Raise the Roof

Just an update on the house...it's unreal how fast this thing is going up!

Sold.

 

 

 

slab forms

time to pour the slab!

hola.

garage frame up on a tuesday...

...roof up 4 days later.

Pre-Drywall meeting is coming up soon...

Estimated Close date: August 24th...I think I need to start packing...

Cheers Y'all!

Jelly Belly June

Happy June 1st y'all!

First off, Military May was a success - not as much of a success as I had hoped, but a success none the less.  My Wounded Warrior Project page raised $75 thanks to my friends Molly, Erika, and Cobie!  I had hoped for a $500 donation by the end of May, but in my eyes, $75 is better than nothing at all.  I plan to keep the page open, so if you still wish to donate, please do!  Here's the link again: https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/gratefulgal/

So it's June...time for a new resolution...

I was discussing my options for June yesterday with a co-worker and we came to the conclusion that there's really not many words that begin with "J" that you can correlate with June or a resolution for that matter.  Then I threw out the idea of not eating Jelly Belly's for the entire month...she laughed - but she had no idea how big of a challenge this would be for me.

About 3 years ago I had a roommate who was working on her Masters in Nutrition at the time.  She would come home in the evenings and very nonchalantly tell me how terrible the foods I was snacking on truly were.  I stopped eating them and started snacking on "better" foods thanks to her advice.  

One night we were watching the Bachelorette, drinking hot tea and making fun of the rediculousness of the people who were on TV to "find love".  My roommate walked out of the room and came back with a HUGE bag of Jelly Belly's (Variety Pack of course).  She offered me some (this obviously wasn't the first time I had them) and I hesitantly took a handful - was this a test?

NO, it wasn't a test - this girl freaking LOVED Jelly Belly's!  And you know what?...If a dietician can snack on them - then they must be alright!

Hi my name is Lindsey and for the past three years I've been addicted to Jelly Belly's.

Lets put it this way - you could call me the worst names in the world and follow up with a 5lb bag of Jelly Belly's and I would forget everything that you had just said.

I buy the big variety bags and dump them out into Tupperware bowls and pick out the ones I want to eat.  I know they sell them in bulk and you can get just the ones you like, but that's no fun!  I typically end up with a bunch of green and all the blacks - licorice, yuck.  Watermelon, Dr. Pepper and Tutti Fruity are devoured first, then Buttered Popcorn, Coconut and Oranges.  Yes, there's a method to my madness.

On a typical week, I would say I eat about 4-5 handfuls of Jelly Belly's...so yes, not eating them this month is actually going to be a challenge.

I sat down last night and looked at the 1/2 full bag that my loving boyfriend just bought me for a road trip (ironically to Bluffton for my old roommate's wedding) and realized...I have to eat all of these before tomorrow...

Jelly Belly-ache.

...I didn't make it thru them all - but you better believe I ate all the Watermelon, Dr. Pepper and Tutti Fruity ones!  There's still a 1/4 of them left...in which I will stuff in my face hole on July 1st.

So there it is, folks - no Jelly Belly June.  

Cheers y'all!

The Bachelorette - Emily Maynard

It's that time again...Bachelorette Season!

I'm kind of on the fence with this season, even after one episode.  I want to watch - because it was filmed here in Charlotte...but these tool bags ABC picked for her are really making me NOT want to watch!

Seriously ABC, you know you received better audition tapes than some of these clowns.  I understand you have to have a hand-full of weirdos to keep the viewers on their toes, but come on...one dude brought a freaking ostrich egg along with him!

But, I'm going to watch...and hope there's a few dudes out of this mix that aren't completely worthless.

Past seasons, I've blogged every Monday night...that won't happen this time.  Mostly because, well, I actually have a life now a days.  Basically, I'll blog when I feel it necessary...so you should follow me.  Seriously, do it...

Ok, so after night one I decided to give my first impression of these fellas...

 And here's my top 3:

I have to admit, for the last several months, every time I saw a helicopter in the area I assumed it was the Bachelorette...or apparently Kalon.

Good luck to Emily...I hope you sift thru the douche bags and find your prince!

Cheers Y'all!

Design Center Day

I remember being in college and working on residential design projects and LOVING the design library day when all 18 of us fought over Uba Tuba Granite samples and paint chips from God knows where.  It was what every girl wants - to pick samples of imaginary spaces they were designing and NOT paying for!

Well, my dream became a reality when I had the chance to go to the Harbor Homes design center on Friday of last week.

My appointment time was set for 9:00am to 11:00am...I told my rep that this would not take 2 hours...and I was right.  45 minutes.  What can I say, I know what I like and I know what I DON'T like.

We started out with the exterior siding colors - the choice I feared the most.  You can change cabinet colors, flooring, even counter tops - but you can't really change the color of your house once it's up!  I REALLY wanted this slate blue color, but it was not a "standard option" and this white girl wasn't forking out any more cash-money for a freaking vinyl color.  I chose a deep khaki color called "Pebble" and was required to select an accent color for my dormers - and I got a blue color close to the one I wanted called "Midnight Sky"!  With black shutters, white trim and a black door, this house is going to be b-e-a-utiful!

exterior finishes

 

 

With the difficult part out of the way, we moved onto flooring.  I kept the standard carpet and vinyl flooring in the first floor - I'll be installing hardwood down the road.


