A New Year, A New Look!

Even though it's not quite 2009 yet I could not wait to unveil yet another new look for the blog! I am hoping this one lasts me longer than a week considering all the time I put into the various elements...!! I start all these new designs by finding background paper that catches my eye- either from online or from pictures I already have downloaded. There are some great scrapbooking sites you can use to download "freebies" to jazz up different parts of your blog.

After finding background paper I upload it into Photobucket and then use an easy to use program to design a header- incorporating new fancy fonts and pictures. It's kind of like Photoshop for dummies and allows me to layer different objects into one project, cut out designs from another, and add pictures, words, borders, and backgrounds. This is the first time I continued the design to include a signature and sidebar buttons. The fonts I used were also downloaded from free scrapbooking websites. All you do is save the files and install them into your Word font folder. It is so easy and so much more interesting than using Times New Roman for everything! A project like this only took me a few hours today. I already had an idea of where I wanted to go with it and the rest just followed after some tweaking here and there. I hope you enjoy the new look and if you're ever in need of some creative updates please let me know!

All I Want For Christmas...

...is for it to last all year long! I anxiously anticipate Christmas for 364 days and it comes and goes in a whirlwind of activities, food, and family. My vacation began on the 19th with a small holiday party at school and a very generous gift from my students. On Tuesday we hosted a small dinner party for my family at the house complete with festive table scape! Alex did most of the cooking while I cleaned the house from top to bottom (including washing the hard wood floors!) and we ate a delicious meal of strawberry salad, ravioli soup, and homemade cookies for dessert.

On Christmas Eve we packed up the pups and went to my parents house around lunchtime. We attended the afternoon service at church and came back home to eat dinner- our traditional Shrimp and Pesto Pasta. Mom pulled out the Christmas memories book and we discovered that we've been eating this same exact meal every Christmas Eve for the last 14 years! Our Christmas morning breakfast has remained unchanged for the last 20 years- egg souffle, blueberry muffins with crumblies on top, and sausage. What can I say, we Nathans like our traditions! We ended the night by opening some gifts from the family and tucking the pups into bed. Linc and I slept at our own house that night and opened gifts from each other in the morning.

My amazing husband surprised me with a beautiful diamond necklace before church on Wednesday and I also got a new navigation system for my car, some beautiful clothes, and a great new perfume! Linc had already gotten his present early (the new car) but I managed to sneak in a new pair of Oakley sunglasses and a video game for him. We were also very fortunate to receive some great tennis clothes and accessories from my family and an assortment of Wilton Armetale serving pieces for the house. I have been a bit under the weather so after the excitement of presents and stockings I curled up and took a nap while the rest of the family played tennis. The Trottas came over for another traditional Christmas meal (10 years of the most delicious steak stuffed with spinach and peppers) and hours of card games. We finished the night with a long game of Catchphrase and headed back home to rest up.

Friday morning we drove out to the farm in the middle of some ridiculous traffic and finally arrived after lunch. We hung out and watched a movie because the weather was not cooperating and then ate a low country boil for dinner. Saturday the Nashs came over, including my nephew Ethan, and we opened gifts and played around the farm. Sherry took my friend Daniele and I for a tour of the pastures while the boys played a Gladiator-inspired game of paintball. We ended the trip with some sniper shooting and testing out some new guns in target practice.

Thankfully there is still another week left of vacation but I cannot believe how fast it all flies by. My goal for the remainder of the break is to paint my tv room...any volunteers?! I hope you and your family enjoyed a very relaxing Christmas and remembered to give thanks for all the blessings that this holiday season brings. Merry Christmas! I look forward to an exciting and fun filled next few days counting down to the new year!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Last weekend Lincoln and I set out to find ourselves the perfect Christmas tree. This was a special mission because despite it being our third married Christmas this would be the very first tree we had together as a married couple! Our first year we were back and forth from California so we didn't decorate and our second year we had just purchased our house and moved in on the 26th so it didn't make sense to decorate after the fact!

