New Orleans Wedding

Wow.  What a fun weekend!  We went to NOLA (my first visit) for JJ's cousin's wedding over St. Patrick's Day weekend.  It just happens to be one of the busiest weekends in NOLA (I guess it makes sense that any major holiday associated with drinking would be big there...).

I had no idea what to expect from this city...all I knew about was Bourbon Street.  My mind was blown by how amazing it is!  I loved the history of the French Quarter, the architecture of the Garden District, the uniqueness of the old above ground cemeteries...the FOOD!  I would go back in a heartbeat.

One of my favorite experiences was dinner at Felix's Oyster Bar. We had dinner standing at the bar where they were shucking the oysters right in front of you and you just ate until you were full then they counted the shells at the end! So fun and so yummy.  We also had to sample their house specialty chargrilled oysters (amAHzing), oysters rockafeller, and fried oysters...do you see a theme?  But that is half the fun of traveling to a new city...experiencing the food they are known for!

We also ate at Mother's Restaurant and enjoyed a true Southern breakfast, Cafe DuMonde (the original French market coffee stand) for beignets, and Cafe Beignet (yes I had to sample multiple beignets).  On the afternoon of St. Patrick's Day we headed over to the Garden District and had some fairly authentic Irish food at Parasol's Block Party before the parade started.

The wedding itself was a totally unique experience!  The bride and groom just moved to New Orleans this past year but really wanted to embrace all of the wedding traditions of the city.  So fun!!  The coolest part was the "second line" which is basically a parade from the ceremony to the reception site that took us all through the streets of the French Quarter (including Bourbon Street).  Just keep in mind, it was about 8:00pm on St. Patrick's Day on the streets of New Orleans.  There were people lined up on the streets taking pictures and videos of us parading by, some even joined in for a few blocks!  We had a police escort and 5 piece marching band so we were totally legit and attracted quite a bit of attention.  Pretty. Darn. Cool.

Can't wait to go back again soon...quite possibly when we play (beat) the Saints this fall...

View of the French Quarter

Napoleon House Restaurant

St. Louis Cathedral 

St. Patrick's Day celebrations

At the wedding

Family picture

Panthers Fan Cruise

After 2+ years of begging/pleading/bribing/schmoozing we were invited to go on the Panthers Fan Cruise at the beginning of March! Apparently long snappers are not high on the list of requested guest appearances...boo. But, whatever, we got to go! Did I mention it was all paid for by AAA of the Carolinas? Oh yea...free vacation.  For those of you who know, I like to travel and I like saving money.  And when you can combine the two?!?! Mind glowingly fun. If its free...its for me (us).

We were on Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas, the biggest cruise ship in the world we are told.  It was huuuuge. Loved it. The port cities were pretty average in my humble (and apparently snobbish) opinion, the main focus is the ship.  It makes sense, it was unreal.  We went to the private Royal Caribbean port of Labadee, Haiti, Jamaica and Cozumel.  Cozumel was my favorite, we snorkeled and then took a cab to the other side of the island for lunch at Coconuts. The food and the views were so worth the trip.  In Haiti we did a yoga class on the beach and then spent so time in the water.  Jamaica we stayed near the port shopping center and kept it pretty low key.  We went to Jamaica for our honeymoon and did most of the touristy things then, and we are going back in July for a wedding so we weren't too stressed about exploring.

There were 4 other current players and one former player who was the emcee.  It was fun to get to know everyone because I hadn't really met any of them before!  The fans were GREAT, only a handful of awkwardness in the whole group ;).  We really had a good time chatting with everyone and getting to hear their reactions to things and the questions they had.  The whole point of the cruise is to give the fans an up close and personal experience with the players and I think they got just that.

Here are a few fun pictures from the trip!!

Our ship towering over the competition

Labadee, Haiti

On the boat...Haiti in the background

Jamaica...after we drank the coconut water, he split it in half so we could eat the flesh...YUM

Chalk Talk Night with the fans...get all your pressing special teams questions answered!!

View from lunch at Coconuts in Cozumel

Happy cruisers (check out that beard!!)

 Hopefully they liked us and might even invite us back next year!

Orlando

At the end of February we traveled from Phoenix to Orlando for our annual Pro Athlete Outreach conference and just like in years past, it was wonderful!  It is so great to be able to reconnect with friends from around the league, and for the friends who are no longer in Carolina it is often our only chance to see them.  We were at the same hotel as last year so we were familiar with the area and hotel.

In addition to all of the great speakers and worship music (Dr. Tony Evans, Miles McPherson, Louie Giglio, and Aaron Lindsey) we got a fun little bonus in the form of our 18 month old godson and his parents!  The resort we were at (The Omni at Championsgate) had tons of open grassy areas, a 9 hole hole par-3 course, lazy river, kiddie pool, water slide etc.  So we got to watch the little guy go crazy with all the activities.  Living up north, he hadn't had much of a chance to be outside all winter so it was awesome for him to get out an run around.  I think his favorite was the lazy river, it was adorable to watch!

