Confessional Friday: A Questionare

I confess, I love when the lovely Leslie over at A Blonde Ambition does her Confessional Fridays. Not only does it make it easy for me to think of stuff to blog about but it's also so fun to see the other blogs in her link-up and what they have been up to.

This week is a Q + A theme, talk about making even EASIER on me! Thanks Leslie! Without further stalling, let's get this shizz started, shall we?

1. My worst fashion offense of all time...
Much like Leslie I'm going to have to go with "Butterfly Clips" She has the perfect image of SMG sporting them. I wore my hair pulled back like this all the time when I was going out clubbing. Yeah, I said it, clubbing. [I tried to find another photo, but literally the one that Leslie found was the PERFECT and only one so head over to her blog!]

A close second would have to be Cross Colour clothing. You know sort of like TLC on steroids. I had the BIGGEST, REDDEST, BAGGIEST Cross Colour pants. I think I wore them twice. I even had to make my mom hem them they were so damn long! I'd be lying if I didn't say TLC were indeed some of my heroes at the time.

via

2. The most embarrassing song on my iPod is probably...
The album Great Milenko by ICP. Yes you read that right. I own music from ICP. Judge away. But let's be honest, it's comedy driven for me, and it's way better than Nicklecrap.

3. The last white lie I told was...
"I'm not hungry." Knowing full well I was starving.

4. The celebrity I most wish would disappear is...
All of the Kardashians, And Kanye West. No one gives a crap anymore.

5. Sometimes, I wish I could...
Travel in time. I would love to go back in time to witness concerts I was too young for, of artists in their hay day and beyond. Too many of my favorites aren't on earth anymore. I'd also spend probably 2 years in Seattle witnessing history unfolding during the grudge movement. And maybe, just maybe, bump into Eddie Vedder. Don't worry I'd take my husband with me. This is a dream of his too.

6. My childhood crush was...
Are you ready for this? The Fonz. Henry Freaking Winkler. I loved him. And I'm beyond excited that he's going to be at the Nashville ComicCon this year! I hope to meet him.

Ayyyyyyy! // via google

7. I've never turned down...
Chocolate. Yes I will turn down dessert when I'm stuffed, but, I always have a hard time saying no to chocolate at any other time in my life.

8. Balloons make me...
Happy. I really wish I got balloons for special occasions more often.

9. I'd rather watch paint dry than listen to...
Nickleback. Almost anything that's on the radio these days. People talk about celebrities I don't give two turds about.

10. Much like a train wreck, I can't turn away from watching...
Make-up tutorials on youtube. I have become obsessed. Most are not train wrecks but truly informative but literally I think I've watched it almost every night for the past two weeks. I have so much to learn.

Head on over to Leslie's blog and link-up too! I can't wait to read your answers!!!

Earning my Southern Citizenship

In my email today I received a cute article from Bourbon and Boots. It was a "completely fabricated test to find out how Southern someone's roots were so I figured I'd take it. Below are my answers.

As some of you may, or may not know I'm a northern transplant. I am originally from the great state of Maryland (most Southerners call me a Yankee, which to be 100% honest, I love it even though technically Maryland is SOUTH of the Mason Dixon line). Bottom line I moved here over eight years ago, and frankly I've adapted myself quite well. My brother-in-law calls me "Southern Yankee" and I've often had friends remark that they are shocked how well I fit in. I guess all those years of reading my mother's Southern Living magazines really paid off, huh?

Bourbon and Boots ARE YOU A TRUE SOUTHERN CITIZEN QUIZ 
We’ve had a lot of border states claiming the South lately, and we’ll admit, Southern-ness is largely a state of mind. So how can you know for sure if you’re a Southerner? Take our completely fabricated Southern citizenship test, and see if you make the cut.

You’re a bona fide Southerner if you answer yes all of the following statements. 

If you answer “yes” to all but two or three, don’t worry, we’ll still let you on the porch.

1. Buying alcohol on Sunday is a royal pain in the ass.
YES! It really and truly is. If your religious beliefs make you feel like you can't purchase on a Sunday then by all means DON'T. Let the rest of us sinners have our fun, ok? There's nothing more annoying then drinking a bit too much on a Saturday night and then realizing you left yourself two beers to enjoy on the creek on Sunday.

2. I once parked a car in the backyard for a week, and it was nearly overtaken by kudzu.
No. However I bet if I did, it totally would. Kudzu is no joke, but man is it pretty. [See below one of our engagement shots we are thick in the kudzu.]

I'm really glad I wore boots for our engagement sessions!

3. When it comes to real estate, a pecan tree in the yard is a valuable selling point.
Yes, I can see this being SO true. Either a pecan tree or a magnolia. I'd go for the Magnolia, personally.

4. If everyone is driving very slowly, it must be Sunday.
YES! Or frankly every, single, day of the year! Life is much slower here.