Originally I had seen that the local high school baseball team was selling trees to raise money for their school so we went out on Saturday evening to pick one out. Unfortunately, as I drove to the school it looked extremely dark and I realized there were no trees there anymore! Thankfully I knew of a nursery nearby that I had driven past a few times admiring their selection. We headed down the road and pulled in. They had some amazing trees- some even 13 feet tall! We choose a nice 7 foot Frasier fir and had the guys load it up on the Jetta after we picked out a tree stand and paid for them inside. Some of my favorite memories growing up are of my family going to a farm to pick out the best tree. We would make a day of it and drink hot cider and cut it down ourselves. It always seemed to be the coldest day of the year! This year it was pretty warm and we had all the intention of going to a real tree farm, but somehow grownup life got in the way and suddenly it was the middle of the month! I still love our tree and I made sure to take lots of pictures because it will still be a very special memory as I grow up!

Once we got the tree home we had a little dinner and then Linc carried it into the house and set it up. We let it fall overnight because it had been in the net bag for a few hours but when the lights were finally put on it looked great! It took me another week before all the decorations were put on but it turned out better than I had imagined! I also had trouble finding an angel that didn't creep me out (they all seem to have really weird faces this seaon) so we went with a modern and stylish bow creation that a woman from the local Holiday Shop helped me design. It's definitely not your traditional tree topper, but it's growing on me! We are also waiting on a very special hand made tree skirt that my mom has been working on. It will incorporate all the colors of the balls we picked out to decorate the tree with- apple green, red, and blue. I absolutely love my house during the Christmas season and wish I could leave all the beautiful decorations up all year long! I hope you and your family have enjoyed preparing for the upcoming events that this season brings and take time to remember why we are celebrating! Merry Christmas!

I Repeat...No...

We are NOT pregnant. Sorry folks, still a few years away from that milestone but when I saw this website on my friend's blog I couldn't resist! It's called makemebabies.com. Their website says "MakeMeBabies' unique technology will show you exactly (well... almost exactly...) what your future child with another person will look like! We take both your photos, do some magic calculations, and congratulations! You have a new baby!"All you do is upload some photos of you and your significant other and voila- a creepy baby is born! I played around with some pictures of us and this is the only kid that didn't totally freak me out. Let's just say it got me a little curious to know what the real baby Hamilton will look like...when we have kids in ten years...or according to my husband "when the house is paid off."

Baby It's Cold Outside!

A lot has been happening as our family counts down the school days until Christmas vacation (only 6 more...you actually thought I was joking?!) Thanksgiving came and went in one big turkey coma and even though it was fun, December is my favorite time of all! I started decorating for Christmas a few days into the month as I accumulated more items from some amazing post Thanksgiving shopping deals and finally brought out the things I had been collecting since July! This is the first time since getting married that Linc and I have been "home" for the holidays and are able to decorate. We don't have a tree just yet, but I have tried to make every other part of our house as festive as possible! From the foyer all the way to the back door and around to the garage my house is now filled with treasures that I wish I could leave out all year round. I probably could, but I won't. Not yet anyway...

Other big news in the Hamilton household is that Lincoln started a new job this week and traded in his trusty BMW for a slightly cooler, more supped up Altima- complete with seat warmers and satellite radio. He definitely needs it though as his commute went from rolling out of bed and walking into the loft to now driving 80 miles round trip!!! Yikes!!! He is such a hard worker and so dedicated. The best part is that he also gets two weeks off for Christmas break so we get to be home together! He is also working side by side our good friend Mark who we know from California and we've been able to hang out with him and his wife Jane a lot more often. Another couple that we knew from sunny CA lives just down the road and sometimes we show up at their house unannounced to see what they'll feed us. Other times we're invited and just arrive fashionably late...like two hours into a birthday dinner...

Now that Linc isn't home during the day we set the pups up in the garage. We moved the living room rug in there (since I am pretty sure there is dog pee all over it anyway...thanks Tess) and bought them a nice cozy bed and dogloo. Tessa even wears a little fleece coat to help keep her a little extra toasty while they're hanging out. Christmas music plays softly in the background off their new clock radio and there's even a mini pee-pod in the corner for them to use! So far they seem to really enjoy it. The first time we left them alone in there we set up a doggie cam to check out what they would do. Both pups happily chewed on bones until we came back about ten minutes later! Better than leaving them cooped up in their cages all day!!

My other favorite thing that has happened so far this month is the love of my life and favorite twin sister came into town to do a little shopping and we met up for dinner to exchange gifts and catch up on life. After pigging out on lobster ravioli and pomegranate martinis (yes, we ordered the exact same thing. Great minds really do think alike!) we had a mini photo session and parted ways. We have been so lucky to see each other a lot more often in recent months and after all that I think I was able to convince her to come back for New Years and celebrate her anniversary at our house!! I know you're reading this Twinny...you're coming right?!

