What are little girls made of?

Sugar and spice, And all that's nice; That's what little girls are made of.

Finally there will be a little girl running around the Mama Day's family Christmas party!!  That's right Uncle Drew and Aunt Brooke are going to have a NIECE!  Syd and Brian found out today that little Carrie Addis McCumsey is on her way!  Congrats goes out to the Mama and Daddy and to Willie and Poppy, grand-baby #2,  and it's a GIRL!  We are so excited for ya'll!  When I got Syd's ultrasound picture I let out an audible "YES!"  Which sent quite a few looks my way at work, "It's a girl!"  You would have thought it was mine own kid or something.  :) 

This house is for the birds!

Andrew definitely has the Day creative gene.  He loves to make things with his little hands!  I can remember when Drew and I first started dating (for the final time!), Andrew was a few months away from turning two.  Our first evening all together was spent making pine cone bird feeders between he and his Daddy eating all the peanut butter we barely had enough left for the birds.  They hung them up and he watched all kinds of birds eat the peanut butter and bird seeds.  Since then he's been fascinated with birds...they fall just behind cats!  I bet he would love watching Sylvester and Tweety Bird cartoons. :)  This year for his Daddy's birthday Andrew made him a bird house.  It turned out so cute, just like him!

 Our proud little builder!

Daddy on the phone with Bud while opening his present. :)

 Happy Birthday Daddy!

We're picking Andrew up THIS Friday!!  I can't wait to hug, squeeze, and kiss my baby's face!  This month is filled with happy events.  Andrew's here for a week and then shortly after that Drew and I are getting married!  It all seems so surreal!  I can't wait!!  It's perfect timing for Andrew to be home, when we're all together our hearts run over with love.  One positive thing about our blended family is that we never take our time together for granted.  I think the reason for this is partially due to the time Drew and I spent apart and the other is due to the amount of time we are apart from Andrew.  It's hard, it's not ideal, and it's no fun at all...but what we've learned is that our time together is too precious, too important, and too essential to who we are now to ever treat it as anything other than priceless. 

See you soon Bud-a-roo!

Birthday Festivities

This weekend was a blur of birthday fun!  Thanks to all of our friends & family who came out Friday and Saturday to make Drew's 29th birthday a memorable one. :)

Saturday we broke in our outdoor kitchen which is almost complete!  Our theme was Ultimate Concession Stand:  Ultimate Nachos, Ultimate Hot-dogs, and Ultimate Frito Pies!

Chef Denny prepping for his homemade brisket chili for the Frito pies.  YUM!

I love entertaining in our beautiful home! 

More thank yous go out to my awesome builder! ;)

I am so proud of our home.

The Fellas

Talk about the Ultimate Hot-Dog!

Drew's favorite cake is German Chocolate, this year made by his sister Erin.

It was scrum-diddly-umptious!  Thanks E!

My birthday boy!

We watched our Tigers win with great friends who are the best!

PS:  14 days until we're walking the aisle in the garden at Caesar's Palace!! 

 (Insert School Girl Squeal!) 

My Love's Birthday

Today is Drew's birthday!  29!  I can't believe it's been 10 years since we first met. 

I can still remember passing him in the quad at LSU on my way to calculus class thinking, "Man he looks familiar.  I think that was a porcupine from high school."  Porcupines were what my friend Dara and I nicknamed boys who spiked their hair up with gobs of gel. Ha Ha!  The style was just catching on and needless to say we loved it simply because it was going against the norm.  I saw Drew again a few days later in a Physics study group, where we caught each other's eyes a few times.  I lived on campus at the time and my roomie Allison and I were studying together when our dorm phone rang and the caller ID said Day, Andrew...that's when it all hit me as to exactly who this certain porcupine was!  He did graduate from my high school, he was cute, he had the dreamiest blue eyes I'd ever seen, and he drove a yellow '69 Stingray!  What more could an 18 year old college girl be looking for!?  Turns out he looked me up in LSU's online student directory to get my number...can you say stalker?! (Just kidding babe!)  He asked me if I wanted to study with him for our next Physics test, of course I agreed.  It was definitely the first study group I'd ever been to that featured homemade seafood pasta and red wine, and somehow we both managed to get A's on our physics test! Ha Ha! 

Man, 10 years seems so long ago and yet so short at the same time.  We have definitely made some priceless memories together some wonderful, some sad, and some that were tough learning experiences.  Even when we were apart we were always on each other's minds.  I am so thankful God put us on the same path in life and I am so grateful for this day 29 years ago.  Who knew that Andrew Byron Day III would one day become the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. 

