Savannah Trip!

Oh the fun we had [this is a total understatement]...if you've never been to Savannah, Georgia...stop whatever it is your doing...and plan a trip there...now. It has definitely become one of the top cities that I love to visit! It really is amazing to see a place that is so beautifully maintained with all of it's history that is reflected at every turn, anywhere you look. It's crazy how modern cars and amenities just seem out of place there, l literally expected to see a horse drawn carriage down every road, it just seemed to make more sense there. 

Our trip started out late Friday afternoon, we checked into this beautiful bed & breakfast off Jones street in the heart of the historic downtown district. Our suite was amazing, the room was completely decorated in Victorian decor and it was so charming. We had already all decided that since the downtown district was only about a two mile radius across that we would just park the cars for the weekend and walk everywhere! Our first stop after my other two girlfriends arrived was definitely DINNER! We ended up at The Olde Pink House, which is a beautiful 18th century mansion right on the Reynolds Square. To say the food was good would be a complete lie...the food was A-maZingly blow your mind...BEST damn meal...I think I've ever had...like slap you're mama good! I had the pecan crusted chicken with a blackberry bourbon glaze, sweet potato with pecan vanilla butter and mac-n-cheese [Mmmmm...must go back to visit just to eat this again]. The restaurant is reservation only on the top two floors [which of course we were unaware of] but all was not lost because we were told that downstairs in the basement portion of the mansion was a first come first serve area...and let me tell you...once we saw the basement tavern we definitely would have rather have eaten down there! It was just the coolest atmosphere! The ceilings were low and lined with very old dark wooden beams, it was dark, the only light coming from overhead lanterns and tall candles on each table. There were also two fireplaces, one on each side of the basement. It was just so different and unlike any restaurant I have ever eaten at!

This is a stock photo...it was way too dark to get a photo when we were here!

  
Plus they made this heavenly drink called The Hummingbird which was gin and champagne mixed [never would have thought to mix those two together...but is was soooooo good]! 

After dinner we walked down to River Street, so the girls could check out some of the shops and old buildings. As the sun went down it seemed that the night life really picked up, there was live street music and tons of tasty beverages to be had as you walked around to take in all the sights! We eventually ended up at Club One, which has a nightly cabaret show...it was pretty damn funny and oh so entertaining! By the time the show was over and we made it back to the room...we we're spent! All of us being mommies and usually passed out asleep at that ungodly hour...I can't even remember the last time I was up that late...

The rule for the trip was no alarms!

Well, I was up at 7:00 am anyways...guess my old body is just used to it now...but it was all good! I was so excited about walking the historic district and taking as many pictures as humanly possible that I didn't even notice I had only gotten about four hours of sleep! So, we headed off to breakfast at the Cobblestone Cafe which we had discovered the night before as we we're walking around and it sounded so yummy we decided to come back in the morning for breakfast. 

The food was delicious but the best part was of course the strawberry and mango mimosa's we had [I should start every morning with one of those...does that make me an alcoholic? Eh...I don't care]!

It was such a gorgeous day for photos too, there was not a cloud in the sky and it was a sunny 70 degrees which was just perfect weather for getting lost in an old historic city with three of the best girls and my trusty Cannon DSLR Rebel camera! We probably walked somewhere around 40 blocks which included 10 different city squares and one very cool, very old cemetery! It will probably take me forever to edit all the pictures I took, but since editing is my favorite part, I don't mind at all!  

After about six straight hours of walking, our dogs feet where definitely barking screaming at us! So, we decided a nice pedicure was in order, with a side of extra massage and of course when your on vacation with three other girls the total thing to do is get matching toes right?...so that's exactly was we did! 

After probably the MOST NEEDED EVER pedicure of my life we decided to head over to Tybee Island for dinner, the girls wanted to go to the Crap Shack. I will admit that I am not a seafood lover [I know, I know "I don't know what I'm missing" but look...it's just not my cup of tea] so dinner was just okay for me but everyone else really enjoyed their meals and it was really pretty to be sitting on the water, so I have no complaints!

After we ate and drove back across the bridge to Savannah it was close to 10:00 pm and we all we're "jones-inning" for some warm apple pie...so we literally spent the rest of the evening walking around looking for some kind of diner or shop that sold pie [I know we sound like a bunch of fatties, but it was fun! We found some cool places that we would have otherwise never seen]. We sadly never found our pie but we did find ice cream so we loaded up on that instead! The rest of the already late evening was spent in the charming room of our B&B with glasses full of sparkling wine mixed with orange juice, all crowded onto the queen size bed in front of the only television in the whole place just laughing and being stupid [don't get to do that very often anymore]!