I am really excited to have two weeks off at home to relax, unwind, and spend time with my most favorite people in the world. I hope you are having a blessed holiday season so far and have lots to look forward too as well!

Christmas Pups

Linc and I had to leave the pups at my parent's house while we were at the farm for Thanksgiving Part II and I should have known the costumes would come out while we were away! My mom and sisters had fun dressing the pups up as Santa's little helpers even though the dogs did not want to pose for pictures! They look a little tormented (and dare I say a bit creepy) in these shots but I couldn't help but post them. Tessa looks like a little reindeer, although her antlers seem a bit heavy for her head! Haha!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I absolutely love the holidays. Not only do I get time off work but I am able to spend time with the people I love who I do not get to see nearly often enough. We just finished up Thanksgiving and it was a jam packed five days of celebrating beginning with dinner at my parents house on Tuesday and Wednesday and countless hours of playing sets and runs! We went to my aunt's house on Thursday for a delicious meal of fried and oven baked turkey and all the usual holiday favorites. I spent time with my family and watched a few football games and after dinner the Jacks came over and we played in the yard until it was too cold! Friday afternoon Linc and I headed down to Barnesville to spend the weekend at the farm. The weather wasn't great but we still had a lot of fun. Linc's brothers brought their new guns and we shot skeet and did some target practice. Boys being boys everything turned into a competition! You can see in the pictures of Linc and I that we are sporting fancy yellow glasses for eye protection and ear plugs! Safety first!

I hope to have another post soon with lots more photos, but I hadn't written anything in a while and was getting antsy! Hope your holiday was filled with lots of delicious food and fun family memories! Come back soon!

UPDATE- 12/02/08- My Thanksgiving in Pictures
(I am not sure why one collage turned out so tiny- but oh well!)

Thanksgiving Part I- Nathans and Trottas in Atlanta

Thanksgiving Part II- Hamiltons, Childs, and Nashs at the farm

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday filled with with family, food, and fun!


xoxo,

The Hamiltons

Day of Rest?

Usually Sundays in this house are spent going to church, eating lunch, and spending the entire rest of the day lazing about on the couch. And boy do I mean lazy! We seriously do not even get up until dinner time. Not this weekend though! Following my need to get organized inside I thought it was finally time to replace the dead plants in my yard and spruce it up for winter and the upcoming holiday season.

There are such beautiful winter flowers and I knew the outside of my house would benefit from some attention. I headed to my neighborhood plant store and stocked up on cabbage, kale, snapdragons, and pansies. Once home I decided my little mini boxwoods were not thriving up next to the house and maybe they would prefer being the center of attention down by the tree. I got rid of my now sorry looking purple pepper plants and replaced the pots with purple kale and snapdragons. The other pots around the front got white cabbage and an assortment of snapdragons. I ended up having some extras and planted those in the island near the garage. I put an entire flat of pansies up near the boxwoods and am pretty happy with the results. I can't wait for everything to bloom! I had to refrain from changing out my fall flag to the Christmas themed one and adding my lighted mini tress to the front porch. A lot of people in my neighborhood already have their houses decorated for Christmas. One holiday at a time though, and you can bet mine will be going up next weekend!! I am also excited to unveil my Christmas blog but you will have to be patient! Hope you enjoyed your weekend and if I am not back again before, Happy Thanksgiving! xoxo

pro.duc.tive

pro.duc.tive [pruh-duhk-tiv]- adjective- Yielding favorable or useful results; constructive; having the power of producing; generative; creative.

I am a little afraid that this post will show you just how OCD I am, but so be it! Maybe it will inspire you to get a jump start on "Spring" cleaning! Anyway, productive just about sums up last Sunday for me. I was able to tackle the mounds of laundry piling up in our closet and while I was in there decided to do a little reorganizing. The closet is where I tend to stash clothes and forget about them. I get dressed in there every morning so I figured it would help if everything got organized and cleaned up. I pretty much took everything out and started sorting. A few hours later I came out with three bags for Goodwill and a totally color-coordinated, season based closet! All the current winter clothes are hanging right in front of me when I walk in with shoes and jackets over on the left. Dress shirts and school shirts are off on the right side of the closet hanging in order of colors in the rainbow. Polos and other summer shirts are down on the left underneath Linc's nice shirts. It looks so nice and hopefully I will be able to keep it clean until the next season!

