Slacker......

I have totally been slacking on the blog lately, but I kind of have a good excuse. Things have been insanely busy in this little life of mine the past few weeks. I am not really sure where to start!

I guess I will start with my weekend away to Florida for Joanna's bachelorette party! It was super fun! They were all a great group of girls and we had a really fun time just sitting on the beach for hours and hours and then getting rowdy late night with a few different bar trips! That was one of the last "hurrah's" Jomama....November 8th will be here before you know it!

Great times with the girls!

The following weekend our friends from Michigan, Shane and Andi came down for a visit and so did Bruce's brother Robbie. There was a lot of grilling food, drinking beer and watching football involved in the weekend and it was a blast! It was so great to see them all and have them in our home! On a side note, Andi is expecting baby #2 in May '09! Congrats guys!! We love you!

Then this weekend, I was lucky enough to co-host a baby shower for Heather!! I think it turned out great and I think they got a lot of great stuff! They are almost 100% ready for baby Charlotte to make her debut!! :) I know that I can't wait to meet her!

Other than that, we have just been hanging out at the house and I am back to playing tennis on Sundays. I didn't realize how much I missed tennis until I started playing it again! It has been a lot of fun, even though my record hasn't started out so great! But Fall is around the corner and I am loving the cool mornings and evenings and drinking a glass of wine on the back deck.

Here is a picture of the girls from this weekend too! Marley is getting so big and I am afraid she is going to be much bigger than Mia! EEK!

That is it for now! I will try and not slack so much in between blog postings next time! :) xoxoxo

The Weekend of Champions!

I had the best weekend EVER! It all started on Friday morning when I ended up not having to go into work! The night before I had gone out for a "few" beers with some co-workers and ended up not getting home until close to 11:00. Being the responsible adult that I try to be, I did not drive home so my car was stuck in Buckhead for the remainder of the evening and most of the next morning. Here is a tip for everyone - have your boss with you at happy hour so he tells you that you do not have to come to work the next day because he won't be there either! :)

So, I got to sleep in a bit and was able to get a cab ride to my car around 11:00 a.m. the next day and still have lunch with my friend Melissa! That evening I started to get ready for my hot date I had that evening. My hubby and I were finally going to celebrate our anniversary with a night out on the town!

Bruce had a wonderful surprise for me and had a driver scheduled to pick us up at 6:15 for our dinner reservations at 7:00. Of course, nothing ever works out perfectly!! Around 6:20, we got a phone call from Larry, our driver, that he was about 3 miles from our house at the Publix where his car was overheating. We just had to laugh! We asked him if he could guarantee someone could pick us up from dinner and we'd just leave our car overnight again. He said that they would be there with no problem, so we went ahead and headed out to dinner. Halfway down I-285, Larry called us back and said "Have a great time - call me when you are done with your evening and Mark & I will come and pick you guys up and also drive your car home so you don't have to leave it. And also, we'll do it for free!" We were totally stoked! How cool was that?

Us after dessert

So, we did just that - had an amazing time! We had dinner at Anthony's Fine Dining in Buckhead and it was delicious! We both had the surf & turf - beef tenderloin and lobster tail. So delicious! We had martinis and a bottle of wine and shared a yummy cheesecake dessert.

Afterwards, we decided we'd head to The Grape for an after dinner glass of wine. But that actually turned into a bottle of after dinner wine! Thank god for the driver!!! :) We were picked up shortly after that and taken safely home. It was wonderful.

The next day we sat around most of the day and recovered from our wine hangovers. But that night still had the best to come! STONE TEMPLE PILOTS reunion show!!!!!! Now, anyone who has known me for any length of time, knows that I am completely obsessed with this band and more importanly Scott Weiland. Yes, heroin addicted junkie, Scott Weiland. I know, I know - it doesn't make a bit of sense, but I love him! So, just let it be!! :)

My other man

The show was GREAT! My brother totally got us the hookup with free VIP tickets and STP did not disappoint at all! I hope they can stick together for the long haul, only time will tell.

So, that is it...my AMAZING weekend. I couldn't ask for more.

731 days ago today....

I married the love of my life.

Today is our 2nd anniversary and life has been amazing. I feel like I woke up in the fairytale that every young girl dreams about having. And the fact of the matter is, it's real and it's mine - it's all mine.

Bruce is a wonderful husband. He's generous with his kisses and doesn't leave the house without giving one. My favorites are the ones on my forehead, that usually come during times of reassurance.

He still makes me giggle like when we first met - especially when he dances around the house to some "hip-hop" song I am playing, just to make fun of it because he really doesn't care for that music.

He is a generous soul and he loves me with everything that he has.

Happy Anniversary, Bruce. Thank you for loving me for all that I am and accepting me for exactly who I am. Thank you for pushing me to always be my best self and knowing when to push harder and when to let up. You are my best friend and I love you with all my heart and soul.

Thank you for loving me.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I don't do this enough......

I LOVE to cook and I equally LOVE watching the Food Network and am a huge fan of Top Chef on Bravo.

The other morning I was watching Tyler Florence and he made this 'Cuban Style Pork' and it looked so yummy, that I just had to make it that night! It was just like making a Cuban sandwich, but without the bread and using a pork chop. It was a huge hit with the hubby and I loved it too!