It was a pretty quick trip, just in and out for the conference but we did fit in a quick morning at Magic Kingdom, JJ and Mason got to play golf at Bay Hill, and one of the most unique experiences of my life...VIP treatment at a concert!

Our best friends are good friends with several of the guys from Needtobreathe and they just happened to be playing at House of Blues in Orlando while we were there. Life is all about who you know, right?! Needtobreathe is an amazing Christian folksy/rock group from South Carolina (so we love them even more).  They opened for T. Swift on her tour last year and now they are doing their own tour for they 4th album The Reckoning.)  So anyway, because of our friends (we are just moochers), we got the royal treatment at the concert and got to sit in an opera box on the right side directly above the stage.  It was such an awesome perspective because you could see what the band sees when they look out at the crowd...and the crowd was definitely in to it!  Not only did we get amazing seats, we got to go back stage after the show and party like rockstars...well, it was pretty tame so it was more like partying WITH a rockstar ;).  The guys were great we had so much fun getting to know them and because they live in Charleston, SC there is a good chance we will see them again this summer!

Ironically they played a show in Charlotte 4 days after, and they graciously set us up with amazing tickets.  We couldn't see them again after the show because we had to hurry home and finishing pack for the cruise, but the concert was amazing and it felt like a totally different show because this time we were out in the crowd.

So much fun in Sonoma!

JJ and I just got back from an incredible trip to wine country! We had beautiful weather and such fun experiences all over the valley. Instead of a detailed itinerary, I will just give the highlights of the trip:

Hotel: We stayed at the MacArthur Place Inn and really enjoyed ourselves, especially because of the free upgrade to the Spa Suite complete with an outdoor tub and shower (this was our room)! We used the fireplace every night and loved the gardens all throughout the property. It was within walking distance of all the restaurants and wineries surrounding the downtown square.

Wineries: Of course this was the focus of the trip. We went to Napa two years ago and knew we would have to come back and see all the Sonoma wineries. I read a bunch of reviews before we went and had a pretty good idea of where we might want to go, but in all honesty, some of our favorites were places that were recommended to us along the way.

Kunde...We liked it so much we joined the wine club! The estate is beautiful and they offer a mountain top tasting where you are driven up into the mountains overlooking their property (and the entire valley). We had great weather and could see for miles. This is also the winery used in the movie "Bottle Shock" that our good friends had made us watch before our trip. Good movie and beautiful scenery.

Mountain Top Tasting

View from the top

Cuvaison...The tasting room in Carneros is my favorite (we went to the one in Calistoga two years ago). Incredible views and the S Block Chardonnay is the best I have ever tasted. I had to stock up while we were there!

Gorgeous day, gorgeous patio for tasting

Chimney Rock...This winery is actually in Napa (we drove over for an afternoon) and came very highly recommended by several different wineries and they did not disappoint! Their cabs were AMAZING and the manager was kind enough to give us a private tour of the facilities. Very cool.

Jacuzzi Family...Great Italian wines, free tasting, and a really fun atmosphere! It was fun to try wines we had never heard of and they also had olive oil tastings in the same building courtesy of The Olive Press.

Other wineries we enjoyed...Cline, Viansa, St. Francis, Silver Oak, Reynolds Family, Acacia, Gundlach Bundschu, Kenwood, and Valley of the Moon.

Restaurants: Our favorites included the Fremont Diner in Carneros (seemingly in the middle of nowhere, great upscale diner food with a twist...should be on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives someday!), Dl Dorado Kitchen (a farm to table theme), Hopmonk (brewery and pub food), Sunflower Caffe (gourmet soups, salads, and sandwiches) and Estate (fabulous farm to table Italian food in a gorgeous Victorian estate).

Other: On a particularly beautiful morning we hiked the Overlook Trail and enjoyed beautiful views of the valley and downtown Sonoma. We were able to walk to the trailhead from our hotel and enjoyed all 6.5 miles!

View from Overlook Trail

We also rented bikes from our hotel on our last day and enjoyed a scenic 10 mile ride. Wish we would have done this sooner in the week so we could have gone multiple times. The Sonoma Bike Path was a great place to start and the we continued on and biked to Bartholomew Park and winery (where they have additional walking paths) and Buena Vista Winery. We didn't do tastings at either, but they were gorgeous and worth the trip to enjoy the views.

We ended the week with a fun drive through Sausalito while killing time waiting for our delayed flight, but got to experience great views of the Golden Gate Bridge and downtown SF!

Overlooking the Bay

Charlotte -> Nashville -> Charlotte

After being gone for 6 months, we finally made it back to Charlotte in early June. JJ had some "unofficial, player-run, organized team activities" (thank you NFL lockout) and I jumped at the excuse to join him and go back. JJ was there for 3 weeks, and I was there for 2, with a long weekend trip to Nashville (Long story short, the Camry was being stored at a family member's house while we were in Phoenix, but when JJ went to pick it up and drive it back to Charlotte the transmission went out and he had to leave it there to get fixed. It just so happened that the weekend the car was going to be ready was the weekend of CMA Fest).