Seven Things

Well, I was tagged by my friend Becky to tell you seven things you don't know about me but being in the spirit of Thanksgiving I decided to change it up a bit and tell you seven things I am thankful for!

1- My husband. I have known Linc for almost nine years now and every day he continues to amaze me with how awesome he is! He works from home and still does all the house-y things that need to get done. I am also thankful to God for bringing us together at such a young age, keeping our relationship and our love for each strong for many years and over many miles, and for allowing us to spend the rest of our lives together!
2- My family. How great to grow up with such a loving, caring, and supportive family. I count my sisters among by best friends and my parents as my role models. They have shown me what a successful marriage looks like. Not to mention these people are the best at making me laugh until I cry!
3- My job. As much as I complain and gripe about the commute there are still a lot of wonderful things about teaching kids. And thankfully with this unstable economy, at least I know I will have a job tomorrow!
4- My friends- new and old, far and near. Because honestly, what would life be like without these great girlfriends to share it with? And I don't get to see most of them nearly enough but when we do it is like we've never been apart.
5- My house. Linc and I have been very blessed and to be able to buy our own house at such a young age is wonderful. There are always projects to work on and things to fix up (plus the never ending cleaning) but we have a beautiful place and I am so proud to call it home!
6- My crazy JRTs. Even though most of the time I want to kill them and they are slowly ruining the beautiful place I call home, I could not live without them. They are wonderful snuggle buddies and can always put a smile on my face (except when they are being naughty...which is really almost always...hmm...)
7- Technology. I can't imagine what life would be like without things like email and the internet. I might actually have to talk to people on the phone! Ah! Although it wastes a good majority of my time, I really am glad to have things like Facebook and Blogger to keep in touch with people and see what is going on in their everyday lives.

It was hard to narrow it down to seven things, I could probably go on forever but I won't bore you! I am now tagging Kristin and Courtney to either tell seven things about themselves or to share in the holiday spirit and list what they are most thankful for! Have fun blogging! <3

TA-DA!

The new blog is officially ready for viewing- new three column template, background and wallpaper, and self-designed header! I am so happy with the way it turned out...it definitely took a while to get everything just so. I hope you enjoy the changes! =)

PS- Thanks to my amazing husband who helped me figure out all the html code and fixed everything I screwed up in the process!!

November 14, 2008
I changed the blog again...it was a little too pastel for November ;)

This is My Saturday Night

I won my tennis match today...because the other team's partner did not show up and the had to forfeit. My partner and I were pretty disappointed considering we had already been there for almost two hours before they shared this information with us, but hey, it's still a win and helped my team take all five points!

In other news, I thought the blog could use a bit of sprucing up. What's the opinion on the new fall inspired header? This is what I do when I am bored on a Saturday night. Want one too? Let me know!

I Wear My Sunglasses at Night

Yesterday I went to the eye doctor for my annual exam and to update my glasses and contacts prescription. My last optometrist had explained that my insurance covered free contacts, which I wear daily, so it had been a while since changing the lenses in my two pairs of frames because they were so stinkin' expensive! After doing my exam the doctor sent me to the glasses guy who sat down with me to price out some new prescription sunglasses, which I have wanted my whole life but always thought I couldn't afford! I was set on getting the contacts and I thought I would go ahead and put the sunglasses on my Christmas list. After pulling up my insurance he realized that it was an either/or situation that I was not aware of. Either I could get the free contacts OR I could get new lenses and frames for 50% off the wholesale price. What?!? I had never been told that before and certainly the last optometrist never explained that to me. All this time I never updated my glasses because they were so pricey! If I opted for insurance to cover the cost of the new glasses I would have to pay for the contacts out of pocket, but they are only $23 a box versus hundreds of dollars for new glasses! After learning this news I went ahead and picked out some cool Kate Spade frames and we priced out how much it would cost for them and the extra dark polarized lenses. Let's just say that after seeing what the price would normally be without insurance and comparing it to the price I would pay with insurance (a savings of over $300) I went ahead and ordered them! Thankfully my every day glasses have such similar prescriptions to my new contacts and sunglasses that I don't have to change the lenses this time. What a relief! I can't wait to try out my new spiffy shades next week when they are finished!

PS- these pictures aren't the exact sunglasses, but they have that same shape and tortoise coloring only with a bit more greenish hue!

Election Day 2008

I do not discuss politics so this is all I have to say about today...

Please vote smart!