Then I selected my cabinets and granite - the cabinets are "Sinclair Birch" - a deep chocolate color.  The granite is (I forgot the name) a deep gold color with a lot of black and silver mixed in.

flooring, counters and cabinetry

I also selected my accent colors - Harbor Homes provides the builder with the option to have two walls painted in Sherwin Williams colors.  I chose the kitchen walls to be painted - yea, they may not be the biggest walls in the house, but if you've ever painted a kitchen before you know how much of a pain in the ars it is.  The color is "PoolHouse" and it matches my living room accent colors PERFECTLY!

poolhouse - middle blue color

poolhouse

After going over my appliances and fixtures, we were DONE!  I left with a wonderful feeling and cannot wait to see something happen on my empty lot!


Pre-slab meeting is in two weeks and my mother will go on my behalf to show the builder where my outlets and cable jacks will be.  Close date is August 24th and then it will be time to move...ugh, I hate moving...but this move will be different! :)


Cheers Y'all!

Military May

This year seems to be cruising by - it's already May!  

So far this year, I have had some battles to face and have made it thru some of the lowest points so far in my life.  I have leaned on my faith more than ever and have built my relationship with God, who has been by my side thru all of my struggles.  "I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me" (Philippians 4:13) has been more true than ever in the past several months.  I know He has always been there for me, but because of my new relationship with Him I feel closer than ever to our Creator.  I am so blessed and I thank Him every day for what He has given me.

We, as Americans, are all blessed to have the freedom we so often forget.  It is because of our brave Military men and women that allow us to have the freedom we have today.   We should all be constantly reminded of the sacrifices these men and women have made - we are all forever in debt to them.

I have a huge spot in my heart for our Military as I have several friends and family who are Veterans.  I have seen what war can do to a person - physically and mentally.  It takes a special person to put their life on the line for Freedom and their country.  Memorial Day is May 30th, and while you may think that it's merely the kick off to summer and a paid day off, it is not.  Memorial Day is a day for honoring those who have lost their lives defending our country.  What a better way to honor the fallen than to have an entire month of Military Appreciation!

When I started thinking about how I wanted to honor our Military this month, I did a good bit of research to find the organization I wanted to support.  I was inspired by a very special person and started looking into the Wounded Warrior Project.  The WWP was founded in 2003 by a group of Veterans in Virginia who were moved by stories of the injured service members returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.  It started as a program to provide comfort items to wounded service members and has grown into a support system and programs designed to assist warriors as they recover and transition back into civilian life.  These programs are structured around mind, body, economic empowerment and engagement and range from outdoor rehabilitative retreats, peer support, adaptive sports, employment assistance and giving warriors and their families a voice.  It's an amazing non-profit organization and I'm so excited to support them in May and beyond.

I have set up a personal fund raiser page thru WWP and set a goal of $500 to raise by the end of May.  I'm asking all of you to help me in this project and support the ones who give you freedom each and every day.  We will never be able to repay them for the bravery and courage they have, and the sacrifices they make - but we CAN give back to those who give everything for us.

Here's the link to my page:

 https://support.woundedwarriorproject.org/individual-fundraising/gratefulgal/

Every dollar counts, every cent is appreciated!  The page will display your name as a contributor, but your donation amount will be kept private. 

Also, please "like" the Wounded Warrior Project on Facebook:

                http://www.facebook.com/wwpinc.fans.  

On their page you can "Thank a Warrior" and send a thank you card:

                http://www.facebook.com/wwpinc.fans?sk=app_200103733347528

God Bless America and the brave men and women who do what they do every day so we have the freedom to do what we do every day. 

Cheers Y'all!

Artistic April = Success.

So far, this whole one resolution a month thing is going really well.  It's a lot easier to set a short term goal and achieve it than it is to drag out one thing all year long.

April was an extremely uplifting month for me - so many good things are happening and I'm so very blessed!

I may have fallen short on some of the Twitter stuff - but the Artistic April paintings were a total success.

First painting was inspired by a painting I did on a girls night out at Painting with a Twist in Charlotte.  As soon as my brush hit the canvas, I was back to my artsy- fartsy self and knew exactly who this one was going to be for.  One of my best friends, was getting married this month (this past Saturday to be exact) and the colors and feeling the painting took on reminded me of her spirit and love for the water.  I even threw in a pelican on the pylon - her favorite.

stacy's sunset

The second painting was inspired by an artist I found online - call it copying, call it inspiration.  While I was painting this one, the colors and whimsical landscape made me think of my aunt - who ironically had a birthday that week! 

spring landscape

The third painting isn't going anywhere - I love this one.  Also inspired by an artichoke painting by an artist on "the interweb", I threw in my own colors and BOOM!

artichoke

The last painting was done on the LAST day of April.  My cousin "hinted" that my God son would love to have a fish for his room - and what that little man wants, Aunt Lindsey does!

will's "bish"

I would have painted a lot more this past month, but this is what I was working with:

need studio space NOW!