In addition to their practices, a few of the players were invited to take batting practice at the Charlotte Knights game (triple-A team for the White Sox). JJ is still a baseball player at heart, so he jumped at the chance. He struggled in the beginning, but the Knights' coaches had some good comments and he ended up hitting one over their monster wall in left center. I have never seen him smile that big! (Side note: if you are looking for a fun inexpensive activity, try a minor league game! We have so much fun, and it doesn't cost nearly what the big league games cost.)

He's still got it!

In the middle of of Charlotte trip we spent a long weekend in Nashville for the Country Music Festival. It was 4 days of incredible concerts, with all the big names in country music. They actually turned it into a television special that airs August 7 on ABC. I will be watching to relive all the fun. I love live music, but I have never experienced anything like this. We are going to try and make this a tradition to go every year, so mark your calendars for next year and join us!

All of the performances were amazing, but my favorites were: Zac Brown Band, Josh Turner featuring Scotty McCreery, Dierks Bently, Lady Antebellum, Sugarland, Keith Urban, Darius Rucker, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Mirando Lambert and Taylor Swift. LOVE.

At CMA Fest in Nashville

After we got back to Charlotte, we realized how much we missed it and really felt like God was telling us it was time to go back. We hadn't planned on looking for a house to rent, but we talked with our realtor and she warned us there wasn't much available so we got started right away. Luckily for us, a beautiful house in the neighborhood we wanted had just gone on the market. It is a perfect fit for us and the goldens (and any guests who might come for a visit!) We are within walking distance of our favorite restaurants, wine bars, boutiques, sports bars, coffee shops, fro-yo, running trails, park and the YMCA. And even better we are 1/4 mile from one of our favorite friends and her bulldog Annie. Yay for puppy playdates!

COME VISIT!

The trip to Charlotte was a success, and I can't wait to be back there full time.

Just Wharried

Katie and Brian's wedding weekend was the most fun I have had in a long time. Seriously epic. I wish it could have lasted all week.

Because I wanted to maximize our time, JJ and I got into town on Thursday afternoon to explore Austin a bit. Neither of us had ever been and I hear only good (and weird) things about it. After checking in to our hotel we wandered around the area and stumbled upon Threadgill's Home Cookin' for lunch, where we both enjoyed Texas, on a plate. And then I found $10. No seriously, I'm not just making the story sound better. I found cash in the parking lot.

For dinner we went to Piranha Killer Sushi, a favorite of mine when I lived in Fort Worth. We walked around downtown for a bit and then discovered Emily's fiance Jacob was also in town and tracked him down at dinner with his family. Continuing our self tour of downtown, we wandered along 6th Street to observe the festivities. After getting plenty of tattoo and piercing ideas, we decided to pick a place for a drink. Of all the eccentric, weird, funky places on 6th Street, we ended up at The Driskill, a historic hotel with a beautiful, classic bar inside. I guess we should have tried to get a more authentic Austin experience, but I couldn't pass up drinking champagne in a beautiful old hotel bar.

The Driskill, downtown Austin

The next morning, JJ and I did something we have never done before...we went running together! JJ isn't a big distance runner (go figure), so this was a huge deal to me. I have been trying to get him to join me for a long time. Luckily Austin is a very runner friendly city, full of trails systems and parks. We stayed right on the lake downtown and we able to take advantage of the Lady Bird Lake Trails. We ran and walked about 5.5 miles total. It was a gorgeous day and the trail was full of runners, dogs, bikers and kids. For lunch we went to one of my favorite places in the world, Central Market...a must visit anytime I am in Texas.

Friday night was the wedding, at The Mansion at Judges' Hill. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and the weather was perfect. We had a sunset cocktail hour on the balcony overlooking where the ceremony had been, and then dinner and dancing in a gorgeous ballroom. It makes me so happy to see my friends marrying someone they were clearly meant to be with forever.

Katie and Brian's first married kiss

Theta Kite

As wonderful as the wedding was (and it was), the real madness began after the reception. It started innocently enough with a conversation with one of Katie's cousins from Chicago, who had never been to Texas. He was asking about where everyone was heading for the after parties and I mentioned the name of the bar where everyone was gathering. The exchange went like this...

Me: I think everyone is headed to a place called Union Park.

Awkward Cousin: Oh great...is that in a safe area?

Me: Um...I would assume so, but you should be fine. You'll be with a big group.

Awkward Cousin: Oh that's good. Its no big deal anyway...I'm packin'.

Me: That's cool, it is Texas after all. I guess everyone has a gun.

Awkward Cousin: awkward blank stare

Me: Oh...um...did you mean pepper spray? That would work too.