We were bummed when we woke up Sunday morning...we knew it was our last day here and it was such a pretty place that it sucked to leave [plus...who really ever wants their vacation to end???]. We ended up at Clary's Cafe which was about two blocks from our B&B, an employee at the Crap Shack had suggested it to us the night before. They were apparently famous for they're stuffed french toast, it was super yummy food!

Okay...so now don't think we are a bunch of morbid girls but we decided to head over to another huge old catholic cemetery to take a few more photos before we all had to get back on the road for the trip home. The old cemeteries were just so amazing! The large statues and old mausoleums from centuries ago were just so gorgeous and were captured so beautifully on camera. I swear I think I took about a million ga-zillion photos! I started editing them last night and finish up the one below just before bed. I cannot wait to finished up the rest of them! 

Thanks to my husband who gave me absolutely no hassles about going on this trip and just wanted me to have a good time! But most of all Thank you to my girls, they are the one's who made this a total success! This will become a yearly tradition for us and we have already decided that we will be invading New Orleans next year! So fun!

Now it's back to work and the real world...boo!

Spoiled?

Am I the only parent who wants to give her children everything under the sun?

I would like to think I'm not but sometimes due to the sheer volume of things I have in mind for them I think I may be! I have been obsessed lately with tree-houses and the idea of them both running around in the backyard on a cool fall evening playing up in their tree-house together...just being...brothers. 

When I was a kid my grandfather actually poured a concrete slab in the backyard and then built a playhouse on it [it was the closest thing I had to a tree-house, I grew up in South Florida...we have palm trees. I don't think any parent would trust the weight of a tree-house on a palm tree] and I loved it! I hope to one day be able to stay home with my kids [since we know there will definitely be more], handle they're sports, school projects, homework [until they get to high school...then that's Daddy's turf] and just provide them with the best possible childhood we can offer them. With tree-houses, birthday backyard scavenger hunts, fire pit for smore's, outdoor screen for movies and letting the boys set up camp for a night! These are just my backyard ideas! Don't even get me started on the indoor playroom that I would love to one day have for them...with built in book shelves, leggo wall for them to build on, painted accent chalk wall for them to write and draw pictures...

Oh. sorry. See the ideas are just spilling out of me!

Which brings me to this thought....
Does wanting to give your children the absolute best childhood also mean that you are knowingly spoiling them? Would that even be considered spoiling? If they don't directly ask for something and you give it to them just to make them happy...

I, by no means want to raise a spoiled child. But if you teach them to appreciate what they have and recognize that so many go without...does that make it okay? Probably not. But I don't really care if it does. One day we will have our cozy home that the boys will hopefully spend there entire childhood in...with tree lined streets, clean parks, a fun tree-house, toy-cluttered playroom, bunk-beds, sitting around the kitchen table playing "Go Fish", making brownies after dinner, building pillow forts in the living room, and so much more... 

Before kids, I never really gave much thought to the "American Dream" but in my mind this is what it would all be about [in picture form, of course].

Not like my usual posts...but just sometimes good to get your ideas out of your head and down typed on paper the computer screen...they may never happen like I have them pictured in my mind but that doesn't mean you stop thinking about it.

Oh Snap it's Spring!

April is sure shaping up to be a great month! It is finally starting to warm up [I've been ready for this for weeks months now]! Of course with spring comes allergies, mine are slapping me in the face as I speak, but a few weeks of itchy eyes and just overall general discomfort is worth it to get to summer! 

I am so excited for what is coming up this month! I have two maternity shoots scheduled with two amazing women who are both expecting their first child [so excited to get back into photography] and my mind is just bursting with ideas for them! Just praying the weather holds off and we can get some blue skies in our photos! 

If that wasn't awesome enough for this month I also have my girl's weekend to Savannah right around the corner and I am definitely looking forward to a little "girly, kids free, don't have to watch your mouth" kinda time! We are staying in the heart of downtown Savannah in an old bed & breakfast, I have only been there once before and have been dying to go back. It is such a beautiful city. I am looking forward to walking around all the city centers, checking out the river front shops, trying the restaurants and seeing a show! It only makes it better that three of my closest girls will be enjoying it with me.

