and the winner is....

ME!  

When did I become such a lucky duck?  

Remember when I told y'all a while back about winning that $200 gift certificate to Ann Taylor LOFT through a BlogHer giveaway on Suz Steece's blog?  (oh yes, I have definitely already spent that ENTIRE gift card by the way... it definitely didn't last long! ALL my clothes continue to come from the LOFT).....

Well, I have since then won 2 MORE blog giveaways!!!  

First, I won a $60 CSN Stores giveaway on Lyndsie's blog.  I have been following her personal blog for a while now (just this past week she announced that they are in the process of adopting a baby girl!) & then she started a giveaway blog because people were donating items for her to giveaway due to her large readership.  I enter nearly every giveaway she offers (entry is so easy, like all you have to do is leave a comment) & was notified one day that I won this giveaway!  Now the only problem is that I can't decide what to spend the $60 on... they sell such a wide range of items & I have no idea what I want to get!!! Any suggestions? (Oh, & y'all should definitely check out her blogs & enter these giveaways, there is a new one almost every day, even thought it's been less often lately since she's been busy w/ the adoption news (cute baby stuff, personalized items, etc) & you have a really good chance of winning)!  

OK, so THEN, I won a free camera strap from "Cotton Candy by Natalie" from a giveaway on Amanda's blog (I found her blog b/c she has 'Fonts for Peas' the free fonts database, AND she went to AUBURN).  I was absolutely SHOCKED when I got the email saying I won this one because I was one of thousands entered and had completely forgotten about it.  I picked out this camera strap fabric pattern (with much thought put into it) 

and absolutely LOVE IT!  Unlike some that I have seen, this isn't a camera strap COVER, it's actually a whole new strap that replaces your original one.  It is extremely well made & I had actually been wanting one for a while, so winning it was perfect!  I would definitely recommend Cotton Candy by Natalie, so go check out her Etsy shop.  Now, when my sister Natalie & I are together we won't confuse our cameras for each others!  

So, I hope my good luck hasn't run out... Maybe it's just getting started?  But I wanted to tell all of YOU about these giveaways sites too b/c winning is easy, and pretty fun! :)  

Happy Birthday Ben!!!!

First of all, Saturday was Ben's 26th Birthday, so I want to start off the post with everyone wishing him a very Happy Birthday!!!!

Friday night we had a dinner party with all of the girls in my Bible Study and our husbands. We just finished to 1st book in our study & are moving to a new Beth Moore study & wanted to get together socially with our husbands to hang out since we all like each other so much!

We had a great turnout and so so so much food.

Just the girls:

Saturday morning we loaded up and went to the Farm and were joined by Ben's entire family. Ben's grandmother even came down to spend a week or so with all of us and surprise Ben for his birthday. After the last weekend we spent at the farm, Ben decided it was exactly what he wanted to do again for his day!

Ben rode the tractor & cut grass

we watched Harper have a good time

we went fishing... & caught Brim

rode 4 wheelers

Ben & I went canoeing

everyone enjoyed Leigh's smiling face

we ate delicious steaks for dinner

had plenty of cake, cookies, & cupcakes for dessert

and sang to the birthday boy & opened presents

Sunday we did a little more of the same before Ben's mom fell & broke her foot, so we decided to start packing up the house & head back home then. We got back to Mobile & ate dinner & had more celebration at my parents house... before finally making it home, to a house without cable or Internet (sigh)....

I love you Ben & hope you have a wonderful 26th year!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Jacksonville Vacation

3 of Ben's college friends/groomsmen are all from Jacksonville, FL and still live there, so this is a place that we end up visiting at least once, if not more times, per year.  2 of these guys have gotten engaged within the last year and Ben is in both of their weddings, so let the fun visits begin!!!

This past weekend was an engagement party for Brent & Meridith whose wedding is October 16th.  Ben & I came into town early, on Thursday night, and stayed with his friend Matt, who is living on the beach!  Friday while everyone was at work, Ben & I laid out in the sun all day (I actually finished reading a BOOK!) & enjoyed a relaxing day at the beach (the Atlantic Ocean is quite different from our Gulf of Mexico).  When I saw all the puppies playing in the water I wished Harper had been there with us!

Friday night everyone finally met up to go to dinner & to the bar! It was such a fun time reuniting with everyone from college.  Luckily, I love all of Ben's friends girlfriends/wives too so it doesn't just feel like a guy's weekend.  

Matt (Hieb), Robbins, Ben, Brent, Brian (Register)

The Bride & Groom to be- Brent & Meridith

the next-up bride & groom to be (April 16, 2011!)- Gracie & Brian

Saturday it rained a little bit in the morning, but then we made an incredible feast of fresh Fish Tacos for lunch before hitting the beach for the afternoon.

