Can You Believe It Has Been 2 Years Already?

Today was our 2-year anniversary… I know it is hard to believe that it has been two whole years already! We celebrated our anniversary this past weekend with a weekend trip to Savannah and Tybee Island. We had such a wonderful time just relaxing, consuming lots of seafood and touring the sites. Our hotel was very nice considering the smoking deal I got on it off the Internet…. And it came with a nice breakfast both mornings! Friday night we enjoyed shrimp and oysters and some of the best crab stew we have ever eaten. Saturday morning we got up early and made the trek to downtown Savannah to stand in line for dinner reservations for Paula Deen’s restaurant…. What an experience! They started taking reservations at 9:30am and we got there at 9:35am… I was shocked that the line was already 100+ deep! But, we made it to the hostess and got our 7:45pm slot! Next, we browsed around the downtown shops and then made our way to Tybee Island. The wind was very breezy and the air was chilly. We walked the beach and the pier…

Then, we had a delicious lunch at the Crab Shack on Tybee that included two dozen of THE largest oysters I have ever laid eyes on! We enjoyed shrimp and crab legs too.

Supper at Paula’s was an experience to remember for the rest of my life. The bread lady kept bringing these cheddar biscuit and hot cakes out to the diners… they were so good! I finally told her to not bring the tray by again… she was killing me! I did have a sad moment at one point over the “hot cakes” … they were a pan-fried cornbread patty just like my Grandmother used to make… I don’t think I have had them since I was in high school when she used to make them for my Grandfather… such great memories that always bring tears to my eyes… and all because of such great southern food! The smells are the hardest ones to endure…


We had the Shore Is Good Seafood Dip (Hubby’s favorite) and then I ordered the Shrimp ‘N Grits for my entrée. Hubby opted for the Southern buffet… which worked out really well for me since I could sample bites of every thing he brought back to the table. I tried so hard to savor every bite but at some point I just could not eat another bite. I did get a take-out bag for my leftovers. And then the waiter tried to get us to pick out deserts! I insisted that I could not do desert… we just would not pick out one so he leaves one- the banana pudding and says just try it. I took one bite and almost died. I truly think that banana pudding was made in heaven… he divulged that the secret was that it was made with homemade whipped cream. I had three bites and then I shut down. NO more for Kelly. We were stuffed and I was ecstatic that my meal at Paula’s was so enjoyable. Kelly’s score is 5 out of 5 stars for Lady & Sons…

Yes, what a great weekend getaway...Happy Anniversary to Us.

Keeping Lunches Cool

I would like to share another wonderful product with you that I use almost everyday to transport and chill my lunch salads. Fit&Fresh makes all kinds of food storage containers, food transport containers, etc. for eating healthy meals and snacks on the go! I bought the Salad Chiller earlier this year and I love it because not only does it have a little dispenser in the top of the bowl cover for putting your salad dressing, it also has a re-usable folded fork that snaps right into the outside of the same top... and it has a freezable removable ice pack to keep your salad cool all day long! And what is the best part? I bought this wonderful product at Bed Bath & Beyond for $10! My brother and mother both have one too... Go check it out!

East Cobb Possum Trot

What is the deal with possums at 4:35am every morning?? Every morning this week, I have crossed paths with one possum on my way to boot camp! And it is always in the same residential area of east Cobb... this morning the little sucker ran toward into my path and stopped in his tracks to stare at my headlights! Of course, I nearly slammed on the brakes! Why do you ask would I actually stop for a possum of all things? Well, 1) now that I am rolling in the Taurus, I am MUCH lower to the ground and I do not want to FEEL my hitting it and 2) I sure as heck do not want to HEAR the crunch!! My rolling in a sedan these days has really changed my outlook on driving... being so close to the ground is a real pain in the butt to be perfectly honest... not only do I have to enter and leave our own driveway at home on a 45 degree angle just to keep from scraping the top but, I can feel EVERY bump, dip, hole, plate, and ragged spot on the road now! But, hey- that's how I roll!