To end out this crazy month, we have the Jimmy Buffett concert [it's like a holiday for my husband, who is a devoted parrot-head]. Of course the kids will be joining us for all the tail-gating, low-country boil, fins up glory! The hubs has even been scouting out shops on Esty to get some custom parrot-head gear for both boys to wear [he is so proud]! We didn't get the chance to go last year since we ended up broke down in the middle of West Virginia <-- long story. So, needless to say he is pretty excited this year especially since this will be Nash's first "Buffett experience"!

Oh! I almost forgot...so apparently both my husband and I have gone bat shit crazy and just lost our minds...why you ask...because we brought Nash his very first drum set. Yes. We did. I'm not talking about a little preschool baby Einstein musical toy where you can just turn the button and it's off. No. This is an 11-piece real drum set...just scaled down for his size. 

He LOVES it! 

It's loud. And when he starts whaling on the cymbal over and over it's really loud. But he really does love it so we really don't mind the noise and Mas has even gotten in on it too! 

*sigh*

My little musical genius in training...

In other Harris news...

Our little soccer star Mas scored his fifth goal this past weekend! He is really turning into the little athlete!

A little pre-game silliness with my favorite 4 year old...

Hope everyone has a great week!

Mountain Dew Apple Dumplings

So, I decided yesterday that it has been a minute since I have baked/cooked something...anything?!?! Seriously. It's been like weeks. My husband has become [dare I say it?] even MORE obsessed lately with his green egg grill and has pretty much cooked every single meal on it! I mean...don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining, but it has left no time at all for me to work on my kitchen skills. So I decided to make a dessert last night to go with the beer can chicken and broccoli that the hubs was cooking [of course, if you know me then you know that it has to be the easiest recipe I could find. It was. It also turned out awesome]. It turned out so yummy that I thought I would share...plus it's made with Mountain Dew...if it's made with any kind of soda I have just got to make it! 

Here's what your going to need:

Two Granny Smith Apples [peeled and cut into eight wedges]
Two Can of Regular Crescent Rolls 
Two Tablespoons Melted Butter
One Tablespoon Vanilla
Cinnamon Sugar
One 8oz Can of Mountain Dew

Once you have the apples peeled and cut it actually takes really no time to put this together. Start by laying out your crescent rolls, this recipe makes 16 apple dumplings so I would use a fairly decent size baking dish. Take one of the apple wedges and lay at the thickest part of the roll then sprinkle the entire roll with cinnamon sugar and roll up the apple inside placing the small tip of the crescent roll down when you place it in the dish. 

Disclaimer: My phone camera sucks!

Now that all the dumplings are ready, in a measuring cup melt two tablespoons of butter then add one tablespoon of vanilla and sprinkle to your liking as much cinnamon sugar you'd like [I, of course used a lot...don't judge]. Then pour this over all the dumplings as evenly as possible.

Disclaimer: My phone camera sucks!

Last but certainly not least it's time to add the Dew...as far as the measurements for this...well it really depends on how much "gooeyness" you like with your apple dumplings. I had planned on serving this with vanilla ice cream [yes. notice the "had" since I forgot the ice cream at the store and I had already taken my bra off so there was no way in hell I was going back out to the store]. I used about 4 ounces and it turned out with just enough goo but not too much. If I had had ice cream I probably would have used a little more so it could coat the ice cream. 

Disclaimer: My phone camera sucks!

Once you've evenly poured all ingredients over the dumplings then pop that bitch in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes...or until they are a light brown on top. 

Disclaimer: My phone camera sucks!

It was sooooo yummy! Mas really enjoyed them and liked that it was something easy enough that he could help me make and I no longer...well at least for the next few days feel like a kitchen failure! I hope you enjoy!

[PLF] Love!

So, since March 31st marks my husband and I's very first date three years ago I wanted to post a blog with the story of our engagement [Yes. I realize today is April 3rd and I am a few days late but cut a girl some slack...it's been crazy busy around here]!

I could not have planned it better myself! We both love to laugh and had found this great little comedy place not long after we started dating. So when Vince said that he wanted to head up to the Village Theater for a show, I didn't think twice about it since it is a place we visited about twice a month for shows. We found it completely by accident but absolutely loved the vibe, people and relaxed atmosphere, we like to PLF as they say there which means "Party Like F@*k". We had been trying to get a group of friends together for a while to come with us and I really just thought that the stars had finally aligned because two of my closest friends and another couple who also recently got engaged agreed to meet us there. The night was like any other night before, great show, good company and lots of laughs. Since we had become "regulars" there, we also befriended a lot of the cast members as well as the owners. There had been several shows where I had gone up on stage to participate in the show itself. But that night Vince said he thought he would like to go up on stage since he never had before, I thought that was a great idea!