"You are the best thing that has ever been mine."

Happy Birthday, Love!

Weekend Projects

First off "How 'bout them Tigahs!"  Man was that defense incredible or what?!  Five, yes that's right FIVE, interceptions!  Mathieu and Peterson are forces to be reckoned with. Drew 'n Crew camped out at LSU Friday night in the RV.  After Britt and I dropped them off we head to Sammy's for dinner.  Yum!  Saturday I was up and headed to the salon for a trial run on my wedding hair style.  I was actually pretty nervous.  Since my hair stylist won't be in Vegas, we had to figure out exactly how I wanted my hair and take lots of pictures.  Michelle put my nerves to rest right away.  My hair turned out great, she made me try on my dress, shoes, and hair accessory, just to make sure I loved it...and I did indeed love it.  After that I picked up Britt and headed to LSU to tailgate!

Now to this weekend's projects.  Drew and I were finally both in town this weekend, and after 4 weekends of travel we had quite a few projects to catch up on. 

Project #1:

I finally put my library light together.

You just gotta love Ikea = a gazillion pieces!

Drew trying out the new camera...we'll work on your photog skills babe. ;)

Only 160 dandelions to put on. 

One down, 159 to go.!

 Finito!

Why did I buy this light?  Notice the shadows on the walls and ceiling.

Love it!

Project #2:

Our cabinet guy, Robbie, finished our outdoor kitchen cabinets.  So Drew took to staining and varnishing them.

It sure is nice have Drew the Builder around. :)

Robbie made these columns by hand-turning them on a large belt sander.  Then he distressed them with nails and all-thread, spray painted them black, sanded the black paint off, and then clear coated them.  The result was pretty impressive!  His carpentry work amazes me.

 Making some very good progress!

Project #3:

We ran out of hardware when we originally hung our shades.  So when Drew and his Dad made a trip to Ikea he picked up the hardware we needed to finish the job.

All in all, I'd say it was a perfect weekend at home, all we needed was our little Bud running around asking questions and lending a little helping hand.  (Sigh.)  But the Tigers won, my house is spic-and-span, and 3 projects on our honey-do-list are completed or underway.  I'm looking forward to many more weekends just like this one. :)

Tiger Stadium

This Friday we'll be hauling the RV out to my Alma mater- L-S-U!  Anyone can pick a team to cheer for but when you cheer for your Alma mater, the word fan takes on a whole new meaning.  This team, this school, this campus encompassed every daily memory of my life for almost 5 years.  LSU is literally woven into the fibers of my being.  How do I know this?  Chill bumps...when the band takes the field at the first home game of the year and 92,000 fans, decked out in purple and gold, fall silent; a cool breeze blows through Death Valley bringing with it the smells of football in the South and the first Ba, Ba, Ba, Ba sounds out and the crowd goes insane...I get chill bumps.  There is no such thing as an LSU alumni who is a fair-weather fan, they don't exist.  No matter how many wins or how many losses we stick by our team...and we fire the coach. :) No matter how far from Tiger Stadium we stray, purple and gold are our true colors.

It starts when we're little the first colors we learn are LSU Purple and Tiger Gold.  We hear stories about Tommy Hodson and The Earthquake Game, the last second touchdown by Bert Jones to beat Ole Miss, or the Billy Cannon touchdown run on Halloween night...and we hope and pray that one Saturday night we'll be lucky enough to be there for an amazing play that will go down in history books.  I was just that lucky once:  November 4th, 2000 LSU beat Alabama in Tiger Stadium for the first time in 31 years, the fans charged the field and the goal posts came down.  I still have the patch of grass I pulled up from the end-zone.  Oh yeah, this is where magic happens, where dreams become reality, and grow men just might cry.  

This is SEC football!

"It makes a body tingle. These folks go berserk when the band marches on the field. A huge roar is heard for the invocation, for heaven's sake.  And when the Tigers win the toss...there are tears of ecstasy." -- Douglas Looney, Sports Illustrated describing a Saturday night in Death Valley.

"Baton Rouge happens to be the worst place in the world to be a visiting team.  It's like playing inside of a drum."
-- The Late Paul "Bear" Bryant, head coach of Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama.  

"I stood in Tiger Stadium and I thought, 'This is what the Colosseum in Rome must have been like."
-- Ed Simonini, Texas A&M linebacker.
  

