Savoring the Last of Summer

I'm so thankful that life has calmed down, my grandfather's treatments are going well so far, and I seem to have found a good routine! I've spent more and more time in Columbia which has helped me focus on, well, ME. I've met some new peeps. Joined my new gym. Tried some new things. Got a new haircut. And this is really starting to feel like my home. (For the record, after touring the new gym, Columbia Gold's Gym kicks the Arlington Gold's Gym's boootttaaayy! I'm actually excited to get started there this week.)

As a lot of other folks are posting, it's hard to believe the summer is winding down. I haven't eaten NEARLY as many tomato sandwiches as I had hoped. Maybe I'll be able to squeeze in the quota with the late season 'maters.

Time is running out though. As I was watching SportsCenter the other day, and the football coverage took up more and more air time, it became VERY apparent that football season and fall are creeping right around the corner! I'm not as jazzed up about football season as a lot of other folks, but that may be changing since there's certainly something in the air in a southern college town that's hard to ignore.

In DC, the end of the summer was most definitely Labor Day weekend, cooler weather, and Congress coming back from their August break. In the south, we'll (fortunately) have nice weather well into the fall, so the end of summer is marked with Back to School sales and the first tailgating party. Here are a few things I'd still like to do before the days get shorter...

The Big Mo Drive-in Movie- The idea of a real drive-in movie theater still exists! A coworker went earlier in the summer and it sounded like fun. Then it was highlighted in Southern Living and was added to my "I'd Love to Do That Sometime" list. Doesn't it sound so retro and fun? It's about an hour drive from Columbia and they're playing The Other Guys this weekend! I don't have plans to go yet, but will keep you posted!

State Farmers Market- I had dreamed of leisurely strolling through the State Farmers Market on Saturday mornings, picking up some delicious local goodness, which would make a finger-licking good supper for that night. Hasn't happened yet, but there's still time! And the new State Farmers Market opens in a few weeks. Perfect reason to finally check it out!

Braves Game- I'm so close, but haven't been able to get my tomahawk chop on yet. Thank goodness baseball season lasts so long!

What's left on your summer loving lists? Tell Me More, Tell Me More....

Dear Summer, please don't leave!

Today felt like the first day of school. August in DC is relatively quiet and relaxed. When Congress is in recess, the rest of Washington follows suit. Less meetings and legislative work means dressing more casual and shorter work days. But man oh man, when they (Congress) get back in town, it's a shock to the system. Traffic is miserable, the workdays are jam packed, and so on and so on. Hence why today is getting back to the grind.

I had a restful long weekend, so I cleaned, organized, and geared up for the new "school year." (And yes, like any good southern girl, I put the white and seersucker away. I'm making a pouty face right now.) I packed my healthy lunch, gym clothes, laid out my outfit and even made my bed this morning. We'll see how long all of this lasts, but it certainly does make for a less stressful morning and a healthier start to the week.

I've always been amazed at the immediate change in weather in Washington after Labor Day weekend. It's like the DC weather fairy simply flips a switch from Summer to Fall. In the south, we're lucky to have a chill in the air when we put on our Halloween costumes.

So here we are, a rainy and coolish day to symbolize the end of my beloved summer and the beginning of the busy fall. It makes me sleepy and sad to think about it getting cold and being dark before I leave for work. It also makes me sad that I don't have another long weekend until Thanksgiving! Don't mind me, I'm just going through my annual grieving process for the loss of summer...and fresh tomatoes....and baseball....and vacation....and....

Beach Bums

Let's see......where do I start? Would you like to hear about my fabulous vacation that I hyped up on here a few weeks ago? Or the not so fabulous end to my vacation where my cell phone broke and I had car trouble, stranding me in Florence, SC for 27 hours or so?

I'm trying to forget about that last part, so I'm going with the vacation. Almost all of my mom's family was able to spend a week together at Edisto Beach in SC. (Ryan and Lindsey- we missed you!)

I started the vacation a day earlier than the rest of the fam and met my sister and brother-in-law in Charleston for a night. We had a blast downtown and I got to catch up with an old friend. Millicent and I go way back to middle school, went to church together, college together, and even dated brothers at one point. It's always fun to reminisce about the good ole days!



You know it's a good night when it ends like this....