Awkward Cousin: No. I meant my penis.

Me: ...

That pretty much ended the conversation and I didn't see him at the bar later.

There were several other highlights of the evening. One (female) friend, accidentally tried to pick up a (female) hooker and then wandered off with another group of girls she thought was with us. Another friend spent a fair amount of time resting in the bar bathroom, then fell asleep on the couch in the lounge. JJ and I took her her back to the hotel and had a lengthy conversation about how she shouldn't take allergy medicine before a night of drinking, she did not remember that the next morning.

I love my friends.

Saturday everyone met for lunch at Cedar Door, where they had the best fish tacos and chips and salsa. Next we all headed to Lake Travis where we rented boats and spent the evening on the water. The water was chilly but I think I was the only one who didn't get in. The homes around the lake were gorgeous and I had so much fun taking in the scenery.

Katie and Brian (and their parents) did a fantastic job of hosting everyone for the weekend. JJ and I were so lucky to be part of the celebration and I loved seeing JJ get to interact with my college friends. I think he is finally accepted as an honorary TCU Theta. (Brian earned that distinction a long time ago after he took on all those sister wives).

Georgia on My Mind

Last weekend JJ and I went to Georgia to go to the wedding of two of our friends from Charlotte and spend time with his cousin Courtney. We flew into Atlanta on Friday and went out to dinner with Courtney in Buckhead. I had been hearing about Seasons 52 for a long time, so we decided to try it. YUM! Their menu changes with the seasons in addition to the weekly specials and everything on the menu is under like 475 calories. Talk about guilt free dining. We had such a great meal and so much fun catching up. Because we weren't done catching up, after diner we went to Pub 71 in the Brookhaven area for beers. There is nothing like spending time with family you don't get to see very often. So fun!

The next morning we drove east to Woodville for the wedding. I had checked MapQuest the night before and saw that it was about 90 miles away, mostly on I-20, so I figured it would take about an hour and a half. That morning we got a bit of a late start and when I plugged it in to the GPS, it gave us an estimated drive time of 2 hours and 10 minutes...getting us into town about 10 minutes after the ceremony was to start. OOPS! Luckily, my original estimation was correct. I guess the GPS didn't take into account our slightly above the speed limit driving skills.

The wedding was in the bride's hometown at the church her grandfather helped build. It was a sweet little small town Baptist church about 3 doors down from the bride's parents house. The ceremony was beautiful, so relaxed and classic. To give you an idea of how relaxed the groom was, he was hanging out in the church snacking and making jokes with the guests moments before the ceremony started. No cold feet for this man. One of the highlights was when one of the groom's friends sang a song he wrote for the couple (he wrote it earlier in the week). The song was beautiful and funny at the same time. What a great idea :)

The brunch reception was held and her parent's house, a beautiful Southern home that belongs in a magazine. We had mimosas out on the front lawn and spent time catching up with all of our friends from Charlotte. The whole weekend made me miss our Charlotte friends and living in the South. Don't get me wrong we love Phoenix, but I just miss Charlotte so much!

After the wedding we drove back to Atlanta. We headed over to Hudson Grill, right around the corner from Courtney's house, to watch the NCAA tournament. All of our brackets were pretty much shot by then, but it was still fun to watch. We had a great dinner and fun drinks. They had a combo beer selection so I chose a Purple Helmet, a mixture of Blue Moon and Purple Haze. Beer perfection.

The next morning we slept in and went to brunch at The Flying Biscuit Cafe. Even though it is an Atlanta original, it is one of my favorite breakfast places in Charlotte. If you come visit us, you can count on going. We also took Courtney's dogs for a walk in the neighborhood, walking by some beautiful homes and a cute shopping/restaurant area. The pups loved it!

Got to love the South and seeing family and friends all in one trip. Someday soon we will be making our way back for an extended period of time...just as soon as this silly NFL lockout gets itself worked out.

California Loooove

This October I will get my first shot at bridesmaid duties at Emily and Jacob's wedding in Fort Worth (Another excuse to go back to Texas? Yes please!). The festivities kicked off over St. Patrick's Day weekend in San Jose, CA with the first bridal shower. The MOH, Robin, and I flew out for a much needed girl's weekend. JJ and a few of his buddies took the opportunity to have a boy's weekend in Vegas...yea. Needless to say our weekends were COMPLETELY different, but that's a whole different story.

We left straight from the airport and headed to the Santa Cruz mountains for wine tasting! We stopped off at a little grocery store/deli in Fulton, CA to pick up a picnic lunch to enjoy at the first winery. Hallcrest Vineyards was a beautiful place to start the weekend. We sat at a picnic table on the patio, taking in the breathtaking view of the surrounding mountains and vines, sipping wine. Their Sauvignon Blanc was fabulous, if you are looking to try something new. Next we headed to the Burrell School Winery for another tasting and dessert. Again, another fabulous view of the mountains and vines from the patio. They had great blends with fun school-themed names. My favorites were the Dean's List Cab, Spring Break blend, and Sweethearts blend.

