Never have I ever...

Never had I seen my grandfather's homestead where he was born in a hollow just across the state line... (Look closely, the chimney's still there!)


Never had I seen the first church that same grandfather joined as a young man...


Never in my life have I seen nature as bold as I have in Alabama...


Never has my dog been cuter...


OK, never has my dog and husband snuggling together been cuter...


Never have I grown my very own garden, but my corn is popping up in perfect rows...


Never have I found a snake in my house, but sure did a few weeks ago...


Never have I strung lights outside my house other than the Christmas Season...


Never have we been more excited on this little guy's arrival into the world! We have the best friends ever!

Springing new life...

Just like these Tiny Mice growing on my back porch, I too am coming out of hibernation to enjoy spring! (Heck! It's almost summer!) I have emerged from the books, the note cards and the practice drawings and stored them away! It's time to play again! Stay tuned...I'm posting an update very soon!

Spring doesn't seem to have gotten it's sprung...

This weekend was an absolute teaser! The warm sunshine, 70 degree weather...it left me high and dry. Did spring just not feel like sticking around? Typically, if you don't show up for your job for two days in a row, it is assumed that you have resigned your position, but I will not accept these shenanigans! 40 degree weather is not welcome any longer around here!

This weekend had me continuing my bucket list of post-NCIDQ projects. Oh how I can't wait. Thank you all for your continuing support and prayers. I can feel them working as I am still so focused and fine tuning my skills!

I did manage to steal a break and enjoy the spring preview that Saturday had to offer. Chase turned 29 on Friday so we celebrated with his mom and dad at their house for part of the weekend. Yummy steak dinner and Chase's favorite Oreo cake were on hand for the birthday boy!



Saturday Chase played golf with his dad and his mom and I enjoyed sitting on their back deck reading, while Winston chased chipmunks under the deck.


Only 15 more days until the test starts and freedom lurks around my corner!

She emerges from the rubble...

I am alive, although at the beginning of the week I doubt you would have thought so.

Let me preface by saying that I spent a total of 24 hours in a classroom learning how to take the NCIDQ examination. One person might say that it would make you sick being in a classroom that length of time. Well guess what? I got sick-sick, sick! Starting Sunday night until Wednesday morning I ran a fever of at least 100 and had a horrible cough, chills and chest congestion. I don't think I moved much of this week!

With all that being said, my life at work and at home has been consumed with getting better and caught up. In attempt to keep my life I choose to share on here as "real" as possible, I share with you my reason (as if I should have to have them!) why you have not seen me.

The mounds of laundry that mysteriously built up...

A kitchen who got a little too messy for it's own good...

I've been cleaning up little "trails" of dog food, because my dog likes his plate "to go". Guess he doesn't like the view... If that's the case, he must hate the front window, because he keeps peeing on my handmade window panels!

Long story short, it's been a long week. I would not have made it through without Chase cooking supper, folding laundry and taking care of me. Lord knows I've needed it. Life is about to start back full force with studying and once again, I will be back to weekly posts until April. I ask that all my dear blogging friend please pray that I can focus, understand and retain my information I study and PASS my exams! I will need all the prayer warriors helping me out!

Off to pack for the lake....we're getting away for the weekend!

Still hanging in there...

I'm becoming quite the Friday poster here! My substance for blogging material has been rather bland. I'm quite sure you all aren't interested in my study habits I've developed or my slight encounter with two razorbacks in our work parking lot this week. (It was no encounter, but rather sighting of them heading for the hills...I'm not kidding! Our work property...in the middle of 280 Birmingham backs up to the Waterworks land preserve.)

I'll recap last weekend and hopefully I will have something wonderful to tell you all this week....

Last weekend, one of my childhood best friends and tribal sorority sisters, Alecea and her fiance Josh came for the weekend. We all went to the Brad Paisley & Miranda Lambert concert on Friday night. It was hands down one of the top five concerts I've been to! Saturday was spent staying warm and watching SEC basketball. We blended Alabama and Tennessee fans well in our home!

Sunday, Chase's parents came into town to celebrate their birthday with all the Allen kids and significant others. We convinced them to spend the night with us and had an impromptu Super Bowl party. Who dat! Chase smoked a butt on the Green Egg and I made the BEST BBQ nachos ever. I'm tooting my own horn on this one, because they were awesome....I have to give it up to Emeril Lagasse for the recipe. I found the recipe on MarthaStewart.com. Click here for the link!

I also finished painting my front door to give our front facade a little "pop" as you drive down the street. I can't resist a red front door!