The next day, we took a detour to see the Angel Oak Tree- Gorgeous!




Edisto is a rather secluded beach and is totally uncommercialized. There aren't a lot of restaurants or entertainment options. But that was just fine with us. My mom's cooking is way better than any restaurant anyway! We had a FULL menu of shrimp and grits, a fish fry, low country boil, roast beef, steak, and lots of delicious homemade sides. I wish I had taken pictures of the beautiful meals, but I was way too concerned about eating it!

We spent the days lounging on the beach...



...watching the dophins swim and play, and eating tomato sandwiches! (There's just NOTHING like a fresh mater on top of white bread lathered in Duke's mayo- truly an amazing southern creation.)

And we spent the nights playing Jenga, Checkers, Uno, card/board games, watching movies, and putting together a rather annoying jigsaw puzzle that was missing 3 pieces!

A sampling of the family photo shoot....









Say it with me- AWWWWWWWWW!





Getting crazy!



Beautiful sunset...



We took a few breaks from the beach- once to go to some local antique shops and to stock up on some local produce and shrimp. THE place to do this is called George and Pink's. It's a local favorite and has been featured in Southern Living several times.

You drive down a loooong dirt road....



And there it is!








My mom with Pink....



We took a break from the beach one day and headed to Charleston to have lunch and shop.

We had a great time soaking up the sun and enjoying each other's company. We all voted to make this a tradition!

Out of Office

I'm trying to decide if I should leave this




or this





As my out of office message for next week. Thoughts?


PS- Lyrics to Billy Currington's song Swimmin' in Sunshine are also in the running, I just couldn't find video of it!

Are we there yet?

Have I mentioned that I'm going to the beach next week? Like, for a whole week? Cause I am, and am super excited about it! When I started thinking about vacations, it made me sad that I can't remember the last time I went on a real one. Sure there's been a weekend trip here or there, but all of my vacation time the past 5 years has been spent on visiting home, holidays, and going to weddings. (I know, poor me!)

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE visiting home, but I don't think Anderson has ever been featured as a favorite vacation destination. But correct me if I'm wrong! And I LOVE all of my friends and family that have gotten hitched over the last few years, but it is time for a real vacation!

Like an entire week of no work, no email, no meetings, no shuffling around from house to house on a holiday. There will be no worrying about having the right outfit to wear and no making someone else feel like they're the center of the universe. There will be no fake small talk, no stress or guilt for not spending enough time with people when I'm home, no alarm clock, no traffic, no crowds, no politics, no schedule, no diet, no gym.

I saw one of those Corona commercials last night where the dude is chillin at the beach while skipping rocks and his blackberry starts buzzing. He picks up the blackberry, and skips it right into the water. THAT is the state of mind I'm planning to be in!

Just me, the sun, the ocean, the sand, and family. Zac Brown Band will be my vacation soundtrack, and Firefly will be my drink of choice.

I'm making the most of my once-in-a-blue-moon vacation and am leaving a day early! Almost all of my mom's side of the blended family tree will be spending a week together at Edisto Beach. This is the first of what we hope will become a tradition.

Judging from the amount of Target bags that I left with a few nights ago, I may be a little too anxious. One good thing about going on vacation in August is that EVERYTHING is on sale. The downside is that everything is picked over. But I lucked out on a few things. Beach towels were only $3.99! I also got some surcies for the kiddos, that I hope they'll like! Click here for a definition if you don't know what a Surcie is (still trying to educate the non-southerners when I get a chance.)

4 days, people!!!!!


(Note- I am sadly missing out on a fun girls weekend in NYC for a friend's bachelorette party. And if she's reading this, I hope she knows that none of the wedding talk earlier is directed at her! This is 6 years of no-vacation bitterness coming out! I hope you ladies have a FABULOUS weekend and I wish the timing worked out better!)

Sweet Summertime

Our friends were all finally in town for a weekend, so we took advantage of it by having our first BBQ of the summer. We were blessed with AMAZING weather. It was actually unseasonably cool.

Good friends, delicious food, a warm fire pit, shagging in the grass, and an all around good time!

Summer Days

Seriously....how is 2009 going by so fast? I have to get busy on my summer to-do list! I can probably go ahead and cross off anything to do with getting a tan b/c that doesn't seem to be in the cards for me. Oh well....it causes skin cancer anyway.