That night was the St. Patrick's celebration at a bar near Santa Clara with Emily's law school friends. I loved all of the law school kids that we met...with the exception of one. I won't go there but the night ended with me covered in green beer, having to drag a drunken fool of a boy out to the bouncer after he groped just about every female in the bar. #can'ttouchthis

Not only does he dump beer on people and grope innocent females,

he ruins pictures too. EPIC FAIL

The next day I went for a run around the campus and took advantage of the nice weather, before the rain came. We drove to San Francisco for an overnight trip and luckily the rain stopped mid-afternoon so we could enjoy the rest of our time there. We had a yummy Italian lunch, then went to a wine bar to share a bottle of champagne. I think we were in an area called Soma? Next, we went to Ghiradelli Square to Crown and Crumpet (where JJ and I visited last year on our Valentine's Day trip) for tea and scones. This place is much more fitting for a girl's weekend, poor JJ had to tolerate the pink and lace. We headed over to Chinatown/North Beach to check into out hotel (S&W Hotel was a great deal for what we got). We did a tea tasting at Vital Tea Leaf, then went to happy hour until it was time for our dinner reservations in Little Italy. After dinner we wet out to a few of the bars, where we happened to see the guy who played McLovin in Superbad. He was playing drums for the live band. Sometime during the night while Robin and I were busy dancing, Emily snuck out for some fresh air and was joined by members of what I can only assume was the Latin Kings (gang), complete with tear drop tattoos near the eyes. They were surprisingly pleasant. Also, at some point a black man asked me to teach him how to Dougie. I did. Jokes on him though...I had no idea what I was doing, but he believed it.

Tea tasting man

After all of our activities, it was finally time for the bridal shower on Saturday. Each guest was assigned a room of the house to buy a gift for. Robin and I were assigned the BEDROOM. Woo hoo hooooo, scandalous! Just kidding, we will save those kinds of gift for the bachelorette party. We collaborated and came up with a "Breakfast in Bed" theme for our gift. Tea pot, matching mugs, breakfast tray with legs, and a bud vase. We also made a recipe book with fun breakfast foods and drinks that were super easy so Jacob has no excuses not to use our wonderful gift...no pressure Jacob!

My favorite picture of the weekend!

Next wedding festivity on the agenda is the Bachelorette party in New Orleans. Watch out Louisiana. You won't know what hit you :)

Orlando, FL...DISNEY!!

One of the reasons JJ and I get along so well is that we are actually little kids trapped in semi-grown up bodies. My inner little kid comes out anytime there is anything related to animals or theme parks around...puppies, zoos, aquariums, Sea World, Six Flags, and obviously, Disney anything. So what a wonderful coincidence that PAO was in Orlando and we could take advantage of all that it has to offer.

Before PAO started we were lucky enough to do a guided tour of Universal Studios with a few other Panther couples. Probably one of the coolest things I have ever done. We were able to go behind the scenes and to the front of the lines all over the park. This came in super handy when we got to Harry Potter world. The place was roped off from the rest of the park and you had to wait in line to get a special pass to even get into the general area. The line for the main ride was about an hour and a half, but we scooted right to the front, hehe. I have never read the books or seen the movies (I think one day I will get around to it), but the ride was fabulous and the scenery around the whole area was great.

Once we got back from the beach we stayed with JJ's aunt and uncle (we are professional moochers) for a few days and took advantage of their close proximity to all the parks. Two of JJ's cousins were in town for a few days because they had spring break so we got to spend time with them at the house and at the parks.

My favorite is still Epcot, followed closely by Magic Kingdom. I just love walking around the countries in Epcot and snacking on the "local" food. We basically ate our way through the park that day, snacking at a few different countries. China nailed the egg rolls, Germany makes the best soft pretzels and beer, France had delish pastries, and Italy made a killer Bellini.

Magic Kingdom is just wonderful because all the rides remind me of the trips we took as kids. You can't beat Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and the Jungle Cruise. Honestly though, the best part is just walking around the park and enjoying the different "lands".

We really enjoyed all of our time with JJ's side of the family and we even got to see my cousin and her family too! We went to their house for a delicious buttermilk chile chicken dinner with black beans. I will def be making that again. We love getting to spend time with them, even if it is only every once in a while!

Rumor is the conference might be back in Orlando again next year, so maybe we will branch out beyond the main attractions next year and see what else Orlando has to offer.

Anna Maria, FL

After PAO was finished, JJ and I took a few days to unwind at the beach and absorb everything we had just learned. His aunt and uncle have a beautiful beach house on Anna Maria Island, about an hour south of Tampa on the Gulf coast. I love vacations where you can park the car and walk the rest of the trip.

