It's all coming.... soooo soon!!!

Its official, the hubs and I have settled into our new home. And with a few setbacks (lightning struck our house 2 days after moving in) we are finally getting back into the groove... Since my last post we have made it most of the way through the holidays and most of the way through college football season. Being an AUBURN fan has been quite exciting this year: a little bit of controversy, lots of close games and of course our undefeated season! Football, for the first time in my life has over-shadowed my passion for christmas. Nonetheless, the christmas shopping is finished and now I get to anxiously wait until January 10th when Auburn goes to the BCS National Championship game in Glendale, AZ to face the Oregon Ducks. Of course, I tried everything I could to find a way to afford the trip out west to see the game but, sadly it wasn't possible. So I decided the next best option was to go to Auburn and watch the game in the new arena with thousands of family members. Because, that is was what Auburn is to me... home. And Auburn fans... they are family. I love nothing more than hearing "war eagle" from someone I've never met and instantly I feel this connection with them. Which brings me to my next point... If Auburn is my family, then the SEC is like extended family or in-laws. So when our rivals, such as, UGA, Florida and yes, even Alabama play non-conference teams, I ALWAYS root for the SEC team. And I just don't understand people who don't get that.  I guess there will always be haters when you are so close to the top.  As I finish this post, I will say this... I STAND WITH CAM. AND WAR CAM EAGLE!! WAR EAGLE!! OH AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

New York, New York

NYC. You make me feel like I can be anything that I want to be. My heart races when I think about the energy in NYC. I think I have fallen in love again. In fact, through my own personal experiences, I think that you can fall in love many times in many different ways. And I have a major serious crush on NYC. Pretty sure it's love. Let's see where do I begin...

I got a rush when I walked out of Laguardia and saw the long line of yellow taxis just waiting to take me to Manhattan. As we rode in, I could hardly contain myself. We dropped our bags at our West 57th street hotel and began exploring. First thing first, we got hot dogs off the street. De-Lish. We walked for hours just taking it all in. The sights, sounds and smells were unlike any other place I have ever been (sometimes the smells weren't so pleasant, but what do you expect... its August, its hot and there's trash). I quickly realized I wanted to totally tourist it up so we bought 48 hr passes on the the Gray line hop on hop off double decker buses. What a great choice that was! So nice to have someone tell you all sorts of great facts about the city that I would have never ever learned from riding in taxis everywhere.

Our first evening we ditched our Smith and Wollensky reservations and decided to wing it. Risky decision but it totally paid off. We had happy hour at Sushi Samba and then walked up 5th Ave until we happened upon Les Halles (Anthony Bourdains claim to fame). Inside this fabulous restaurant was Caroline Wozniacki (the #1 seed in the US open) just casually seated a few tables from us. We ordered a bottle of Les Halles white wine and had escargots complimented with  freshly baked bread and both were out of this world. We felt as if we did like what the french do every day. Good feeling... let me tell you. We just walked and talked all the way back to our hotel. Walking through the city is just unbelievable. I want to walk everywhere.

The next day we decided to rent bikes at central park and roam around for a few hours... beautiful.. it was such a fun experience. Then it was food time. Carnegie Deli was fantastic. Their pastrami on rye was like 10 lbs and it was out of this world!!!! There is just something about a new york deli that so satisfies every inch of me. We went traveling/shopping all- throughout the downtown side of manhattan. I just felt like I could move there.

The next days were filled with a ton more walking and sight-seeing. I was actually enjoying being a true tourist in the greatest city in the world. It was such a wonderful experience and cannot wait to go back!!!

Eclipse Di Luna

I thought I could just ease into this whole responsible blogging thing, by starting with my favorite topic ever. FOOD. Of course, if you know me, you already know this fact. I've come a long way from the finicky eater I used to be. My hub and I recently discovered Eclipse Di Luna in Atlanta. Like, I swear I haven't stopped drooling since our last visit. Which was last friday, since I demanded we drive the hour drive for this amazing tapas restaurant and bar.

Their tuna was simply amazing. And Don't even get my started on their amazing mojitos.

Our latest trip to Eclipse Di Heaven, I mean Luna, was especially great. We feasted on some of the best calamari I've ever tasted, beef brisket sliders, sauteed octopus, 2 empanadas and an order of these fried potatoes that just melt in your mouth. I highly recommend this restaurant to ALL my foodie followers.