Here is the recipe:

Butterflied Cuban Style Pork Chops

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves

6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 cup canola oil 4

(8-ounce) pork chops, butterflied and thinly pounded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper 8

(1/4-inch) thick slices Swiss cheese 8

(1/4-inch) thick slices boiled ham

2 sour dill pickles, thinly sliced (need about 16 slices)

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

Heat the grill to high.
Whisk together 1/2 cup orange juice, 1/4 cup lime juice, 3 tablespoons oregano, the garlic, cumin, and canola oil in a large baking dish. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cover and let marinate for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours in the refrigerator.
Remove the pork from the marinade and pat dry. Place the chops on a flat surface, cut-side up and season with salt and pepper. Place 1 slice of cheese, 2 slices of ham, a few slices of pickle and another slice of cheese on 1 half of the chop. Fold over brush the top with oil and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Place the chops on the grill, oil side down and grill until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip the chops over and continue grilling until the bottom is golden brown and the cheese has melted, 2 to 3 minutes longer.
Whisk the remaining orange and lime juices, oregano, and the cilantro with the olive oil and salt and pepper, to taste. Spoon over the chops and serve.

The only thing I didn't do was spoon the remaining orange and lime juices over the pork at the end - seemed like a little "much" to me. But it was definitely a keeper!

Here is what it looked like while we were grilling it!

Kayla turns 2!!

Our sweet niece turned 2 on Thursday, July 17th! It is hard to believe that she has already been in our lives for 2 years!!! She is such a joy and she couldn't be any cuter! Here are some pics from the festivities over the weekend!

Happy Birthday Kayla!! We love you!

Another Congrats.....

goes out to our great friends Melissa and Brian! They recently found out they were expecting their first baby together!! We are so thrilled for both of them and we cannot wait to meet the new addition to their wonderful family!

Congratulations guys! We love you! Happy and Healthy Nine Months! :)

The happy couple!

Our New Baby

Last Tuesday, I opened the door from our garage into the kitchen and I was greeted by my sweet Mia, as usual. Isn't she precious? Anyways, I was giving her my typical dose of just got home from work lovin' and all of a sudden I noticed another sound coming from the other side of the kitchen. It was a curious barking and as I turned the corner I saw my husband sitting at the kitchen table and a little pup at his feet. Meet Marley - our new baby. She is 3 months old and as cute as a button. The first words out of my mouth to Bruce were "What did you do?"

Needless to say, I was in shock at first. But now that we have her I love her more than anything. She is a pretty good pup and is crate training pretty well. She gets into everything so I have to watch her like a hawk, but other than that she has been doing really well.

Mia is still getting used to sharing her house, but she is getting better every day.

Our family is growing!! :)

Things Lately....

It has been a hot minute since I last updated my blog - I'm sure no one missed it too terribly! :)

Things have been going really great in our little world lately! We are both still enjoying our home and having a lot of fun trying to fill it up! Bruce has been working his booty off lately. Ever since the temps hit the 90 degree and above mark here in HotLanta, everyone needs their HVAC fixed ASAP! No complaints here though - it is great for us and for the business!

My work has been a ball of stress lately. We've been hit pretty hard with the recession and have had 2 rounds of major layoffs. I have been able to make my way through both (thank God) and I think I will be ok. I have taken on a lot of other peoples jobs since they were laid off - I am now officially: Executive Assistant, Office Manager, Marketing Assistant, IT Support and Receptionist. YIKES! Ha, Ha! It actually has not been that bad and hopefully they will want to keep me around until we get through this rough patch in our company. *fingers crossed* :)

I cannot remember if I blogged about this or not...so I may be repeating myself, sorry! BUT, our dear friends Heather and Matt are expecting! And it's a GIRL!! :) Might I add, that I called that one all the way!!! :) I am so excited for them both - they will be amazing parents!

Also, our friends Allison and Kirk welcomed baby # 2 and it was a GIRL too!!!! (I called that one too - 2 for 2 baby!) Her name is Abigail "Abby" Gibbs Thompson - she is gorgeous! Jack is going to be a wonderful big brother!

All these babies and GIRLS...is something in the water? :)

This weekend is Father's Day and my dad's birthday is June 26th - so we are celebrating both this Saturday at my brother Greg's house!

Hope everyone is amazing! Have a great rest of the week!
Much love, Carrie

Lovin'

• Precious nieces
• Pregnant friends and new babies!
• Taking walks with my cutie hubby
• Grilling out
• Cuddling on the couch
• So You Think You Can Dance (yes, I am cheesy)
• YogurBerry - YUM!
• Eating healthier
• Good friends and good times

Come on Get Higher...

Love this song..... :)

Come on Get Higher by Matt Nathanson

I miss the sound of your voice
I miss the rush of your skin
I miss the still of the silence
As you breathe out and I breathe in
If I could walk on water
If i could tell you whats next
Make you believe
Make you forget
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
I miss the sound of your voice
The loudest thing in my head
And I ache to remember
All the violent, sweet, perfect words that you said
If I could walk on water
If I could tell you whats next
Make you believe
Make you forget
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
I miss feel the pull of your heart
I miss taste the sparks on your tongue
I see angels and devils and god when you come on
Hold on Hold on, hold on, hold on....(sing shaa la la la laaOuuu)
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me in love
Come on get higher
Loosen my lips
Faith and desire
And the swing of your hips
Just pull me down hard
And drown me
Drown me in love
It's all wrong
It's all wrong
It's all wrong, its so right
Come on get higher
Come on and get higher
Because everything works love
Because everything works in your heart