Some of our favorite LSU memories:

 

  

Geaux Tigers!

And the countdown begins...

27 days until our wedding! 
Holy moly!  I can't believe it's getting so close.  I haven't spent a weekend at home in 4 weekends (Nashville, Chicago, Destin, New Orleans) being busy has simply melted the time away!

This past weekend the girls from work treated me to a bachelorette weekend in the French Quarter: Shopping, LSU Football, the Saints, Good Music, Good Food, Fun, and Friends.  I couldn't ask for more!  We went to the delicious Court of Two Sisters for turtle soup, Brennan's for the famous Bananas Foster, and Emeril's Nola for shrimp and grits! 

Our waiter, James, making our Bananas Foster

Thanks Lani, Andrea, and Ashley!  Love y'all! 

Yesterday, Drew and I registered at Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Z Gallerie, and Goodwood Hardware.  I was slightly concerned that Drew was going to be bored within the first 15 minutes...but 3.5 hours later we were leaving BB&B still laughing at each other.  We had so much fun!  Definitely a day we'll smile about in the years to come. :)

My dress is finished and it is amazing!  I can't wait to post pictures after 10/10/10.  It is truly me and perfect for my Vegas wedding.  I have a trial hair appointment Saturday to figure out how I want to style my hair.  My friend Sherry Brown designed my beautiful hair accessory from a blue vintage brooch that matches my shoes-my engagement ring was hidden in one of her Urban Kitty handbags, so it only seemed appropriate to have her talents be apart of another day to never forget!

My friends and family are also gearing up for the big day!  The girls are getting their "Vegas Wedding" outfits together and the guys could of course care less and are preparing to simply "Take on Vegas" so to speak. ;) 

You wouldn't guess this was Drew's second wedding.  He get's excited about the things that I would think wouldn't be exciting a second time, but he still surprises me!  Pick out his wedding ring, guest lists, menus, decorations...He was strutting around in his tux like he was going to be on the cover of GQ, it makes my heart smile to see him so at ease and happy!  Normally, I have to remind him 1,000 times to do something but when it comes to our wedding he's on top of everything.  "Done."  "I got it." "Check."  He even found the venue for our post-wedding dinner all by himself. :)  Since our engagment everything has been falling right into place and I am so thankful for that.  I can't help but think,
"This is exactly how things are supposed to be."

Progress Update!

Andrew received his first progress report this week and he is doing very well!  Of course we wouldn't expect any less of our little man.  We are so proud and he is too!  His benchmark testing indicated he needed some help in phonics:  Initial Sound Fluency and Letter Naming Fluency so he starts tutoring this week, CUB classes.  He's also started playing soccer!  His first game is Saturday.  It's only been a few weeks since we were in Nashville, but it seems like forever!  I can't wait for him to be home in October!!

Looking good!  Keep up the good work, Bud!

    Here are some of Andrew's Kindergarten pictures:  Isn't he beautiful?! :)

He looks so much like his Daddy in this one! :)

While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about.

~Angela Schwindt

Feeling a little beachy...

While Drew and Company were living the bachelor life at Party Cove in Missouri, my BF Brittany and I headed down to the beach house in Destin for a Labor-less weekend.  We couldn't have asked for weather that was any better!  It was beautiful and the water was amazing.

  Mmm...I don't think it get's much better.

Working on my "Wedding Tan!" :)

Britt and I soaking up the sun and enjoying girl time!

Excluding Chicago and NYC, this is the best pizza around!

Jordano's-San Destin, FL

Nothing like pizza on the beach!

Since Brittany and I moved into "the hood," she and I have become so close, I don't know what I did without her all these years!  We are a lot alike in many ways, even our differences compliment each other.  She's probably the most laid back girl I've ever met, but I think that's a prerequisite to marrying a guy like Matt Hughes! ;)  He's hands down the funniest guy I know and they are so perfect for each other!  We've pretty much decided we're going to have to start our families together- so we can freak out together at all the appropriate moments!  I'm so ready to be in Vegas with my girlfriends, I'm ready to say "I do" to the love of my life, and I can't wait to see what the future brings us.  It's friends like Britt that I can always count on to be there no matter what life throws my way.

Love you B!

The Windy City

It is definitely safe to say that Drew and I had a blast in Chicago!  Architecture, hot dogs, pizza, steak, beautiful weather, shopping...what more could we ask for!  Here are some pictures from our trip.  Enjoy.

