Busy day

Last night I made the best broccoli soup I've ever had! Mama Lettrich would be so proud (sniff, sniff). :o) I roasted a few carrots, simmered the broccoli in home-made veggie stock and basically cooked it into oblivion. The flavor was awesome! Then I made a white sauce, filled it full of sharp cheddar, mixed the veggies in and topped it all off with shards of parmesan. It was killer. The flavor, texture, and color were all on. You should have seen the aftermath of my kitchen.  

Yes, the presentation leaves something to be desired but it was on its way to the fridge. :o) Also sort of a bummer that Justin hates broccoli. But he could appreciate the effort put into said soup.

Other topics of note I went to the dentist today. I had to get a "soft spot" filled. :o( I haven't had a cavity in 15 years! So I guess I was due for one but to my surprise and excitement...they have WHITE fillings! I kept waiting for the feeling-like-you're-walking-in-snow that the old silver ones gave you but then it never came and this filling only took 30 minutes! Wow, the advances of dentistry!

Finally, I was joking with Britt and Tara the other night about how boring I am. They were sharing stories about their 5 month old and 9month/4year old (respectively) and telling about swim lessons, ballet, hitting milestones, new foods, etc. Very exciting stuff! And all I had to offer was "we picked out a  new paint color for the kitchen." :o) That being said...the color is below. LOL! 

Looks really muddy in this picture with the yellow wall coming through and the florescent lighting. I'm pretty sure it's Comfort Gray by Sherwin Williams. I'll have to double check. Well, that's all for now! Justin is rushing me off the blog to plan our trip...AND he went to Birmingham, AL today! He texted me when he got back to Columbia asking if there was a bridge to Paris. Haha, sorry but no. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! 

Jo's birthday party

Here are a few pictures from Jo's 80th birthday party. Isn't she such a beautiful woman? She has the most beautiful eyes I think I've ever seen in my life! I found out that she used to model (not shocked about that one). ;o) Sherry had her picture made into a Wanted poster. You should have seen the decorations, they turned out beautifully!

The Archies and the Turners. Aren't the boys getting so big?

Who's that cute couple?

Look how CUTE Reed is!! He'll have all the girls swooning in a few years! Right now he is without his two front teeth and it just cracks me up. :o) He is thix yearth old and thuper thweet!

Shannon's cake turned out so great, people couldn't believe that she made it. She is really talented. The belt buckle had Jo's monogram on it! Shannon said it had something like 7 pounds of butter and 25 pounds of sugar. No wonder it tasted SO good.

Birthday girl and her line dancing group. They just won a gold metal at a state competition. Sherry (Justin's aunt) had her hat embellished with daisies.

Jo and her sister, Jackie (I believe). She had a ball!

First blog ever!

I'm so excited to start this new blog! Our busy schedules and living in Charleston makes it difficult to keep up with friends and family. I hope this blog makes it easier for everyone to keep in touch. I also hope that we can use it as a way to document life's big moments. Maybe I'll start a trend and then everyone will start blogging (fingers crossed)!

We just got back from celebrating Justin's grandmother's (Jojo) 80th birthday! Wow! We had a blast. That party was a western theme so everyone dressed up, we ate barbecue, and line danced! Sherry (Justin's mom) and Sherry (Justin's aunt) did such an amazing job on the party. Shannon created the most beautiful themed cake (pictures to come) and I was in charge of an old-fashioned candy bar. It was so much fun.

Jojo is such a wonderful grandmother-in-law and from the moment I met her, 8+ years ago (long before becoming an Archie), she made me feel apart of the family. Jo lights up a room. She is such a kind and lovely person. I am better for knowing her! If I can figure out how, I'm going to add pictures that Justin took from the party. :o)

That's about all I have time for today. It took forever to figure out how to even start this blog. I have to turn my attention to our big trip!! We're leaving in two weeks for France and Italy!! So excited but more on that later!