Friends With Babies

We are officially crossing over into to uncharted waters this fall.  When you hear or say the term "friends with babies" way more in your daily life than you do the term "friends with benefits", you know that you have officially been welcomed into adulthood. 

I've taken baby steps (no pun intended) into this hood of adultness for some time now when I saved money for a washer and dryer versus a spring break cruise with the girls, or signed my life away on my first home versus signing those student loan forms that you'd typically spend 60% on an education and the remaining 40% on cute clothes to wear to a fraternity party or sorority rush event (just kidding mom and dad; it all went to library book rentals and No. 2 pencils. Every last penny).  But this next welcome into the grown up world is totally different. Our friends are having kids. Actual babies that look like their parents, aka my friends. At social gatherings, I'm actually holding and cooing over these little, delicate mini-me versions of people who I've seen shot-gun drinks, or tear it up on a dance floor for hours in Daytona, etc... It's nuts and fascinating all at the same time.

And right now within our circle of friends, I think the people who are either pregnant or working on starting a family, outweigh those that aren't. Crazy town y'all. I mean what I'm about to say in the cutest most sincere way possible, I swear, but it's almost like a Gremlin version of the friend crowd that I'm so accustom too. We are a multiplying at record speed folks! And with these lovely ladies you are allowed, encouraged and demanded to feed, so please do so lovingly. All the time. Regardless of whether or not it's past midnight. Not sure about the "don't get them wet" part though. Maybe check the handbook on this one. It's still a little foreign to me as I'm one of the minority who is sitting comfortably at newly married, let's take this show one step at a time and no one will get hurt deal.

As we grow in number, I'm so excited to get to know the new little additions and even more excited to share stories about their mommas and daddies with them some day. Age appropriate stories of course. They're going to love learning who their folks are and were, because let's face it, they're some pretty awesome people. Just as I know there kiddos will be as well. How could they not be?

And for those who I have yet to meet, I cannot wait to see their precious and perfect little faces soon. I have some beautiful friends who then married beautiful people and that can only mean beautiful babies. Getting to see a baby's face for the first time is real life magic. I cannot wait.

For what it's worth, I always thought "friends with benefits" was creepy anyway, so "friends with babies" seems to roll of the tongue a lot better and with a lot more charm. Plus it usually follows with an "awwwwwwww, you're the cutest thing everrrrrrrrr! Yes, you are. Yes, you are". Which you simply cannot say without a smile. Happy sigh.

Meet Ms. Freiberg Manor

Ms. Freiberg Manor was born in 1935, so as you may guess, after 77 years she's a little tired and frazzled around the edges, but holds a lot of potential and her charm still stands strong.

I wish our walls could talk. Literally. I want to know what stories she holds and what secrets she keeps locked in those walls. Whose come before us over the last 77 years? We do know she was built by the founder of Rockford Country Club and a large bank here in town, and apparently she was a sight in her prime entertaining many of Rockford's finest.


We have lots of lovely plans for decor, a few paint style face lifts, luscious new flooring, and landscaping. However, with other important repairs keeping us at a standstill right now, I figured now is as good a time as any to introduce you to the Manor as is. Ugly, out dated curtains and all.
No worries, I'm determined that she'll become a beauty once again.

I love the large circular drive and the wooded area surrounding our home. Before- Driveway to be repaved and exterior painted.

 Living Room, 1 of 3 fireplaces in the home. Before- New paint, carpet, ceiling and lighting to come.

View from the living room.

Den. Before- Will be repainted, with new curtains to come as well.

Dining area. Before- Clearly we need furniture and new lighting.

 Guest Bedroom #1. Before- Has been repainted and needs new flooring. Basketball and flag pillow, adios!

More pics to come, once we remove massive amounts of boxes!

Wisconsin State Fair 2012

I thought I'd share a quick photo tutorial of my first trip to the Wisconsin State Fair, or any state fair for that matter.

I think a recent t-shirt that I saw online sumps up the day quite nicely..."I went to the State Fair and all I got was Type-II Diabetes." Sad, yet still delicious!

Only 363 days until we can return!!


Who knew you could drink at the fair?! Spotted Cow beer; deliciousness only sold in Wisconsin.

Sky cabs as far as the eye could see.

We know our cheese in the Midwest and I still can't get enough of the Wisconsin dairy just across the border!

Cheesecake on a stick, why, that just sounds lovely!