We got there and walked straight to the beach to watch the sunset. Next, we walked across the island to have dinner at City Pier, which is at the end of an old fishing pier about 75 yards out over the bay. Nothing beats eating grouper that was caught that day in the water you are sitting over. Ice cream at Two Scoops was the perfect ending to the night.

The next morning, we got up and walked to breakfast at Ginny and Jane E's, a cute little boutique/cafe down the road. We spent most of the day at the beach then walked along the water to dinner at the Sandbar. We got our cocktails to go, and walked back down the beach to our chairs to enjoy the sunset. Life is good.

Our last day there, we borrowed bikes and went for a ride around the island and ended up at the Rod and Reel for lunch. Another restaurant at the end of a fishing pier. We watched the fishermen bringing in and cleaning their catches. We also watched about a dozen dolphins swimming around the pier. It was a beautiful day and so fun to explore the island.

We are blessed to have such generous family who would be willing to share their piece of paradise with us for a few days. Can't wait to go back :)

PAO 2011

This was our second year at PAO, and as great as last year's conference was, his one was even better. Both JJ and I learned so much about ourselves, each other and our faith. What a blessing to be surrounded by others in the NFL who share the same beliefs and values.

There were several amazing speakers, who each could have individually carried the conference, so it was amazing to hear from all of them back to back. Simply incredible. If you nee any ideas to spice up your week, try downloading sermons or reading the books of any of these speakers.

Dave and Ann Wilson were back again to talk about marriage and the different needs of men and women in relationships. They are hilarious and open your eyes to the needs of your spouse.

Miles McPhearson is a former NFL player who is the pastor at The Rock church in San Diego. The focus of his message was to put your faith into action and "Do Something" in your community.

Dr. Tony Evans is a pastor at Oak Cliff in Dallas, TX and a very well known speaker. He focused on educating us about the Biblical roles of men and women in the family, and the roles of the family in the church and community. I have already read two of his books and can't wait to get started on the next!

Francis Chan is another well known pastor from California and his recent book Crazy Love is an awesome tool to help people see how amazing God's love is. Also, try to pick up Forgotten God if you need more to read.

We met some incredible couples from other teams and were able to reconnect with our friends from Charlotte. It is so nice to expand our NFL circle of friends and it didn't hurt that the conference was is Orlando, which is close to family and of course...Disney World. LOVE IT. But more on the rest of our Florida trip is in the next posts.

Super Bowl Weekend

Yes. The Super Bowl was like FOREVER ago. But the off-season has gotten the best of me and I have been too busy having fun and failed miserably at documenting it all.

Its not like I ever need an excuse to go back to Fort Worth, but what a perfect opportunity to head back to the Lone Star state and see our friends. We were lucky enough to stay with Katie, Brian and Ringo in downtown Fort Worth, within walking distance of all the festivities. Too bad Jerry Jones ticked off the weatherman and Snopocalypse 2011 dumped all over the state, shutting everything down for the entire week leading up to the game. Luckily the TCU bookstore was open and I was able to purchase enough merchandise to keep myself clothed in purple indefinitely.

We still managed to have lots of fun, despite the arctic temperatures and ice (no wonder Green Bay won, they felt right at home). The night before the game we went to a party in honor of one of our best friends who still plays for the Pack. We finally got to meet their baby boy who was almost 6 months by then. Sooooo precious!!! I was tempted to steal him and take him home, but JJ reminded me they knew where we lived and I would most likely get caught and potentially ruin the friendship. In the end I decided against it.

The next day we hosted a Super Bowl party at Bobby's parent's house, even though they had made other plans to watch at a friend's house. Yes, they are THAT nice. We bought enough Fuzzy's and Potbelly's food to feed about 40 people. Good thing all 8 of us brought our game faces.

Throughout the weekend, we also got to spend time with Maggie, Mackenzie, Geoff, Emily and Jacob. We are so blessed to have so many good friends in DFW...makes me want to move back someday...

ROSE BOWL :)

After a fantastic series of events that led to the Chancellor of TCU getting me Rose Bowl tickets after they were sold out, I ended up in Pasadena to see my beloved Frogs take on the Badgers. I heart TCU!

I arrived in LA after an EARLY morning flight out of Atlanta the morning after the concert. Three hours of sleep was the price I had to pay to do it all, but it was well worth it! Carolyn met me in LA to go to the game. We grabbed an amazing lunch in Santa Monica at Huckleberry Cafe and then headed to the game. Because my flight had been delayed and lunch took a little longer than expected, we were some of the LAST people to make it into the stadium after the long walk through the golf course/parking lot. We did make it in time to see Paula Deen do the coin toss though! Needless to say, the game was AMAZING! I was so proud of TCU and the way they played and even more proud of Gary Patterson and Andy Dalton's interviews after the game. Class acts.

After finally maneuvering our way out of Pasadena after the game (not an easy task) Carolyn and I went to a seafood dinner at The Lobster at the Santa Monica Pier. We finished the night at our friends' apartment to play the Game of Things (we played the poor man's version...i cut up strips of paper and made up our own topics because we didn't actually have the game, haha). Hilarious as always.