Grande Cup of Sadness

I had the morning off from boot camp yesterday. On my way into the office, I decided to stop by my favorite ol’ Starbucks for a grande cup of frothy goodness… I parked the car and headed up the sidewalk to the door and it was locked! A small sign on the glass stated that this store was closed and to go to nearest location a mile or so down the street. WHAT? Are you kidding me? I was floored! Some couple had just pulled up and saw the sign too… they told me that the store must have closed overnight and without warning because they were just there over this past weekend! How can they close THE busiest Starbucks in Atlanta? This location is perfect too: corner location of a very busy intersection in east Cobb county… the tables on the inside and outside are full of patrons morning, afternoon and night! So how can they close it?! You see, the thing about the one down the street is that it is brand-new and it is a Drive Thru store. I had inquired several times in the past few months if my fave store was going to close with the opening of the new one down the street… their answer every time was NO. I just loved the fact that Helen, the wonderful lady at the cash register knew me by name and always asked about my work, my hubby, my travels, etc. She took an interest in ME. The barista Richard always, ALWAYS made me the BEST, most perfect non-fat lattes ever consumed by man…. So I called Hubby and griped about it…. and then after talking to him I finally decided to go to the new one and just see how it compared. And secretly hoping to find some of my favorite coffee-serving employees from the old one… Let’s just say the new store is about 4 times smaller, very few tables and chairs for enjoying your cup o’ joe in house. I only recognized one lady behind the counter and it was not Helen… this lady did recognize me though and even commented on my weight loss… she told me that the new landlord at their old location jacked the rent up double the usual payment and that they closed and packed up over the weekend. Richard was located at this new location but Helen was on down the way at one I do not frequent. Great! My coffee crew is now disbanded and we have to drive even further for perfect lattes! What a crock!

What In The World Is Going On Today?

What in the world is going on today? We were gone on a weekend camping and white water rafting trip over the weekend up on the Ocoee River in Tennessee and we come home to complete chaos! We did notice on the way up on Friday afternoon that the gas prices seem to be jumping up the further we drove north. And wouldn’t you know that by the time we got home last night, most gas stations were out of gas! I intentionally left the house late this morning for two reasons: 1) I had the day off from boot camp and 2) I had only 1/8 tank of gas in the company car. I was scared to chance traffic with such a low level of fuel…. And what is worse is that all the stations on the way to work were out of gas! When I got near the office, the big QT station just down the road only had Premium fuel at $4.39/gallon… I was really beginning to panic at this point. So I spent my lunch hour looking for a gas station with Regular fuel… I lucked up with a Shell station off Satellite in Duluth thank goodness! And now the stock market is plunging too… what gives?
In the meantime, enjoy some action shots on the river from Saturday:

360 Degree Turn in the Road of My Life

Oh how life has a way of doing a 360 degree for some folks... especially my life! I am happy to announce that after four months of boot camp as a camper, I am now a boot camp instructor! Yes, today was the end of my first week as an instructor and I have to say that I absolutely LOVE it! L-o-v-e it! This has been such a great week for me in many aspects... not only was this week my first week instructing, but I also hopped on the scales again this morning and I have lost a total of 28 lbs!! Now here is the kicker: 28 lbs is a LOT... 28 lbs is so much that I have to make an appointment with the jeweler to have my wedding rings sized DOWN! How awesome is that? I am hoping to get to the jeweler next week... and it is almost an emergency down-sizing because they are really, really loose and I cannot hardly type with the engagement ring on any more because it keeps rolling around and around. And I think Hubby is starting to get nervous...
I am also still discovering an entire "new" wardrobe of clothes in my closet and clothes drawers that I have not wore in YEARS. I am having such a good time trying on clothes that I actually "forgot" about! I am now having to put away T-shirts that are too big no too...which is so ironic considering that for my entire life I have always put away good clothes thinking that "I will save this just in case one day I will fit into it again".
My new company car arrived on Wednesday of this week... a Ford Taurus and it is really nice. It has some serious "get-up and go" as my grandmother used to say. Sitting that close to the road is really going to take some getting used to needless to say. But, this is a fuel-saving step in the future of our company and I am a supporter.
Hubby and I are headed up to Tennesee this afternoon to camp and whitewater raft the Ocoee River with some friends... pics to follow!

Half Caf For Me, Mr. Barista!

In my ongoing quest to find the smaller inner me, I am always looking for different foods, products, etc. that I can fit into my "fit"ness plan... I have read several articles over the past few months that all say that caffeine triggers hunger or at the least the thought that you might want to eat. And I do not need any thought-provoking when it comes to eating when I shouldn't be! So recently I have cut back on my caffeine intake. Unfortunately, I love coffee. Especially Starbucks coffee. And it is too bad that a latte a day is not on my food plan... so I have found the answer: Starbucks Coffee Half Caffeinated Breakfast Blend

I was already used to buying the regular Breakfast Blend at the grocery store... but, now they have it with HALF the Caffeine!! And it tastes wonderful. For only $7-$9 per bag, you cannot go wrong at all. One bag will brew at least 15+ pots of coffee.... 2 lattes at any Starbucks location costs more than ONE bag of this coffee. Go try it!