And for a slightly healtier option, Max opted for the frozen banana on a stick.

Uncle Timmy and Max cruise down the jumbo slide. Weeeeeeeeeeeeee.

However, the jumbo slide is not for everyone. No worries, large quantities of yummy popcorn dry tears quickly.

Caution, swings appear closer to the ground than you think. These delightfully deceiving swings had me sucking wind for 3 minutes straight. I prefer to see the entire state of Wisconsin via map. Not via swings with only a tiny little safety bar at my waist.

The Bow Wow Stage Coach store my heart. 

And last but certainly not least, MILK. Flavored, Wisconsin milk for only a $0.25 a glass. Ice cold and delicious. We certainly don't have that in SC! We better try them all, husband.

"The Kitchen's Done."

Before we begin replacing ceilings, some portions of the wall, etc...this week, I thought this clip sums up some of the scenes we've had in our newlywed home over the last 1.5 months. Granted, nothing's fallen through the floor yet, but then again, it's only Wednesday!

We can laugh or cry, and quite frankly, I'm tired of doing the later so this little clip makes me belly laugh. We can so relate~ sort of

Cooking For 2

My transition from single hood and living on my own at 33 has been both a challenge and a blessed adventure. I'll dig deeper into the transition in later posts, but today we're talking about the dining transition. And while I could write a whole post on dining out as a married couple (see note below), today I'm brain swirling on cooking and dining in with my man.

*Single ladies, please take note that dining out after marriage will no longer result in delicious and often treasured leftovers. Long gone are the days of anxiously awaited lunches after a fabulous first round meal at your fave restaurant. Love makes you do CRAZY things, like move 1,000 miles away from saltwater, and it will also cause you to "share" (or begrudgingly give away) what's left on your plate. Such a very sad thing to learn as a newlywed. Thankfully, I have a crush on my hubby, so I'm willing to learn to share with a smile and not a tear.

For me as a single, cooking dinner was out of obligation. I had to eat, and after working a full time job, then coaching for 1.5 to 2 hours, followed by a 20-30 minute commute home, cooking a meal was the last thing I wanted to do. The very last. Coming home to a prepared meal by my amazing roommate compared to winning a small lottery, I kid you not. And as a result of my lack luster cooking momentum, what I prepared was about 75% processed. I'm not proud, but I'm not going to lie either. How I am still as small as I am is a God thing, because this gal should be about 350 lbs due to my eating habits.

Fast forward to married life and having another hungry mouth to feed again ='s a challenge and new adventure. Although I don't care as much about what I put in my mouth, I do care about feeding the man I love healthy, yet tasty dishes. And as a result, we've gone to about 15% processed in our meals and I love it!

Our produce bowl on the counter is literally overflowing with beautiful treats and our dinners are way more fun to prepare. Thanks to fellow bloggers, I've been able to find cool new recipes to try. Granted, there are WAY more dishes to wash, but in our house we have a rule "If I cook, you clean. Duh."

I love my husband and therefore I'd like to keep him around for a LONG time with a healthy heart. And if he can bear with me through the bumps on learning a new kitchen layout (*again, harder than you think it'd be after years of living solo in my this is how I like my kitchen days), we'll be cooking ourselves off into the sunset throughout this first year together!

Want a change, check out this awesome blog http://theunprocessedkitchenwithheidsmcghee.blogspot.com/ . It's changes my life one meal at a time!

Things I Love Most About Being in Rockford

After singing the praises of Charleston yesterday, I felt I would be remiss to not give a shout out to the things in my 1st hometown of which I have been gratefully reunited with after my recent move. Here we go, in no particular order...

1. Less Humidity-

Girls let me tell you, my hair thanks me for this relocation! On any given day you CAN have a great hair day sans Moroccan Oil, who knew?! Don't get me wrong, I'm still using the Godsend oil, but, I can walk out of my house and not undo the last hour of hair effort that just took place that morning. It's amazing. Plus my make-up rarely feels like it's sliding off of my face and onto my neck here, which is always a bonus!

2. Soft Grass-

Granted we're in a HUGE draught here, like kill all of the farmer's crops kind of draught, but typically we have real, actual grass. The kind of grass that begs you to kick off your flops and explore the day barefoot. If I could go barefoot here all day without being called a freak or tree hugger, I most certainly would.