Matthew 6:10

Deja Vu

This morning I was on my way to church and really looking forward to hearing the new sermon. I was driving down the highway and talking to my mom on the phone but something didn't feel right with my car and I quickly hung up with her to focus on my driving. When I had gotten on the on ramp for Ga-400 it sounded like I had hit one of the reflectors on the road but I thought nothing of it. At this point though the Jetta was pulling really hard to the left and if I let go of the steering wheel it drove me into the other lane of the highway. I slowed down and was already getting ready to pull over when I heard another noise sounding like I had hit another reflector. Only this time the car jerked and veered and I saw a ton of smoke in my mirror. I was able to pull over onto the shoulder and watched as my tire continued to roll on ahead of me and finally come to a stop about 100 feet away in the woods. I called Linc a little panicky to come and get me and got out to survey the damage. Somehow the tire had separated from the rim and spun itself off while I was driving. Thank goodness I had already noticed something wrong and was pulling over! Unfortunately for us, the auto place that had just replaced all four of my tires is closed on Sunday so Linc has to take it back in tomorrow for them to fix. Triple A came and put on my spare so we could drive home and Linc was very sweet and took me out to lunch afterwards! This had just happened to me about a month ago but I am very thankful that both times I was able to keep the car in control and make it over to the shoulder without causing an accident!

Halloween 2008

Happy Halloween! Or should I say post-Halloween since it is officially over for this year. Linc and I had a pretty good turn out last night and some really adorable little kids. I tried giving them all four or five pieces of candy but we still have tons of leftovers! Maybe next year we won't stock up at Sams...anyway, it has been a fun fall season so far.

Last weekend we went to a party with our friends Matt and Becky. The guy hosting spent two weeks decorating his house and it was unbelievable. He had put up fake walls in order to smear "blood" all over the place and write creepy messages like Red Rum really big in the living room. There was a beer filled coffin and all the food looked like body parts. We rocked out on Rock Band and hung out with some new people- one of which actually knew what we were dressed up as! I went as Rose Tyler and Linc was the Doctor from Dr. Who. Let's just say it wasn't my first choice but life as a blonde for one night was pretty fun!

We also were able to dress up for school on Friday for Character Day. Instead of having Halloween costumes we dress up as characters from different books. I went as Cowboy McCoy since I didn't want to wear the itchy blonde wig all day at school. The other people on my team dressed as Pippi Longstockings, Skippyjon Jones, a mouse, and a bee. I had guest readers come to my class all day and share different stories with us and we even had a book parade. It ended up being a very hectic day and I was so exhausted when I got home! Linc and I passed out candy inbetween episodes of Chuck and I ended up falling asleep on the couch around 9 o'clock. Not the most eventful Halloween, but fun enough! We have had such a jam packed October that I am really looking forward to being a bit more lazy in November and having the weekends to catch up on some much needed sleep! Thankfully we get Election Day off on Tuesday and Thanksgiving won't be too far behind that!

A Little Behind the Times

So Linc and I don't really watch TV very often because we hate commercials. We have gotten in the habit of starting older series and watching a few episodes each week. One show we finally got around to watching the pilot for is Gossip Girl. I am hooked! I had never really heard of it and didn't know what it would be about but I am definitely intrigued. Add it to the list of guilty pleasures! ;)

Ryan + Kristin = Mr. and Mrs. Morgan

We just got back from the most amazing wedding! Linc and I arrived in Hilton Head on Wednesday night and met up with our entire extended family at "The Big House." We hung out for a bit and then headed to bed. Thursday morning we went to the beach for a fun day of sun and beach Olympics! There were events like water balloon toss, ladder golf, sponge races, and bocce ball and everyone had a bandanna to represent their team. It was a great day and so much fun to watch everyone compete. That night we had a mexican fiesta! Margaritas, tacos, nachos, you name it we ate it!
Friday morning me, Kris, Alex, and Jess headed to the nail salon for spa manis and pedis and then met up with the rest of the bridesmaids for lunch at Truffles. We ordered some delicious food and drinks and spent the afternoon relaxing. Afterwards we headed back to the girl condo and changed for the rehearsal at Port Royal. After a few runs throughs of the ceremony and processional we all carpooled to dinner. Kristin and Ryan had an unbelievable celebration at Aqua and we partied all night long with family and long time friends. Once again the food was amazing and our entire table ordered the Surf and Turf with a delicious wild rice and vegetable medley!
Saturday was a big day and we woke up early to get our hair done at the Westin. After six tries we were finally able to get my hair up into a french twist! We left there and headed straight to Port Royal where we ate lunch, set up some centerpieces, and then did our makeup. We got dressed around 3:00 and headed outside for pictures. The weather was great, a little cloudy so we didn't have to squint and a nice cool breeze. Thank goodness for our new pashminas from Kris the night before! The ceremony was gorgeous and Kristin and Ryan both looked amazing. We danced for hours at the reception after a delicious buffet dinner with Shrimp and Grits, Filet Mignon, and a pasta station. I had such an amazing time and can't wait til we're all together again soon!