Architecture, Architecture, Architecture

The Chicago Skyline from The Signature Room

John Hancock Center- 6th tallest building in the US

Old Water Tower- Built 1867

Behind the neo-gothic facade is a 138-foot-tall standpipe that helped control the city's water pressure.

Holy Name Cathedral- Built 1875

The ceiling was built to represent the Tree of Life

The Reid, Murdoch & Company Building is now the headquarters for Encyclopedia Britannica.

The Merchandise Mart, built in 1930 as a wholesale facility for Marshall Field & Company- which is now Macy's.

It's GI-normous!! The world's largest commercial building, 4.2 MILLION square feet and taking up 2 city blocks.  It even has two zip codes!

(I forgot which building this was, but I thought it was pretty cool.)

 

Alexander Calder: Flamingo

The Chicago Picasso

The Chicago Theater

Marina City 1 & 2

Our hotel, Hotel 71

The view from our room.  I know right!

My boo, checking out the town.

Carbide & Carbon Building, built in 1927

The exterior of the building is covered in polished black granite, and the tower is dark green terra cotta with gold leaf accents. Legend has it, architects Daniel and Hubert Burnham designed the building during prohibition to resemble a dark green champagne bottle with gold foil. 

Trump International Tower, 2nd tallest building in the US

Of course I had to go see the library!

Aqua

The balconies were built to resemble ripples or waves,

some people may have a balcony up to 12 feet wide, others can measure theirs with a ruler!

It's one of the few buildings in Chicago designed by a woman, Jeanne Gang, maybe that's why I like it so much! ;)

The Aon Center, 5th tallest building in the US.

The Rookery, built in 1888 by Burnham & Root.  The lobby was remodeled by Frank Loyd Wright in 1905.

Food, Food, Food!

Friday night we decided we wanted Italian food. 
So we went to the Italian Village Restaurants

Since 1927, the oldest Italian eatery in Chicago

The veal marsala and espresso were our favorites!

After a day of shopping Saturday on the Magnigicent Mile we made reservations at The Capital Grille.

Two words:  Gastronomically Amazing!  It was definitely the best meal I've ever had so I simply must tell you exactly what we had. :)

We started with the lobster and crab cakes with a sweet corn relish, then shared a bowl of lobster bisque, I ordered the blue cheese wedge salad while Drew ordered the warm spinach salad with warm bacon dressing.  Entrees:  Drew ordered the dry aged sirloin and I ordered our waiter, Dan's, favorite dish- which isn't on the menu.  Having worked in the restaurant business while in college I always ask my server what their favorite dish is and Dan tells me that his favorite is a filet Kona (a Hawaiian coffee) crusted- so that's what I ordered.  Then Drew threw in another lobster tail!  And or course Dan paired every course with a perfect wine selection.

My Kona crusted filet, cooked rare of course!  Just look at that Prime marbling!  Truly "pushing the theoretical limits of beef flavor!"  I raved about it so much that the Chef, Pete, sent me home with a container of Kona and seasonings.  Thanks Dan and Pete!

Dan was so impressed with our orders and our appetites that when he brought the bill he stood there for a minute and shook his head saying, "That was very impressive.  You two did some serious work!"

Outside Capital Grille with our FULL bellies!

This meal was our staple:  The Chicago Dog

All beef frank on a poppy seed bun with white onions, neon green pickled relish, sliced tomatoes, a dill pickle spear, and mustard!  Don't ever order one with ketchup!

Y-U-M!

Chicago Pizza done right at Giordano's

Drew claims New York Pizza is still the best, but I think Chicago gives NYC a run for the money.

Fun, Fun, Fun

Navy Pier from The Signature Room

Tall Ships exhibit

The infamous "Wheel"

The ultimate Ferris Wheel picture

Stained Glass Museum

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

After my class on Monday we decided to take in the Cubs vs. Pirates game.  We ended up getting season tickets from a local and they were great seats.  Apparently, the season ticket sections aren't used to seeing strange faces.  The usher came over and checked out tickets to make sure we were truly supposed to be there.  The lady, who was probably in her late 70s, looked at our tickets, looked at us and said, "Hi, I'm Mary welcome to my section."  We thought it was a little weird at fist until everyone, even when they went to get refreshments would say "Hey Mary I'm back!" or "Hey Mary how are we gonna do tonight?" 

Cubs won 14 to 1!! :)

We love exploring new cities together!  We're looking forward to our next trip in 1 month and 4 days- Las Vegas!  We'll be coming home as Mr. & Mrs. Day!!