3. Beef-A-Roo-

It may not sound delicious as neither beef nor roo are the most appetizing words, but these people know how to make a french fry y'all! Their season salt is straight from the Lord above and if it ain't in Heaven, along with McGriddles, well then I'm not really sure what I believe anymore. Poor Tim, my marathon, Ironman running husband, typically tries to stay away from fast food, and with me, he doesn't really stand a chance when it comes to Beef-A-Roo. If you've never experienced their roast beef, cheddar fries, and a shake, come on down for a visit and I will ALWAYS be available to take guests to the Roo.

4. Attending Family Functions-

After almost 16 years of missing out on family dinners, birthdays, and really any other excuse to see one another, I've got some making up to do and I am pumped. Who knew going on a random Thursday to watch your little cousin play softball could be so fun? Giant snow cones with my hubby at the ballpark, okay! I realized recently that I had never, ever been to one of my uncle and aunt's homes and they had lived there for years and years. Well, that is just sad and inexcusable. Not anymore, fam! Ready or not, I'm making my rounds. If you don't want to see me, turn off the porch light and close the blinds, otherwise I'm coming in!

5. Exploring My Hometown As An Adult-

When I moved away in 1997 at the ripe age of 18, there was not too much to do legally in the area. Sure you could go to the mall for the 11-billionth time, or see a movie at the $1 theater (which was a date favorite with my now husband when we were 18 and broke), or attend the typical high school house party (hence the illegal matters of underage partying like fools, sorry mom). But now, there is something to do every weekend! We must live in the capitol of festival and fairs, I swear, and you KNOW I love it!

I always used to tell people in Charleston "if you're bored here, it's your own fault", and I'm beginning to think that could become my tag line here as well. Granted, there's no beach, but we have concerts, fairs, The City Market on Friday nights which rocks my face, movies in the park, trendy little spots downtown, and what should be award winning sushi at Mark's Fusion! I hope Tim's ready to grab our weekly "Go" section and get a little Christopher Columbus up in this place.

6. Seeing My Husband Every Single Day-

After dating long distance on and off throughout our adult life, seeing his handsome face every day is a special treat that I don't know will get old. People tell me it will, but I'm determined to prove them wrong. Whether it's running errands, quietly reading books on the couch, or laughing ourselves to sleep at night, just being with him is a welcome change from what was our norm of daily phone calls and 3 day visits every month or so.

I recently saw something that said "marriage is getting to have a sleep over with your best friend every night of the week" and it made me smile from ear to ear because it's so true! Our evening hang outs are the highlight of my day, and in a world of change for me, this guy tries to go above and beyond to help me adjust. If he can do something to make things easier, well, he does it and it doesn't go unnoticed.

I still have a lot to learn about being back amongst my Midwestern roots, but in the meantime, these 6 sunny spots in my life are giving me something to sing about. Yes, literally sing. Just ask Tim.

Well hello there, Rockford, good to see you again!

Things I Miss Most About My Beloved Charleston

1. Everything-

Seriously though, this list could go on, and on, and on, and on, and well, you get the drift.  I'll try to narrow it to my top few faves today, but this wouldn't have been a truthful account if the word "everything" had not made a personal appearance.

2. The Beach-
My love affair with the SC coast is what led this Midwestern girl from the snow storms to the saltwater in 1997. And I. Never. Looked. Back.

No mater what problems you face, no matter what awaits you on your desk come Monday morning, there is nothing like a weekend of sun on your face, new freckles on your shoulders, sand in your toes (and every other nook and cranny that bathing suits don't cover), and an ocean breeze in your hair. The great and wise Garth Brooks got it right when he sang "heartaches are healed by the sea." Nothing can be finer and sweeter than a circle of beach chairs holding good friends, beach snacks, and laughter. My heart is actually aching for a few hours of those healing breeze and waves as I type. Soon. My old friend. Soon.

3. My Church, Seacoast-

Seacoast church is like no other, in my eyes.  This church is more than just a sanctuary where Christians gather once a week. This church is a place where believers can literally change the world according to His plans for us. The teachings are applicable to every age group, and often meet you exactly where you're standing. The people are generous, loving, loud (in a great way), and passionate. If you want to get involved, you have every opportunity to do so and to do so in a way that speaks right to your heart and interests. The Pastors are wise and approachable, and I have grown so much in my 10 years there that I know I'll be able to take their teachings with me and continue to grow where the good Lord has planted me in Rockford.

