nordy's), my jewelry complemented it perfectly, and the shoes were stunning. It was the perfect ensemble to accompany my Marine to his Birthday Ball. 

Every time my husband puts on that uniform, it takes my breath away so it meant the world to me when Mr. Marine said to me, "I am incredibly proud to bring such a beautiful woman to the Ball. I am even more proud, that woman is my wife."

The Tale of A Princess, Nordstrom, and a Free Pair of Kate Spade Heels!

Let me tell you about a fabulous shoe lover and her new favorite pair...

Long long ago (about a month) in a far away land (Missouri) there lived a fashionista. This fashionista had been invited to attend an annual Ball (the Marine Corps Ball) and was eager to begin dress shopping since she never wears the same formal twice. 

She immediately set her sights on a magnificent laser cut steel blue gown from BCBG, complete with sweetheart neckline (since the typical strapless doesn't work on her figure). She ordered it from her favorite store, Nordstrom. 

Well, if you are a loyal customer of Nordy's (us regulars call it that) than you know, and love, their return policy. Do you have tags on clothes you used to love but have never worn and it's been 6 months to a year? Nordstrom will take it back. No tag? No problem at Nordstrom. Well, this time that return policy bit this excited woman right in her patookie! Nordstrom shipped her an evening gown that had been previously altered and returned (may that cheap person who wore something and returned it suffer years of shopping droughts).

What was this fair lady to do?

They immediately ordered a new dress, altered it to fit like a glove (supposedly) and off she went to shop in other departments. However, when she came back to try on the altered dress, they had taken too much out and off! Oh, no...the Ball is 3 days away! No worries, Nordstrom fixed their mistake and let some out so this magnificent beauty could actually eat and breathe at the Ball. 

However, the length was an issue. After explaining to the store manager that this fair lady would like the alteration charge removed, given her inconvenience at this hectic time, he agreed. Then it was brought to his attention that with the dress being shortened too much, this shoe diva didn't have ANY shoes that would be wearable the evening of the Ball. You see, this petite woman only owned 4"-5" heels since everyone knows height lengthens the stature and takes an instant 5 pounds off. 

What was a lady to do, with only one day till the Ball. (Did I mention this charitable Junior Leaguer is hosting a charity cocktail party the evening after the Ball) so clearly there is no time to rectify this mistake. 

But wait! The manager of Nordstrom than sang into this woman's ears. He spoke these words, "We will give you a pair of shoes for this inconvenience" and the southern belle fainted.

That's right ladies and gents, the head master and Nordstrom came to this princess' boutique with a bag of shoes to choose from, including: Stuart, Via Spiga, Kate Spade and others. If the man hadn't been interested in the other gender, this stunned woman would have proposed right then and there!

After much consideration (and trying all the fabulous shoes on) this is the pair she chose! These shoes have been in her heart and on her mind for weeks. She begged her prince to buy them for her and he lectured her on responsibility and how paying 400.00 for shoes was not high on the list. She pouted (which usually works) but it did nothing to sway her husband.

In the end my fair and faithful readers, it was not my sweet sweet husband who made my heart pitter patter last night. No, it was a tall, stunningly handsome gay man with impeccable taste that personally delivered these designer shoes to me and left without asking, "Will you be using your Nordstrom card today?"

 

Birthdays Past & Present!

It's My BIRTHDAY!!!!!

OK, so in celebration of this year's birthday, I'm going to take a look back at one of my favorite birthdays ever!

My 27th!

Spent in Austria (on our way to Croatia)...Mr. Marine had just returned from deployment and life was amazing!!!!

We rented a Vespa and sped around town, had near-death experiences, saw gorgeous scenery and laughed until we cried! 

Ate amazing food and drank even better wine! 

Sidenote: On my 29th, I can no longer wear that dress...not a good sign!

Ahhhh, drinking beer in the crisp Austrian air after climbing a bazillion stairs to get to the top of this mountain...errrr hill!

Now, for the hard to swallow 29th birthday we are heading to Kentucky for some bluegrass, some bourbon tasting, some shopping and a Sunday breakfast at The Downs!

Have a good weekend y'all!!!!!

Birthday Weekend O' Friends

I have been an awful blogger lately, and to be honest, I'm not sure it's going to get any better in the next few weeks! However, I wanted to at least show y'all what Mr. Marine did for me for my "Birthday Weekend with Friends."

Mr. Marine is a fabulous cook and we love to entertain, drink wine and enjoy good friendships. So for this particular celebration, we combined all the above! We had two couples over for a wine tasting experience...each couple brought a dish coupled with a complementing wine!

The Festive Fall Table

Mr. Marine's Famous Caesar Salad in a Parmesan Bowl

Mr. Marine's Duck with Soy Buerre Blanc and Wasabi Mashed Potatoes

Mr. Marine's Fried Georgia Peach Pound Cake with Carmel Bourbon Sauce and Candied Pecans

Note: I did not get pics of Maggie and Liz's dishes. They were the first 2 courses, and quite frankly I was too busy stuffing my face at that point!

After drinking too much wine, we headed to our neighborhood bar for some birthday drinks. 

Justin, head bartender, gave us some celebratory shots that tasted like milkshakes!

Outside the bar before we all headed home

Let's just say, none of us girls were feeling well the next day. Maggie and I of course had to be up early for a JL event. Not good. I had planned to take pictures of everyone that day, but I was so busy trying to hold my cookies down that the camera never made an appearance!

But by the evening, we were feeling better and we were heading off to a Blues hockey game! The Marines gave Mr. Marine some free tickets on the lower level so we were excited to go to our first professional hockey game as a couple!

Maggie and I outside the stadium! (This was such the weekend of Maggie and I)

So fun!

Sunday, I headed off to Market in Chicago to do some buying for the boutique....That post is for another day!

I know you are out there BCBG dress...I'm stalking you!

I have the attention span of a gnat. Actually, it might be less than that because those little gnats can be quite persistent in their quest to annoy me. 

Okay, I have the attention span of a 5 year old. No offense to those with kids of that age, but they drive me bonkers with their eternal need to change what occupies them every five minutes. Just color until the entire book is a gorgeous plethora of color. Why can't you play tag for 3 consecutive hours, or at least until your mommy and I are done having wine and chatting like you aren't there? I digress...

Back to my attention span (told you it was that of a child)... I am waiting for my Ball dress from Nordstrom. I have stalked this BCBG beauty along its route...Nordstrom, Springfield, Earth City...I know you are out on that truck and you better get here now!

The UPS man and I are great friends. After all, he brings me all my favorite things (unlike the mail man who brings me bills) so we are quite close. My lab even likes him, probably because he senses his momma's excitement every time this man dressed in brown comes around. However, Mr. UPS Man, with one turn of my attitude this vicious, slobbering, treat-desiring, trick expert Labrador retriever will attack. So it is in your best interest to bring me that dress immediately before he senses my irritation towards you...HURRY UP I TELL YOU!!!!!