5. My state has a team in the SEC.
ROLL MUTHA' EFF-IN TIDE!!! (That's a yes).
You literally feel the need to join a side when you move to the state of Alabama. I'm just happy I went with my gut and chose according to color and my favorite movie of all time (Forrest Gump). I chose a winner, FO-SHO! And yes, I just admitted how I became loyal to The University of Alabama... I love red, and Forrest Gump played for the Tide. Yes, a fictional character. Hey at least I can name most of the starting line-up in real life people!

6. Gambling. We all do it, we just don’t talk about it.
No. I frankly think gambling is really stupid, but that's probably because I don't have a ton of disposable income and I have no clue how to bet on anything other than the usually "I bet you a dollar I can do this....".

7. If you’re over the age of 7, sugar does not belong on grits.
YES! I agree with this. I like my grits salty and with butter or cheese (or shrimp). Now I'm hungry, great.

8. At least once in my life, I have been the deserving victim of a “whipping” with a “switch” of my own choosing.
No. My mother always used a wooden spoon, must be a "Northern Thing"

9. That fizzy sweet drink is pronounced “coke.” And so is that one.
No. I will stick strong to my northern roots here. When I want something fizzy, I will say "I need a soda." However, if I am wanting a specific soda I will say "I want a Coke." or "Man I could go for a Ginger Ale." Soda is my go to word.

10. At least one member of my household regularly hunts.
No. Now my extended family has a few hunters in the group, [Three brother-in-laws and a father-in-law] but no one in our immediate home does.

11. I have ridden in the back of a pickup truck … as a young child.
YES! But actually I was probably about 22 or 23. The bouncers of a local Country Bar offered to give myself and a few friends a ride back to our hotel after our cab didn't show up. Gotta love it! (And this was in Maryland, thank you very much).

12. There’s unsweet tea, and then there’s regular tea.
Sort of yes. I grew up on sun tea which is not really sweet unless you make it that way which my mother didn't. Sweet Tea was reserved for summers spent in North Carolina. Now you can get it everywhere and it sort of makes it less special. But no one makes sweet tea as well as my Mother-in-Law.

13. I do not live in Oklahoma.
True. And my Northern roots have no idea what this implies.

14. I have seen numerous episodes of “Hee Haw.”
Yes, does it count that I watched them in Pennsylvania? It was always on TV at my grandmother's house and that is the only place I watched it. I was also an avid fan of The Duke Boys.

15. At least one thing in my home is monogrammed.
Yes. However none of these items are ones I purchased for myself. Most were gifts and one I requested that my husband get me for Christmas (my necklace). I truly only love monograms on jewelry, so yeah, you can revoke my "Southern Belle in Training" card for that comment right there.

16. Banana pudding is a requirement at any potluck dinner.
YES! Love the stuff, I would learn to make it but my southern husband hates it so... no need. Again my MIL makes a mean banana pudding.

17. St. Louis-style barbecue does not count.
No. I think all BBQ counts. I'm not BBQ-prejudice in the least, however I'm a "Yankee" what do I know. We make pit beef which is amazing and you have no idea now much it knocks your socks off. I will say though I've learned a ton about BBQ living in the South. Carolina Tangy BBQ Sauce is still my favorite though. Sorry, it's true.

18. The car in front of me has its blinker on. It probably won’t turn any time soon.
Yes! That is if they even use a flipping blinker. Seriously.. it's like one of the FIRST things you learn in drivers ed. Why is it SO hard to use it people?

19. There’s a very important difference between cornbread and hush puppies.
Yes! Both are amazing but totally different.

20. I have seen Graceland, and it was good.
No. I have never been to Graceland. I hear it's amazing but while I appreciate Elvis I can't say I'm gaga over him. I know, Strike 2 with the "Southern Belle Training Card" thing.

SO there you have it... 13 YES's out of 20 Questions - I'm fitting in well but not losing my roots too much. Just ask my husband when I say "Crayon" it comes out as "CROWN" he loves to tease me about it but I beg him to let me keep some of my Maryland roots and how I say things. It's who I am dammit!

 

Our Wedding: A Link-up

I wanted to link up today with Holly and Melanie they are hosting a link-up party since it's wedding season and have asked everyone to share their special days! And let's be honest, what former bride doesn't want to talk about the wonder of their wedding day (or the horror) right? So here goes, follow the link and link-up if you have some great wedding wisdom you'd love to share with newly engaged girlies!

I've shared a lot of my wedding details and photos on here (if you're interested click on the OUR WEDDING tab or go here). My husband, Mike and I had dated for quite a while before we got engaged. We didn't mean to necessarily plan a quick wedding, I always thought I'd plan for a full year, instead we planned it and made it happen just six short months after he proposed. I figured we'd been together this long, we're not getting any younger AND I wanted a fall wedding so engagement in April meant having a October wedding.

DETAILS //
We were married on October 22, 2011. Ten. Twenty Two. Eleven. The date really wasn't significant other than wanting a fall wedding, in October, and it was the only week available at the venue we chose. We later discovered that in fact the date 10/22 is actually Pearl Jam's anniversary of their first official show. Being HUGE Pearl Jam fans, we were floored when we found this out while watching their PJ20 documentary. It was meant to be. [We spent our first wedding anniversary celebrating at a Pearl Jam show, obsess much?]