Nothing compares to Seacoast's worship either. What I wouldn't give for a few minutes of being able to close my eyes and get lost in Tara, Martin or Garret's voice during this transitional time here. Their voices bring you closer to the Lord every single time.

4. The Food-

From something as simple to Chick-Fil-A, to a night out on the town at High Cotton, you almost cannot go wrong when dining in Charleston. I miss Red's no frills, straight from the Creek seafood, Moe's Monday night with my roomie, Heather, and anything served southern style. Anything! Red velvet cupcakes from Cupcake haunt me in my sleep, and thoughts of happy hour appetizers with my girls at Uno Mas makes my tummy flutter. The Elvis burger at Sesame will change your life, and Cork's tomato bisque will make you smack anyone who ever served  you Campbell's. I promise.

Whether you lean more to the foodie side of the restaurant arena, or can get down and dirty at a country kitchen like SeeWee, you can eat your way through your days in the Lowcountry, and this girl plans to do just that when I'm back in SC this Fall! I may start working out now to pardon myself from the inhuman amounts of calories I plan to consume! *Warning, Tim, it will not be purty!

5. My Town Home-

I built my town home in 2008 and it was my perfect little nest. It welcomed many an awesome roommate and was home to more laughs than I can count on a million hands. I've weathered many of life's ups and downs amongst those walls, and that home was definitely my safe place through it all. While unpacking last weekend, I pulled out a sweater from a random box, and the sweet, familiar smell of my home hit me like a ton of bricks. Of course, I then sat there and cried a little bit into said sweater like a weirdo, but it was comforting to actually be able to smell the familiarity. Home, sweet smellin', home. There's nothing like it.

6. The Citadel/ The Citadel Foundation-

Over the last 8 or so years, I was lucky enough to work with some of the best people on the planet and I miss them daily. I miss how comfortable we all were with one another, how ideas, both good and not so good, flowed like the Merlot we served at donor events. I miss the smell of office coffee in the morning (minus the skunk-like smell of Starbucks), and every one's little quirks that made them them. Even the quirks that drove me nuts at the time, which I'm sure I possessed some as well which drove others nuts, but I digress. Albeit chaotic and crazy at times, it was my home away from home, my passion and way more than my job.

7. The People. Good Lord, I Miss The People-

This "miss" point makes my heart ache. Literally. I can actually feel the lump growing in my throat as I type.  Being 1,000 miles away from home, my friends in Charleston became my family. And not just the family that you love to see 3 times a year on all major holidays, but the actual family that you run to, that you wake being excited when you know you get to see them at a family function, and those that you know will drop everything to run to you when you need them the most.

My friends in Charleston are a huge part of my heart. They're a huge part of what has shaped me into the person I am today. They've opened my eyes to new adventures, allowed me to fall in love with things they love that I never would've found on my own, and they've shared in my personal victories along the way, as I have with them. They are the shoulders I needed when life got me down, the prayers I needed when life was unpredictable, the laughter we all needed after a long week, and the hug you always welcomed!!

I'm biased, I know, but my friends are the best in the world. Distance sucks, there's no other way to say it, but I think about them every single day and no amount of miles will change that for me. You hear me, miles!

So as you can see, this list could go on and on, but at least I've given my shout outs where shout outs were due! Now if someone could please FedEx me a 5 piece chicken nugget pack from Chick-Fil-A, that would be so stinkin' sweet of you.

Until next time, my beloved Charleston!

Something Blue

Recently I mentioned to my mom and Grandma that I'd love for my "something blue" to be related to my Grandpa Howard who passed away fairly unexpectedly almost a year ago. With my great fortune and blessing, Grandpa Howard was the first of my grandparents to leave us, so his passing was a new sense of loss for myself and my family that we had not yet had to experience.

My vision was to have fabric from one of my Grandpa's shirts sewn into the inside of my dress so that he'd be right there with us during the ceremony and then dancing the night away in celebration. That man loved to dance! At my cousin's wedding, just a short 6 months before he passed, we had the pleasure of seeing his moves and let me tell you, the man was on fire! He danced ALL NIGHT LONG. I've never seen his smile so bright and carefree in all of my 33 years, so I knew at my wedding, I'd want him to be on that dance floor in spirit!