I hope everyone had a Happy 4th! This was my first 4th of July away from DC since I moved here 5 years ago. I went home to SC and had a busy 5 day "vacation." Going home is an interesting thing. When I graduated from college and moved to DC, I wanted little to do with going home during that first year. But eventually being away made me miss things and appreciate the pleasures of home. I guess it's that absence makes the heart grow fonder thing.

The weather was perfect for days at the pool/lake, and nights sitting outside with family and catching lightening bugs with the niece and nephew. I water skied for the first time in about 10 years. Turns out it was like riding a bicycle...I got up on my first try and didn't fall!

I didn't totally fall off my diet wagon, which is a major accomplishment when visiting the South. That is except for the 3 different kinds of homemade ice cream that I enjoyed! Sooooo good! I also came back with my favorite souvenir- my grandfather's home grown tomatoes! I hope to have some of my own from the garden I planted soon. We'll see how they compare.

I'm back in town for a busy few weeks at work, and am already counting down the days until the beach in August!

Some pics from my trip-

Visiting my grandparents while they camped at Oconee State Park....

Paddle Boating with my dad at the State Park....

Chillin with my niece and her awesome green cast....

Fun at the lake with the kiddos....

It's Summer!!!!

Time to blog! Even if my mind is in a million places and doesn't have one focused thing to blog about. You've been officially warned of the complete randomness of this post!

Happy Summer, People! It's the most wonderful time of the year for me! Always has been my favorite...and not just because of the break from school.

Growing up, we spent almost every single weekend in the summer at the lake where my grandparents lived. I miss those days, and hope to recapture it when I'm home for the 4th next week.
I love the boat rides, skiing, getting all wrinkly from the water because it's way too hot to not be in the water.
I love the way when other boats pass you, they wave in such a friendly southern way. Everyone is happy on the lake.
I love my grandfather's homemade icecream (and am not going to worry about how many weight watcher points it is!)
I love that when you're out on the lake for the day, it doesn't matter what time it is, and the day seems longer and sweeter than a day not on the lake.
I love how good I sleep at night after the sun and water wears you out.

And the 4th of July, well the lake is simply THE place to be- no questions asked. That's where everyone is. We would put the anchor out at the Marina and watch the boat parade and then the fireworks...the highlight of the year on Lake Hartwell! My sister and three cousins and I would belt patriotic tunes out at the top of lungs. Over and over and over again. We had a lot of fun.

I haven't been home for the 4th of July since college. So the countdown is on.



But before June is officially over, (and can anyone else believe that June/the first half of 2009 is almost officially over???) I have to give a some birthday shout outs to some special people!

Happy Birthday to my bff back home! (We MUST take some pictures when I'm home next week, this one is 3 years old!!)




Happy Birthday to two of my roomies!



Happy Birthday to my Grandmother!




Next up....The Hangover's Sweet Tea Rating. Lots of hype about this one. It's a laugh out loud type of crazy summer movie. I can definitely see why guys adore this one. Could it be the guy's response to He's Just Not that Into You? There's definitely a reason it's rated R. And I definitely have a new crush on Bradley Cooper. I'll give it a generous 4 on the scale. Have you seen it? What did you think?

I also recently watched Revolutionary Road, Gran Torino, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Gran Torino was my favorite followed by Revolutionary Road. I don't even know what to say about Benjamin Button except that it was 2 hours and 45 minutes of Forrest Gump meets The Notebook with a splash of Titanic thrown in for the heck of it. For me, it was kind of a mess.


I know, I know, you've probably had your fill of Jon and Kate drama. But you come here for my 2 cents so here it is! I've been a fan from the beginning when I stumbled upon a marathon of the first season about 3 years ago. I watched the potty training, Alexis' alligator obsession, Maddy's meltdowns, the reorganizing of their home, the twins first music lessons, and the sextuplet's birthday parties.

The appeal of the show for me (besides the adorable kiddies) was watching an ordinary family deal with an extraordinary situation. Over the last few seasons, the show, (and seemingly Jon and Kate themselves) lost touch of that original appeal. They went from working normal jobs, having friends and family a part of their life and show, and clipping coupons to moving into a mini-mansion, taking free vacations to Hawaii/California/Colorado, and accepting all kinds of free gifts.

