29th Birthday

Alison and I turned 29 on July 26th. My brother-in-law orchestrated a very nice and fun-filled weekend for Alison and since we share a birthday (and the same family and friends), Ben and I got to piggy back on their celebration! Friday night was a delicious fancy dinner at The Vinings Club and Saturday was a beers and burgers cookout at Brian and Alison's house. Thanks, Brian! We had a wonderful weekend.

Meri and Tara at the cookout......we weren't about to let a little rain (or severe thunderstorm) put a damper on our fun!
Melinda, baker extraordinaire, was kind enough to bake a penis cake to add a festive touch to the evening. Nando suggested that we place the chocolate penis on top of the beautiful red velvet cake that Mom had ordered from A Piece of Cake. Unfortunately for Nando (but fortunately for the rest of us as this was hands down the highlight of the party), he dropped the penis cake during this process but managed to catch it before it hit the floor......with his own crotch! Too bad none of us had a video camera as this was the funniest thing I've ever seen in my entire life. People were crying!

Clint and Sarah brought Avery to the party. She was a delightful guest! Cutie pie.

Ben and Nando hanging out by the keg. Gee, that's a surprise.
James and Debbie at The Vinings Club
We had our own private room

Home Improvements

I am beginning my overhaul of our downstairs and Ben and I started with our half bath....we added beadboard. Well, we had it installed by a professional, but Ben and I did the caulking and painting ourselves. I think that's about all I can handle. I am thrilled with how it turned out. Next up: all new fabrics and paints for the family room and kitchen!

Fourth of July

Ben and I went to Asheville for the weekend of the Fourth to spend time with Lindsey and Christian Clickner. Ben and Christian grew up together in Grand Haven and it's so nice having them just an hour away. Hopefully they are moving to Greenville soon......but then we won't have a reason to go to Asheville. We enjoyed drinks at The Grove Park Inn, a baseball game (Asheville Tourists vs. Rome Braves), and a tour of several microbreweries in town. Fun town!

Ordering drinks at The Grove Park Inn. Hands down one of the most impressive hotel lobbies in the country.
Lindsey and I enjoyed the view while sipping champagne. This is where Lindsey and Christian got engaged several years ago, so they love going back to The Grove Park Inn.

Grandmom's 90th

Grandmom (Dad's mom) turned celebrated her 90th birthday on June 26th. To mark the special occasion, all five of her children flew into Atlanta from as far away as Texas, Utah, Florida and Arizona. Grandmom was shocked when she showed up at Mom and Dad's house for what she thought was just a small cookout. We had a great evening.

Fur babies

I conducted a little photo session a few weeks ago....Maddux and Atticus were being so cute! I grabbed my camera and took some shots.