LOCATION //
We wanted an outdoor ceremony, from the moment we discussed a marriage and wedding that was our plan. I had always wanted a beach wedding but quickly realize that due to the nature of our outdoorsyness (totally a word) we were much more suited for the wilderness vs. an ocean front wedding. We settled on a great Lake lodge in Alabama with water front views and foliage as our back drop.

BRIDAL PARTY //
Um, it was huge. Way larger than I would have thought I'd originally want in my wedding party. That being said, Mike has a huge family so most of them are his siblings and our friends sprinkled in. I was very happy to have so many friends from so many phases in my life. I had my oldest and closest friend from 7th grade until graduation and beyond, another dear high school friend, my maid of honor and I didn't get a long in high school and becomes the best of friends in our 20's, a dear friend I met in my late 20's and became close to, my future sister-in-law, my hubby's best friend and my dear friend, and my junior bridesmaids both daughters of two of my maids. The party is filled out on my husband's side by three brothers, a brother-in-law, and two best friends. His father also jumped in this photo, which makes me chuckle. Our flower girl is my youngest sister-in-law and our ring bearers were Mike's nephews. Did you get all that? It was huge but I'm really happy to have so many dear friends from all the different parts of my journey in life to find my husband.

COLORS//
Olive or Fern Green and Chocolate Brown were the main colors but we also went with lots of oranges and golds for the flowers. I simply wanted as many fall colors present as possible. As you can see the girls all wore green dresses, junior bridesmaids wore brown and I allowed them all to pick a dress they loved on their body. Oddly enough four of them in different locations picked the same dress. This concept BLEW their minds. None of our shoes match either. The girls all got gold heels, different styles. I also told all the dudes to simply pick a pair of shoes they loved, as long as they were brown, they were good by me. We had cowboy like boots worn and torn, we had Vans (worn by my husband), nice loafers and even TOMS on the little boys. I loved it. I wanted each person to be able to express themselves. My husband purchased special ties in green for the guys with a tree screen printed on them, and he got a brown one with a gold tree on his. The little boys had brown too and I nearly died when they little clip ons came in, SO cute!

FIRST DANCE //
We had our first dance to GnR's "Patience" The song has special meaning for our relationship because for me, I knew from the moment I met him I wanted to be with him. And while he was really fond of me too, he wasn't sure if he wanted to start a long distance relationship (for new people to my blog I am originally from Maryland and he lived here in Alabama where we currently live. Yes, after 5 months of dating I hauled my cookies to AL from MD and never regretted it for a single minute). If we hadn't chosen Patience and if the song "Longing To Belong" by Eddie Vedder had been released in time for our wedding THAT would have been our first dance song. Our videographer knew Mike's love for PJ and when he did our "teaser video" for the wedding he used that song in the beginning so I still feel like it was a special impact to our day. I can't listen to the song without picturing our wedding video so it's a great compromise.

HONEYMOON//
We went to Cozumel, Mexico. It was poised to be an epic vacation but was dampened by Hurricane Rina. Dampened as in... we had to leave our resort and travel inland to safety and stay at a $45/night hotel with a few of the other hotel patrons we befriended while there. It wasn't horrible but a bit scary. Needless to say we spent maybe 2 days in our 5+ day trip relaxing total, and that was only in bouts of 2 hours at a time. The rest of our honeymoon was spent flooded with text messages, emails and panic from our parents. We plan to have a do-over eventually. We made it safely home and we have an exciting tale to tell to everyone. However, I would have traded having a boring story about eating until we popped, drinking until we passed out and woes of sunburn instead.

WHAT WOULD I CHANGE? //
I really wouldn't change much about my wedding. I might have gone with a different dress. While I loved mine, it didn't have the free flowing bohemian vibe I thought about having. I also would have said eff the padding for my boobs - I didn't need padding I looked REALLY top heavy. It was a bit crazy. I thin the dress was a bit of my biggest issue. I ate, I drank, I was merry and we partied well into the night.  And I would definitely change the fact that we rented chairs for the event. The resort supplied chairs but I didn't love them, so I rented chairs for the ceremony, half of them were busted, and dirty and Mike and my father spent the AM stressing over that to get it right without me having ANY knowledge of this. It was a waste of money, and I should have gotten over my "has to be perfect" moment because the chairs the resort had were just fine. I got pretty much everything I wanted for my wedding day, and all within reasonable prices. My biggest splurge was photography and it was worth EVERY penny. They are the memories I have the most.

We forgot one item so a checklist is vital. I forgot to purchase things to cut the cake and serve it with and the hotel didn't have any available by the time we cut the cake (9PM) so I would have cut the cake sooner but I guess I saved myself embarrassment right?

Everything else went well. We had signature cocktails, we purchased our own booze for the event so we got to keep all the left overs and had a blast with all our friends and family. I might have changed one thing and that's the honeymoon destination - I'm usually really in the know about hurricanes and I'm not sure why it slipped my mind that it was still PRIME hurricane season over there. OOPS! Live and learn!

HEAD OVER AND LINK UP!!!! I want to hear everyone's stories!!!