So, towards the end of the show they started to ask for an audience member to come up on stage. Vince's hand shot up in the air and I excitedly pointed to him as well to hopefully get the MC's attention so that he would be picked to go up. The owner, who was hosting the show that night spotted us and asked Vince to come on up, but then strangely he pointed to me too! I really didn't think twice about it and followed Vince up on stage. We were going through the improv scene with the actors and I was just trying to be funny and not really paying attention to much else. 

Then I heard Vince say my name, I thought to myself..."why is he saying my name in a improv skit?" [My name is not funny...ugh...he is going to ruin it]. He is way more creative and funnier then that! The next words out of his mouth literally took my breath away. He said "Gen, would you PLF with me for the rest of my life?" At first I really thought he was joking...I mean we are at a comedy show! Then he started walking towards me with a box in his hand, he got down on his knee and at this point I thought my legs we're going to give out [to be honest I didn't even really see the ring at first, I just kept asking him if "he was sure"...I mean. I know I was the best catch in town but still had to make sure he knew what he was getting into]. I am sure I looked at it but things began to haze a bit at this point due to shock and surprise. I managed to verbalize a "yes" for him even though I had already said yes like a million times in my head.

All our friends there already knew the plan of course and Vince told me that my family had already known as well. He had asked both my mother and father for there blessing. He told me that night that the ring was a temporary one, he knew how much my grandmother Rochelle and my grandmother Bonnie's wedding sets were to me and he also has his grandmother's wedding set so we ended up designing a ring as unique as me, incorporating all three wedding sets. It couldn't have been a more perfect idea [not to discount the ring he gave me on stage that night, which is a beautiful flower designed diamond ring].

Thinking back I can honestly say that I feel exactly the same way I felt about him that night, if not maybe a bit stronger. I had always said I would never get married because I never wanted to get divorced but I know with every ounce in my body that he is my match. 

Now...fast forward three years...

We are still the same of goofy couple who would rather spend every second of our time with each other and our two boys. Making plans well into our future, expanding our family and enjoying every adventure that presents itself, together. 

Reminiscencing back to that wonderful night and reminding myself how lucky I am to have found my partner in life. Here are some photos I dug up from that awesome night!

Easter Eggs-travaganza!

It's that time again! Hunting for colorful eggs, spending time with great friends, baskets full of treats...yes yes...it's Easter! 

I was a little more excited this year for Easter then I have probably ever been in my entire life because Nash is walking and I could not wait to see him go pick up his own eggs during the hunt [even though that totally did not work out as well as I had pictured it in my mind].

First up Saturday morning was Mas's soccer game [he scored his fourth goal of the season]! Next we headed over to a good friend's house for an afternoon cook out and egg hunt! Weatherman said Easter Sunday was going to be pretty cloudy and rainy so we decided to celebrate a day early to take full advantage of the beautiful spring weather! Mas was also extra excited when he found out that the eggs where filled with quarters and dollars instead of candy, he made $3.00 egg hunting and Nash pocketed $2.00! 

My sweet Nash...he had just woken up from a nap before the egg hunt began and was not quite with it yet so he didn't do too much "hunting" but he did get the help of our friend's daughter Madison [who Nash shamelessly flirts with all the time...I'm thinking Nash may have been able to egg hunt by himself and this was just a ploy to grab her attention...it was pretty funny]. But I did mange to get some cute pictures of the kiddos doing there thing! I tried to get more pictures of Mas but with hidden eggs on the line, the odds of him stopping to take a picture are little to none.

Madison helping Nash egg hunt!

Yes. Those are baby ducks. That's just how we roll for Easter.

Mas on the hunt!

Nash had his one egg and he was happy!

Since Mas knows that I am the one who puts his Easter basket together, he has been very clever in his attempts to try to get me to tell him where I had everything hidden. He did manage to find Nash's basket of goodies but luckily just after Christmas I moved my "Mas's gift spot" to a higher, out of reach location. 

Both boys loved all the treats and toys in their baskets so Sunday since it was cloudy and rainy out we just hung out at home as a family and played with all the new stuff! 

Now I am in countdown mode to my girl's weekend to Savannah in April and our family vacation to Myrtle Beach in May! 

Side Note: I updated the shitty pictures from my post "Birthday Bacon" check it out!