Needless to say, the new house WILL have a studio in the garage!

Cheers Yall!

Open Doors

You know the saying, "when one door closes, another opens"?  Well, I'm modifying it: When one door opens, a thousand windows of opportunity open!

As you may have read, I'm moving to Charleston in August! I made this decision on Good Friday after meeting with my realtor and a builder on Johns Island.  And let me tell you - Good Friday was a REALLY GOOD Friday!

I hate to get all "Alanis Morisette" on you, but irony is a funny thing.  On said Good Friday I had the most uplifting morning in which I decided to make a huge life move and start building a house and a life in Charleston, SC.  That night, I had a blind date - well, kind of - I knew OF him, but had not seen him since we were like 14.  So all afternoon I waited around (no I didn't) to hear from this dude to tell me what the plans were for the evening.  No call.  No text.  Nothing.

At that point, I was about 2 glasses of wine deep and pissed.  But, not sure why I was pissed - I was dreading going on this date.  I've never been asked out on a "Real Date" before, much less a BLIND one!  I'm not sure when it happened, but at some point between glass 1 and 2 I said "screw it".

I called up one of my besties and we met up for (more) beverages at Waters Edge on Shem Creek.  Her and her fiance (soon to be hubby - like tomorrow) wanted to go downtown and I opted out.  I texted my best good buddy, and he was exactly where I had expected him to be - Richard's.

Before I go into any more of this story, I have to give you an idea of what Richard's is like.  First of all, it's a dump.  And by dump, I mean I would hate to see the inside of this place in daylight.  College friends, Scandals was like Blackfin compared to Richard's...yea, I said it.  It's the only place in Mt. Pleasant that still allows smoking indoors, and patrons take full advantage of this.  After leaving Richard's you must wash your hair and clothing at least twice to get the smell out.  Richard's serves canned beer and wine out of boxes...you can't make this shit up.

I'm getting off topic again - but remember how I said that irony is a funny thing?  Yea, the guy who stood me up just texted me and asked if I was going to be in Charleston this weekend.  Seriously...you missed your chance...read on.

So...I drove over to Richard's to meet up with my buddy and have a good time - cause no matter how terrible this bar may look/seem, I've ALWAYS had a good time there!  I found him and announced my good news about building a house and we decided it was a reason to celebrate - with canned beer!

I noticed this guy standing up at the bar while I was talking to my friend and immediately looked at his ring finger - habit.  No ring.  No tan line.  Hmmm...

Not 5 minutes later, another friend of mine walked by and I grabbed him and asked the common question at Richards: "What the hell are you doing here?".  At that point, he introduced me to cute-guy-with-no-ring-from-bar.  Within that moment, I was so completely drawn into talking to this guy I had forgotten where I was.  We stood there and talked for what seemed like hours and found out that we had a lot in common.  I high fived my buddy who introduced us and then smacked him on the head for not making the introduction sooner.  Granted, it's not about WHEN, but that it happened that matters.

What happened after we met was insane - apparently two rough bitches decided to go all Tiger Woods on eachother in the parking lot.  We were unaware of this until Smokey and the Bandit came sliding into the gravel lot all crazy-like.  Our mutual friend rescued us (ok, we weren't really in danger) and took us out of the bar.  

At some point or another, talks of going to Clemson for a baseball game came up, I asked him if he was an axe murderer or married with kids, and the rest is history.  No, it's not a fairytale, but I'll take it!

After knowing him for only one week I packed a bag and cooler and headed to Clemson for a weekend with a "stranger".  The excitement of seeing him again kept the fear away until I reached the infamous 19B exit...then I wanted to throw up.  I called my mom and told her how nervous I was and asked for confirmation that I wasn't crazy.  She said "You didn't think twice about driving there and you made it this far, I'm sure you will have a wonderful weekend".  Mom knows best.

We did have an amazing weekend together and leaving was the worst.  I knew I would see him again in a week in Charleston, but I really didn't want to leave.

We have so much in common, but enough differences that we can appreciate each other for being themselves.  I have never felt so nervous to be around someone yet so comfortable when I am with them.  It's a weird feeling - but I'm not sure I want it to end!  He is the most genuine guy I have ever had the privilege of knowing - on top of that, he's smart, funny and really, really, ridiculously good looking (yep, went there).  When I say I feel like the luckiest girl in the world - it's because I am!  

I like where things are going in my life - and about 8 months ago, I would have never said that.  I've become more in touch with my spiritual side (more than I had before February), and have leaned on my religion for a lot more than I used to.  God has a special plan for all of us, it just takes time for him to get his plan in motion.  What a blessing it was to start my plan on Good Friday!  I cannot wait to see what He has in store for me next, but I'll take everything that I have right now!  

Cheers y'all!