Well, that about sums up our weekend. I've spent the rest of the week with my nose the Interior Design Reference Manual and Chase has been in New Orleans for work since Wednesday. We're awaiting our predicted BIG SNOW today and the arrival of my parents and sister from Kentucky this evening! It should be another enjoyable weekend! I hope yours is too!

September visit to Kentucky

I try to get home as often as I can. For this busy body, it's sometimes hard, but I ALWAYS make time to go home. There's something about the smell of your childhood home, sitting in your living room...it gives me warm fuzzies. Nostalgia kicking in again...

Elk Creek Vineyard Amphitheatre

This trip was jam packed with good times. On Saturday, Mom and I went to celebrate my birthday a little over a month late in Owenton, Kentucky at the Elk Creek Vineyard. This is Kentucky's largest vineyard...and it's beautiful! What did we do there? Oh, my sweet parents got me tickets to see THE TEMPTATIONS! They were amazing! There is only one original living member and he still performs with them! We kept cracking up, because one of the members looked just like Carlton from The Fresh Prince of Belaire. I kept waiting for him to break out and do "The Carlton" on stage the entire night. Upon arriving and getting settle into our amazing seats, I noticed that many folks were carrying around wine, so my nosed sniff out the concessions and came back to my seat with an amazing $10 bottle of wine in an ice bucket! Can't beat that!

Sunday we were heathens and skipped church to go eat Sunday lunch at the park during dad's lunch break. {Mammoth Cave National Park for non-South Central Kentucky natives} I ran into old friends, and went and visited my old colleagues in the ticket office! {I really do miss working in the Visitor Center!} After lunch, we headed back home so that we could visit with my best friend Amy, her daughter Ellie Kaye and Amy's mom, Kaye. I have known Amy's family my entire lives, as they are some of our family's best and dearest friends.

As sweet as she is....she didn't make me catch a fever!

Ellie Kaye and her sweet Mama! She looks just like Amy's baby pictures.

This weekend, though I wouldn't mind going home for another visit, I am staying home for the first time since June! I'm pretty excited for a weekend of football, church and hanging out with Chase!

Did I mention that we had these three, grey ankle biters all weekend long?
They definately are the Three Musketeers!

Summertime is always busy!

Whew, I just realized it's been nearly a MONTH since I've blogged! I was doing so well too! Just to clarify that I wasn't being lazy or having writer's block, I am taking the time to write a personal update in our lives...and attempt to explain my absentees.

We spent one WET Memorial Day weekend at the lake. I'm talking REALLY wet, but good times were had by all. We had good food, good beer and lots of Wii Bowling!!! This just jump started our summer!

We have a hand full of weddings this summer, and as always a few parties here and there for the bride and groom, so off to the farm for Chase's cousin Emily's engagement party the weekend after Memorial Day.

This brings us to the first week in June! My mom "graduated" from teaching this year, as well as my sister Sally "retiring" from college! We threw them a joint party at my parent's house in Kentucky! Kudos to Sally for landing a job at the Hilton in Bowling Green and getting a new apartment! My mom is thoroughly enjoying retirement and she and my dad have been renovating the kitchen, putting up a fence in the back yard and ADOPTING A RESCUE SCHNAUZER! Rosie will be here July 3rd to land in her "furever" home at the Caldwell's! They are super excited!

This brings me to the last of the updates... This past weekend was our FIRST wedding anniversary! Chase and I spent another rainy (with a few spots of sunshine) weekend at the lake. We managed to find the sun for a little swimming back up in a creek, a few beers on the swim pier, and a good old fashioned swimsuit lake bath! It was a spectacular, RELAXING weekend and we have really enjoyed our first year of marriage. We came home on Sunday night to attempt to eat the top layer of our wedding cake, and yes, it was DELICIOUS!!!

In the midst of all the fun and wonderful things happening, I must share a bit of sad news with you. We are now a one car family! Yes, Chase sold his beloved 4Runner on Monday night and we handed over the keys and got the check yesterday for the old girl! She has been with him since his SENIOR year of high school!!! I told him that it would probably be a good idea to NOT show up in the same vehicle you left your graduation in. Hopefully in the next few days, we'll be able to land a good deal on a truck or SUV for us!!!

I have a few more good stories to share this week, but I'm saving them for future blogs this week, so tune back in!!!

After a 3 week hiatus...

As my last blog 3 weeks ago implied, August=one busy month! My sister sweetly scolded me this past Saturday that she misses reading my blogs and checks it regularly for updates. Well Sally, this one's for you!