Don't call it a comeback... I've been here for years

I watched Julie and Julia the other day and (for those who have not seen it) it is about a young woman who writes a blog about cooking her way through Julia Child's cookbook. Cute story. But, it got me thinking about my own lackluster, lifeless blog. Yes, it has been just short of a whole year since my last blog. Pathetic. So, I've decided to make a reappearance. My hope is to blog about things that I am passionate about... everything from sports to home decor to traveling. Kind of fits my personality- all over the place. So bare with me while I give this a second chance.

Holiday season has almost arrived

I have butterflies in my stomach as I think about the following months coming up!! So much to look forward to!! First of all in a mere 8 days college football kicks off and I could not be more excited!! Cant wait till its acceptable every Saturday to pop open a cold beer at anytime, wear all orange and blue and scream out WAAARR EAGLE!! in public places. I just got chill bumps right now as I am thinking about it! I can just smell the bourbon and coke on game days !! I am super excited that I will be in Auburn for the kick off of the season!! So in my world, holiday season kicks off next Saturday!! Then of course is my favorite holiday, Halloween!! What could be better than having months to design your own costume that you can wear on this one day with no judgment! All the while, every time you step out the door you are seeing the leaves change into beautiful yellows, reds and browns and the fall breeze makes it heavenly. No mosquitoes, no 100 degree scorching days! And for the first time, I will be celebrating Thanksgiving and Christmas with my family AND my whole new family--the in-laws!! So excited for my husband to see how my family celebrates christmas!! So all in all what a great time to look forward to!! Happy Holidays!!! WAAARR EAGLE!!!

Family Impact

After reading a fellow bloggers last post about family, it got me thinking about my own family.  My parents divorced when I was just barely five.  Actually the only memory I have of my my Dad and my mom in the same house is totally random.  All I remember is getting into my dad's bed which was the pull out couch in the office (I didn't even know to ask questions) because it was storming and we shared a little bag of  pizza combos.  That's all I got for memories of mom and dad.  From there on, I was split between two households that could not have been more different from each other.  My mom and step-dad were laid back and unconditonal with their parenting skills.  On the other hand, my dad and step-mom were completely opposite.  They were very strict and VERY conditional.  So as both families grew, I found myself feeling like the black sheep of the family.  My brother and sister (Ali and Boy) on my dad's side were growing up so fast in a household I could hardly relate to. And the separation began.  I love them both very much but I think we never got the chance to be as close as brothers and sisters are supposed to be.  Courtney, my sister from mom's side was much more like me.  But the six year age gap really put us on different levels growing up.  Courtney is graduating from high school this weekend and going to UK in the fall.  Its hard to believe that she is about to take the biggest step in her life so far and I could not be more excited for her.  But I feel like I have missed out on that close sisterly bond that I have always wanted, until recently.  

Both my sisters are now 19 and have started to realize that I am the best person to call when they are having problems.  And I could not be more thrilled.  It seems that finally we have all finally entered an age where we can communicate like true sisters.  I hope that our relationship continues to grow and that we can always speak freely about our beliefs and ideals.  I could look back and wish that I had something that I clearly did not have OR I can move forward with the amazing opportunity of having a huge impact on both of them while they are finding themselves in college.

the difference is...

As I am beginning to meet new people here in Macon, Ga.  It makes me re-think the friends I have had throughout my life.  I have never been the greatest at judging peoples' character.  I think that detail alone has hindered me more than I ever thought imaginable. Anyways, I lived a VERY sheltered lifestyle.  So when I made friends in middle school and high school, I would basically become part of their family.  And to me, there is no better way to learn about someone than to get to know their family. But all of a sudden, you are thrown into college basically alone.  I wanted a fresh start and I got one because I had to make all new friends when I started Auburn.  I quickly found what a disadvantage it is that there is no family to lean on.  So Do you really even know these people you call friends?  You have no clue how they grew up, what their morals are truly like or whether they are trustworthy.  I definitely made a wide variety of friends during college, jumping from one social group to another.  The only consistent aspect was alcohol.  And I have found that it is even harder to make friends outside of college.  However, I believe I have made leaps and bounds in the right direction as far as choosing friends.  

But I wish that we could all just go back to the way it used to be sometimes.  It was much easier!