Being a product of divorce and a blended family (we like to joke that we're functional in our dysfunction), I have to say that I'm glad there weren't cameras all over my house or any sort of audience when we were going through such a personal, heartbreaking, and life changing event. I feel for the Gosselin's and hope that they all come out of this okay!

I've already started watching the new show Raising Sextuplets on WE. These parents work full time, run marathons, the dad is in grad school, and they still find time to smile! I'm SUCH a sucker for shows about big families. (The Duggar's, Jon and Kate, Big Love, Brothers and Sisters)

So there you have it! Complete and total randomness from my summer memories on the lake to movies to Jon and Kate. Plenty of comment material for you to choose from!

Last Week of Summer!

I've been couped up in a stuffy government conference room for a marathon 8 hour meeting, so this will be short!

Despite loosing Tom Brady last week, it looks like my fantasy team may have some hope after all. It's still really early, but the team pulled out a win thanks to my new QB Aaron Rodgers from Green Bay and a solid performance from the Redskin's Santana Moss. I don't want to toot my own horn since there's a lot of season left, but I moved from 9th to 5th place! Already so much better than last year (knock on wood.)

I can't believe that summer is already over! I've already blogged about how much I heart summer, but I'm actually looking forward to the calm of fall. One good thing about living slightly north is that we actually have 4 distinct seasons. The heat of the deep south sometimes lasts through November! They get the last laugh come March when the flowers are blooming and they're enjoying spring when I have a month left of winter. So this is the only time of year I get to gloat about our nice weather!

I'm off to give the new 90210 another shot...3rd weeks a charm, right?

Enjoy your last week of summertime bliss!

Sweet Tea Withdrawal

What a week! It's hard to believe that everything started a week ago when I drove down to SC and started to help with last minute wedding details. I won't go on and on about it (all we've been doing is talking and reflecting about the wedding since the moment it ended!) But basically everything was BEAUTIFUL and was so much fun. My mom truly outdid herself doing the flowers herself, making the flower girl dresses, etc. My sister was a gorgeous bride and seemed to have the time of her life. I cannot wait to see the pictures!

I'm already missing home though! I enjoyed seeing lots of family and old friends and enjoying everything else that I miss about home... cheaper gas, good food, and southern hospitality! I got to stop at the peach orchard I worked at during college and am enjoying some delicious SC peaches! My grandfather sent me home with an abundance of his home grown tomatoes. My mom packed up some other fresh veggies and all the fixins for some vegetable soup. I piled everything in a big 'ole pot and made more soup than I can possibly eat! But it hit the spot and was perfect comfort food.

I'm not really sure what to do with myself now that the wedding projects are finished and the boyfriend has left town! It definitely feels like the summer is winding down. I have lots of reading I want to catch up on and hope to enjoy the rest of the Olympics. I'm amazed at watching Michael Phelps!

Channeling my Inner Gossip Girl!

Hey, y'all! Welcome to my newly created blog, Grits and Gossip! I've created this as a way to keep in touch with friends and family and I hope you enjoy my tid bits of information. This is a new adventure for me so your suggestions and comments are welcome and appreciated.

Summer afternoon, Summer afternoon...the two most beautiful words in the English language.
~Henry James

Summer has always been my favorite season and this year is no different! What's not to love about summer??? Going to the beach/lake/pool, long days of sunlight, fresh fruits and veggies, baseball season...I could go on and on! The only con that summer has is really bad TV. Thank goodness for Jon and Kate Plus 8 and MTV's Legally Blonde reality show (the winner was a very talented fellow Andersonian, Bailey Hanks, who is now a Broadway star!) If it weren't for those two shows, I would be tempted to cancel the cable service!

The boyfriend has been in DC this summer which has been lots of fun. We've been catching up with friends, cooking out, and spending some much needed quality time together.

It is eventful summer in the world of some of my friends and family. My best friend from home had a baby girl just over a month ago and she's adorable! I can't wait to meet her next week when I'm back in SC.

The event of the year for the family is the upcoming wedding of my sister. Everyone has been busy planning and celebrating and I can't believe her big day is 11 days away!

That's it for now...thanks for reading!