The engagement party was Saturday night and was an island themed dinner party.

All the boys

With the girls, Alison & Gracie (can you see how HOT it was!?!)

Our wonderful hosts for the weekend: Matt & Alison

It was a fun long weekend, despite the horrendously long boring drive, and we can't wait to come back in October!  

Family Fun

We had an awesome weekend, mainly surrounded by my family at a number of different places.

Friday night Stephen's Surprise 30th Birthday Party at my parent's house (Natalie did a great job planning it & pulling off the surprise):

I showed Bennett how to play several games on my iTouch... he now loves this wonderful technology (his momma may or may not like this):

We spent the night at my parents house so that we didn't have to drive back home.

Saturday morning we went to visit Ben's grandparents before driving up to my parent's new land they bought.... and seeing their new tractor:

and touring the land.... Harper thought it was quite hot but was happy to be in the woods (he told me):

...Before eating lunch & heading down the road to Ben's Farm for the rest of the weekend. Rachel & Hollis, Natalie, Stephen & Bennett joined us, as well, for the rest of our activities:

Fishing

kayaking and canoeing

laughing and being entertained by this little boy

he's obviously fearless when it comes to fish... which made his daddy very proud

and eating leftover BBQ for dinner.  

It was jam packed with activity and fun but yet incredibly relaxing at the same time.  

Just what the doctor ordered! 

Deja Vu

I had a major case of deja vu this week... I got the call on Tuesday that I was laid off from my job along with the rest of the sales reps in my company.  I asked for prayers here on my blog not too long ago because I knew that my company was having financial trouble, but I really hoped that they would be able to pull through. 

Unfortunately, in November 2008 my employer at that time filed for bankruptcy and I lost my job then too; so I have been in this position before, but I really hoped not to find myself here again.  I find myself now in the daily process of looking for jobs both in my current field (pharmaceutical sales) and in anything involving my major (Marketing).  This time Ben & I are confident that the unemployment period won't last for 8 months again. :)

Luckily, I was hosting Bible Study at my house on Wednesday night and had that to look forward to.  My bible study has been an amazing support group through the ups & downs & struggles w/ my job & it was wonderful to have them here as we finished up our current study of James.  

I appreciate all the support my friends and family have given me and all the comments from the blog/internet world as well.  As everyone always says, 

"when one door closes, another door opens" 

and I can't wait to see what that door may be! I have a feeling it will be good! :)  

Our weekend & accompanying recipes

Supper Club went great Thursday night!  We had a good time meeting new friends & had fajitas and other delicious food.  I brought a side dish that Ben LOVES & I have made for us several times before:

Black Bean Salad w/ Cumin-Lime dressing

Combine the following 3 ingredients for the salad:
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 cans black beans, drained & rinsed


Then combine dressing separately & pour over salad, tossing to coat:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 Tablespoon sugar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

The rough thing about week night events, especially when they take place at your good friends' house, is that we got home extremely late.... as in 1:30 AM, and Ben had to get up for work the next morning!  At least the boys did at the hard work.... the dishes....

Friday, we headed down to the beach, dropped off Harper at my beach house, and then went over to Katie's condo.  Austin, Stephanie, Jody, Katie, Ben & I ate Lillian's Pizza & salad for dinner & then went for a late night swim (yes, we discussed the old belief that you must wait a certain amount of time after eating before swimming, but apparently we don't mind that rule).  Then we came back inside and enjoyed Dessert that Katie made:

Fruit Pizza

(oops, we ate most of it before I snapped a picture)

This link is basically the recipe Katie described to me, and you can alter it based off your fruit preferences, and arrange the fruit in a pretty pattern if you want!

Saturday we attempted to lay out by the pool but it was so extremely hot that none of us could pry ourselves out of the pool, which was quite warm itself (The High was 97 degrees which meant that it "felt like" about 110!)!  We even found some blocks of ice to throw in the pool & attempt to cool the water down.... it didn't work for very long.

That afternoon, my parents took us for a "booze cruise," as we call it, on the big boat.

 We dodged thunderstorms for a little while, got rained on, and then made a pit stop at Tacky Jacks for some "Bushwhackers".

I have never seen a dog enjoy water as much as Harper does. I turned on the outdoor shower when we got back to the house & he just laid down right in it... I guess he was pretty hot outside too! Silly puppy....

That night we all cooked hamburgers & french fries before going for another night time swim.  My goal for the weekend was to lay out in the sun & get a tan, but I quickly realized that would be impossible in the extreme heat, so we couldn't get out of the pool.... maybe next time!  We still had a great time with friends (and my parents) at the beach!