Helen Girls Weekend

Lincoln had to go out of town this weekend for business so I decided it would be the perfect time to head up north and do a girl's weekend getaway. We chose Helen because it was right in the middle of Oktoberfest and is usually gorgeous during the fall. The weather has been unseasonably warm and unfortunately the leaves had not really started changing yet but we had great weather all weekend and enjoyed walking around the town and sightseeing. I have a feeling that this might be the longest post ever, so get comfy!

Annie, Rachel, and I got into Helen on Friday afternoon after making a slight detour to North Carolina...that was not planned! The directions were a little confusing and with me as navigator we ended up going about 20 miles north over a mountain instead of making a turn that would have brought us directly onto Main Street, Helen. Oh well. We met up with the other caravan, Amy, Giselle, Andrea, and Cailin and stocked up on some supplies for the weekend. We were all pretty hungry and decided to stay in town to find some dinner. We went to the International Cafe overlooking a small river and ate dinner outside. Being that it was Oktoberfest, most of the girls ordered traditional German cuisine like bratwurst and sauerkraut. I liked the Knot wurst the best-- it tasted like a hot dog!

After dinner we were headed home to relax in our very own hot tub when we came across a Mexican restaurant with an outdoor patio and live music. We decided to grab a table and some drinks and ended up staying for about four hours! Some point during the night the staff brought out a chicken hat, sombreros, and Mexican blankets for everyone to wear. We danced the chicken dance quite a few times and even had people on the street stopping to join in. There was lots of dancing, laughing, and fun but we headed home later that night to prepare for our next big day!

If only we had been warned about what we were about to get ourselves into...Saturday morning we woke up and headed to Huddle House for some much needed breakfast. After waiting in line for about thirty minutes we made it inside the restaurant and waited for the only table big enough for the seven of us to be cleaned off. We waited...and waited...and waited...and finally after about another thirty minutes of watching everyone in the place walk by the table without cleaning it up we decided to sit down and help them out a bit! One of the waitresses came over and told us they don't have a dishwasher so we'd have to wait until the counter had space for the dirty dishes. She finally took them away and then we waited for her to wash all the crumbs off. To our shock and horror we watched this woman take a rag, wipe off her dirty shoes, and then wipe our table "clean" with it. We were all so shocked no one could move. Let's just say that the rest of the meal didn't get any better. I will spare you the details.

We finally made it home after the Great Huddle House Debacle of 2008 (after going to Wendy's) and took showers. Then we headed in a taxi to the Habersham Winery. They are known for their blackberry wine and it was delicious! We got to try four different home grown wines and then toured the antique store nearby while we waited on our ride into Helen. We met up with some other girls from school who were up for the day at the International Cafe and relaxed and listened to music. After an hour or so our stomachs were getting rumbly and we walked around to find somewhere to eat. We came upon a hole in the wall pizza place and ordered some drinks and food. Two hours later we finally ate dinner. Helen is definitely not known for its service...

We split up a bit after dinner and some of us went to play putt putt. I got a whole in one and we all got free ice cream at the end. The rest of the night was spent at a bar called Margaritas where we danced and sang. Around 12:30 we called cab driver Karen to come pick us up. Unfortunately, everyone else in Helen wanted a ride home too and we waited outside in the parking lot for nearly an hour. We finally got home and went immediately to sleep because we still had to wake up early the next day! Sunday morning we cleaned the cabin, packed the cars, and headed to the only decent meal we ate all weekend long- with excellent service I might add! We celebrated Giselle's birthday with a delicious marble cake and got on the road home. It was an amazing trip and one I won't be able to forget for a long time. Definitely makes me appreciate the good food and friendly service I find in restaurants around town!! Thanks to all my wonderful girl friends who made this trip so memorable! xoxo