Last night, out of the blue, I came home from a long day at work to find a small but thick envelope from my mom. Not knowing what it could possibly be, I opened the small card to a note that said "Your something blue" and inside was a piece of Grandpa's blue shirt cut into the shape of a heart ready for my big day. My heart sank and melted all at the same time.

For the next 20 minutes I sat on the kitchen floor and cried into that blue heart. I cried for his loss and ours. I cried for my Grandma who gave up the shirt of her best friend so that it could be his presence on the day their granddaughter would get married. I cried over the memories of our last few days with him and how blessed I feel for being there for those precious days and nights. I cried that I never got to tell him that I was going to get to marry my best friend after 15 years, and I cried that he won't be there to see it in body. And lastly I cried happy tears that his body is at rest and he doesn't have to struggle with any illness or anxiety anymore.

And when it was time to stop crying, I smiled knowing that we're going to have a really big dance party in a few months and he'll be right there with us in his element, smiling ear to ear in our hearts.

I never knew my "something blue" could mean so much.

Crazy Dayz

True confession, I'm a burn the candle at both ends kind of girl. Always have been and I hope I always will be one. I want to make the most of my life and if that requires some candle burning, bring it on. However, with all of that being said, I'm starting to feel as though I'm burning about 25 candles at both ends right now and I think it's catching up to me more than I like to admit.

With my very exciting wedding plans upon me, of which I am not complaining about at all because I am in love with figuring out every detail, my mind is constantly in overload mode. And when you add in my full time career where I'm co-hosting a conference for a few hundred invitees, coaching college cheerleading part-time, and now chairing and planning a community event for 250 local teens, I'm afraid I'm starting to come undone.

I'm tempted daily to schedule reminders to breathe, eat, sleep through the night without waking up in a panic over prom dresses or managing entertainment for a 200 person volunteer dinner, etc... And aside from forgetting to breathe about 15 times a day, I'm starting to feel like there is a lunatic trapped in my small frame. Things are starting to come out of my mouth that I haven't approved yet mentally. Things that sound ungrateful and often times negative, which are in no part a reflection of how I'm truly feeling. I also slightly fear a meltdown in the near future, and I'm praying that I can get in front of it before it unravels its ugly self.

For a planner and candle burner like me, crazy can be a great thing when harnessed. I just need to contain and redirect the crazy a little better into thankfulness for all of the recent events and blessings that the Lord has entrusted to me. And I'm convinced the Lord must think that I am an amazing multi-tasker to allow me the responsibility of said events. With prayer, sleep and a lot of scheduled deep breaths, I'm sure we'll have amazing success for those we'll get to reach and serve.

I'm just praying to turn the crazies to thanks, and in the meantime, if you see or hear any abnormal behavior or feisty behavior out of me, please kindly shake me, slap my cheek and tell me to "get it together". Then please follow with a hug because you never want to end with a slap when dealing with a lunatic;)

A Bride to Be

I'm back after months of silence and zero time to write and zero time to be creative. Do I have much more time on my hands now? Umm, that'd be a resounding no. Do I need a creative outlet before my head explodes? And the angels all sang in unison, YYYYEESSSS!

For 32 years (okay, maybe more like 20), I've dreamt of what my wedding would look like, sound like, taste like, and feel like. I've planned it a million times over in my head. I have actual word documents saved full of ideas and photos that I've found over the years, and after attending countless weddings, I've narrowed down what I like, don't like, love and loathe at weddings. So it would make sense that everything should now fall into place and be roses and fireworks and red velvet cupcakes, right? Again, not so much.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my upcoming wedding to my best friend and partner for the rest of my life. I could not be happier to start our journey together in June! I love thinking about it and I could talk your ear off about the details if you'd let me. What I don't love about planning this special day is the stress that comes along with it. I don't love the amount of money you are expected to pay to have everything you thought you always wanted only to find out that you cannot afford any of it. I hate that vendors can charge you 3 times what you'd normally pay simply because you've attached the word "wedding" to the conversation. Shouldn't our focus be on the celebration and not so much the purse strings? Can I not simply have a tasty reception without going broke before we start down the aisle?

My goal, somehow, is to keep my eyes and mind focused on the start of our marriage and not on the stress that can become the wedding if I let it. I am committed to enjoying this time and finding ways to have the day I've dreamed of without going into debt. I will be creative. I will be resourceful. And I will stay positive. I have found the one my heart loves and this day in June should be a reflection of that love and joy and not one of our wallets. It will. Or else;)