The next day we had big plans to hike up to the Hollywood sign, but the rain put a damper on that. We did however head over to Fab Hot Dogs for lunch (a restaurant featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network). I had the Fab Dog because I was not bold enough to try the Ripper. It just sounded like too much to handle, haha. Because the rain didn't let up, we drove around Beverly Hills and then window shopped on Rodeo Drive in our wet, would-be hiking clothes. Total tourist move, but oh well we had fun! For dinner we tried to go to Gjelina but they didn't have a table big enough to fit out large group so we ended up going to Ketchup in West Hollywood. Great food, the mac and cheese was awesome. After dinner we met Leigh for drinks at O'Brien's back in Santa Monica. Love seeing my long distance friends.

We didn't have much time the next day before leaving but we did frolic on the beach in Santa Monica and play on the swing set. We grabbed a fantastic lunch at the Santa Monica Seafood Company on the way out of town. The cioppino was out of this world. Seriously. Go try it.

It was a total whirlwind trip, but so much fun. I got to catch up friends from high school and college, watch an amazing football game, spend time with my sister and taste some of the great food LA has to offer. Wins all around (unless you are a Wisconsin fan, sorry).

NYE in ATL

Best New Year's plans ever. Thanks to Allison, I was lucky enough to welcome 2011 in style at the Zac Brown Band concert in downtown Atlanta. The concert was amazing, they are sooooo good live.

We had dinner at a funky tapas restaurant downtown called Lunacy Black Market. The food was really good and super cheap. The waitress said 2-3 small plates per person was typical so that's what we ordered. Pssshhh. After all the food came out, Allison and I looked at each other and laughed. Apparently we aren't typical diners and had to order a few more plates. It seems that this was so out of the ordinary that the eccentric chef/owner felt the need to come out and tell us how much he liked cooking for girls like us...girls with great appetites. Ummmm, thanks. I think. Then he offered us his own personal tickets to some super cool club party. Ummmm, pass.

We got to the concert just as ZBB was going on stage. Perfect timing. The music was fantastic, the atmosphere was even better. It was just such a fun way to celebrate. I didn't know all of the songs because he did a lot of stuff from his new album but I will def be listening to it all again.

As good as the music was, the people watching was much better. A few rows in front of us we watched two middle aged, overweight people find love. She came with two of her least attractive friends (presumably to make herself look better) he came with his drinking buddies. After the first few songs the two groups began to merge into a super awkward dance party in their row. After about a minute and a half of this everyone else in their group realized the awkwardness and logistical nightmare of an inter-row dance party and went back to their seats. Not these two. They continued bumping and grinding to the music (country music, where bumping and grinding is next to impossible). After both their hands started to wander, they ended up in an awkward embrace/make-out session. It was so awkward it was impossible to look away. A few minutes later they released their death grips on each other and went back to their respective groups. After whispering a brief message to their friends, she grabbed her purse and he gave out a few high-fives. Then they left. Never to be seen again. It's true, there IS someone out there for everyone.

Again, all the credit goes to Allison for this awesome night! And a special thanks for driving me to the airport the next morning at 5 AM. What a good friend.

Pre-Season

Our pre-season schedule was full of visitors! This really came as no surprise to us because as soon as the games start people just seem to appear. It is a good excuse to come out and see us I guess :)

My sister who works as a traveling consultant for her sorority was in town for our two home games and Labor Day weekend (which also happened to be her birthday weekend). She was working in Chapel Hill, so it was just a 2 hour drive to spend her weekends with us here in Charlotte. As much as I would love to give you my own account of her visits, it would be far easier and less time consuming for me to point you in the direction of her blog. So if you want to read about our adventures in Charlotte and Lexington check it out.

The other big development during the pre-season was starting classes to become a certified financial planner! Because of our NFL lifestyle and the lack of certainty for where we will be living in the near future, JJ and I decided the best option for me would be to take online classes through the College for Financial Planning. I have 5 classes to finish before I am eligible for the national exam. Hopefully, I can get this all the classes finished up in about a year and see where it takes me. I am hoping to find an internship or part time job while I'm taking classes, but even if it doesn't turn into a job right away, the information will be incredibly useful in our own lives and planning.

It is weird getting back into school mode and I have spent several afternoons at Starbucks because I have to get away from all the distractions at the house to really concentrate. So far I am really enjoying it, and speaking of class, I should probably get some studying done before our date night tonight...

Training Camp

My life is divided up into seasons, just like the weather. As opposed to fall/winter/summer/spring, my life can be categorized as pre-season/in-season/off-season.

As soon as we finished all of our summer vacations (part of the "off-season), we hit the ground running right into training camp and pre-season. I'm not a huge fan of training camp. JJ moves into the dorms for 3 weeks and Barney and I are left to entertain ourselves in Charlotte. My weeks were filled with yoga, the YMCA, way too much reality tv, girls nights out, and a few mini road trips.