My last few weeks have been rather chaotic in it's own rite. I just joined the Chapter Advisory Board for the KD's at Birmingham-Southern College. I am super excited to become an advisor!! Life (and my refrigerator) is over-flowing with the invitations and annoucements of engagements, weddings and babies.... It seems as if 75% of my friends are experience true joys in their lives. I am happy for them, really I am....I'm just exhausted in sharing my happiness with them! To give a run down and shout out, I'll need a drum roll please....


Friday, August 1st - Birth of Henry Nash, son of my wonderful co-worker, Noelle
Saturday, August 23rd - Engagement Party for our dear friends, Riley & Sarah
Friday, September 5th - Birth of Liam Hammel, son of former co-worker, April
Saturday, September 6th - Bachelorette Festivities for dear friend, Sarah
Sunday, September 7th - Bridal Tea for dear friend, Beth
Friday, September 12th - Liam's baby shower (he came early!) and suprise engagement party for our dear friends Rod & Catherine.
Saturday, September 20th - Riley & Sarah's wedding, Orange Beach, Alabama

Did I mention we have two other weddings before the year is over? :)

Anyway, this past Saturday, the Allen residence was a house divided. That's right ladies and jinks, my alma mater, Western Kentucky University played Alabama in football. I was quite torn in which way to cheer....my school that provided me and education and door to the working world, or the school's fight song that I learned right in there with my nursery ryhmes. I cheered for both. Mom, Dad, Sally and Steven all came down for the joyous occasion! Though WKU lost, they helped Alabama jump up to #9 in the AP Polls, putting them one spot ahead of Auburn! Roll Tide!

Chase and me tailgating

We love Big Red!

August = One busy month

Wow! It's August 20th and boy has it flown by! So has this week, though I woke up thinking that it was Thursday. That's two weeks in a row that I have done that! What?!

So this past weekend mom and dad came down and spent the weekend with us. We screamed Friday night over Michael Phelps *sigh* and watched semi-finals for track. I have lost more sleep the past week and a half over the Olympics....it's getting ridiculous. Saturday, mom, dad, Winston and I went out to Mt. Laurel and took a peek at our new townhomes that we're building out there and we had lunch outside Cafe 41. Winston enjoyed "sniffing" out the pizza, but had no luck getting any....we had an episode last week with "people" food that his FATHER fed him. I'll stop there. Mom and dad left Sunday morning to go back home and Chase and I headed to Tuscaloosa for BID DAY! My sweet baby cousin Caroline went Chi O and my sister in law Taylor went Phi Mu. Boy, I fought back the emotions, but it really made me miss my days at the KD house and my sister. I am one of those girls whose "glory days" really was in college. :) I can't help it. I loved every minute of it.

The work week is flying by thank goodness. We're going to Gian Marcos tomorrow night with Rod and Catherine for dinner. Yummy! Penne Vodka here I come! We're trying to head out to the lake house for the weekend with intermission in Decatur Friday night for Chase's aunt's 50th birthday party and Riley and Sarah's engagement party at my in-laws house!!! Busy, busy!

Kicking it back Old School....Our last Bid Day!
LB, Laura and Me

Caroline on Chi O Bid Day!



My mother in law and sister in law....
Taylor is a legacy to Phi Mu!

Domestic goddess at work!

Yesterday, I thought I would be "wifely" and go grocery shopping. Unfortunately, I was not able to go to my beloved Pig close to the house, which I much prefer. It's the time of month that I must refill my prescriptions and I had to go to the Irondale Wal-Mart. If you live in Birmingham, you know that that place is on the list of your "avoidables." If you don't....well, let's just be nice and say that it is an unpleasant experience. Wal-Mart makes me nauseaous. Okay, I know I get nauseated a lot, but this is on the top thinks that make my skin crawl. I swear I used half of my anti-bacterial liquid on my hands when I left and then scrubbed them when I got home. Just to bitch for another minute.....they carry no "ethnic" cheese beyond Feta! Finally! An excuse to go to my Pig!

Anyway, we cooked a fabulous meal last night! Squash on the grill with Tex-Mex turkey burgers, avacado and homemade verde salsa! And he never believed me when I said I would cook when we got married! I fooled him! Funniest part of last night was when we sat down to dinner and Chase decided he would bless the food last night instead of me. Well...poor thing was completely drained, and literally started out, "As I lay me down to sleep...." No joke! I got him started on the RIGHT prayer, but we giggled the whole way through. Whoa!

That's it for now. It's Tuesday, 4 days away from Friday!