My first rip was to see my cousin and her family who were vacationing right outside of Asheville. I drove out to meet them for brunch at the Morning Glory Cafe in Black Mountain. (the huevos rancheros were awesome!) I got to meet her daughter Samantha for the first time and catch up on what had been going on in our lives since the last time we hung out in Orlando.


My next trip was to Winston-Salem to see Allison and meet her new puppy Annie. Barney and Annie immediately became the best of friends. The had so much fun playing except for the part where Annie would bite Barney and then run and hide under the couch where he couldn't get her. He acted annoyed, but I think he really liked it. We also went to Mellow Mushroom for dinner and then out to a wine bar to celebrate one of their last nights of freedom before school started up again for all the Wake Law kids.

I also made two trips down to Spartanburg to visit JJ at camp. They had one night off so we got to go to dinner and a movie. The other trip was for the Family Night BBQ and rookie karaoke show. Quite entertaining. My favorite was the rendition of Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way" complete with dance moves and harmonizing.

The three weeks did go by pretty quickly but I'm still glad its over.

Wisconsin

In the final days before training camp, we took a trip up to Wisconsin to visit the Crosbys and enjoy some much needed cooler weather. It was a great excuse to visit our friends and spend time with them before the baby is born.

We all went up to Door County with the dogs to explore for a day. Wine tasting at Stone's Throw Winery was a great way to start off our little road trip. Next, we took the dogs to Whitefish Dunes State Park and played in Lake Michigan for the rest of the afternoon. It was so much fun to watch the dogs play in the water.


Mason was able to set up a round of golf for the guys at Whistling Straits. The course was in amazing shape two weeks before the PGA Championship. I have never seen a course like it. Molly and I walked the front 9 with the guys and then headed off to explore the town of Kohler, home of The American Club and the Kohler Design Center. Both the resort and the design center were fantastic. If you are ever in Wisconsin, Kohler is worth a trip. After the boys finished the back 9, we went to lunch at a great restaurant, Field to Fork, in Sheboygan.



We had such a wonderful time exploring Wisconsin and spending time hanging out around the house with the Crosbys. We are just so excited for the new addition to the family to get here!

East Coast Adventures: Rockport, MA

The last part of our East Coast Adventure was Rockport, MA on Cape Ann. Its only about 40 minutes outside of Boston and it is absolutely beautiful. The water was so blue, and the town was super cute. We spent time at the beach (the water was a bit cold but felt great), kayaking, walking around Bearskin Neck and just enjoying this relaxing little beach town.




My favorite part of the trip was the ridiculous amounts of seafood we ate. Picking out our own lobster that was cought that morning for lunch at Roy Moore's Lobster Co. We also had great meals at the Gloucester House Restaurant and My Place by the Sea, where we got to watch the sunset light up the rocks and the water. We are really looking forward to going back, if for no other reason than the seafood :)

East Coast Adventures: Boston

Next, we took the train up to Boston. If you ever have the opportunity to take this train ride, please do (and sit on the side of the train nearest to the coast)! The scenery was amazing, especially for two kids from the southwest who have never seen this part of the country.

Ahhhhhhh Boston. One of my new favorite cities. There are so many things to love about it and so many reasons to come back. We stayed at a Courtyard in Copley Square for free (thanks to my Marriott points!) and loved the location. We were close to shopping and tons of restaurants on Newbury Street, one of the cutest streets in America. We spent every night wandering up and down the street exploring restaurants, people watching, and window shopping (ok, well it was just me doing the window shopping).

Because I had actually done my research for this trip, I booked us on a Duck Boat trip (the number 1 rated activity according to TripAdvisor) for the first night. We had a lot of fun, and saw all of the sites and in my opinion, it was better than the Philly tour.

Trinity Church from the Duck Boat
On the Charles River

The next day, JJ and I walked/drank our way through the Freedom Trail. It wasn't our fault that it was like 95 degrees outside and Boston has pubs on every corner, we were just taking advantage of our surroundings. I now have a much stronger appreciation for Sam Adams and his beer. One of the stops on the trail was the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in America, so we had to stop in for lunch (and a beer).

Union Oyster House. JJ barely fit...its like a booth for ants

Because food was a big part of the fun in Boston, and I can't remember exactly what order and on what days we ate at the restaurants, here is a list of the places we loved in Boston:

Legal Seafood- Even though its a chain, all the guide books said it was a must. The food was good and we had a great view of downtown.

Atlantic Fish Co- Fantastic food and atmosphere! A little pricey, but worth it. Make reservations! We somehow got lucky and even though there was a 2 hour wait, we were seated within 10 minutes.

Piattinni Wine Cafe- Super cute cafe! We only had tea after dinner, but the dessert case looked delicious.

L'Aroma Cafe- Great for breakfast and tea, we ate here both mornings.