This weekend was Kevin’s BIG 30th birthday!! :) To celebrate we spent a long weekend in a cozy condo right on the beach- no dogs, no cats, just us. :) Even though the hurricane was supposed to come through, we didn’t have any bad weather, it was bright and sunny all except for one day. For Kevin’s birthday dinner we got fresh crab claws & shrimp right from the gulf and fried them up for a celebration meal.

And by a stroke of pure chance, it just so happens that on the exact same weekend at the exact same beach where Kevin and I were vacationing, my BFF from grammar school (who now live in Oregon) was staying just *two* condos down the beach from our condo. We were just a stroll down the beach from each other!

My beautiful friend, Niki - she has not changed a bit, she has always been this gorgeous!!

 

I was so, so lucky to get to do a beach photoshoot with Niki and her beautiful daughter Amerie. (Isn’t it crazy when your friends start having kids?? :)) And I got a chance to try out my new Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lens! :)

 

Amerie was the sweetest, happiest baby. She not shy one bit! :)

 

Good genes run in the family - Just look at that precious smirk and those gorgeous eyes. There was no photoshop work done here! Her eyes were just as clear, blue and sparkly in person. :)

 
In other news… If you ever need a delicious, crowd pleasing recipe for a gathering of friends and family– I have the perfect dish for you…

Perfect Pulled Pork - It’s slow roasted, seasoned, and sa-vor-y!!! Let me tell you. :) It’d be perfect to make for Labor Day this weekend…. :)

Thanks for looking!! :)

You know, your super yummy specialty dishes that everyone always loves and wants the recipe for?

I’ll share with you one of my *favorite* company recipes…

Perfect, Creamy, Fettuccine Alfredo
A Parmesan cream sauce with a hint of garlic, served over fettuccine noodles and topped with a lightly breaded, golden fried chicken breast.

Ohhh *man* is this good.

So, do you have a “company” recipe? :) I’d love to hear it! I’m always on the lookout for tried and true, sure to please recipes! What never fails to wow your guests? Leave me a comment and tell me about your favorite company recipe! :)

Thanks for looking! :)

I came across the cutest site the other day!!

The Cutest Blog on the Block

This site has the coolest FREE digital scrapbook backgrounds for your blog. All you have to do is change the blog background and it completely changes the look of your blog!! Even better- they give you step by step instructions on how to do it if you have a Blogger/Blogspot blog. How fun would be be to have a new, hip blog design for every season?? You really will have the cutest blog on the block! :)

Just look at these designs…

Aren’t they just to die for? :) The site is a little slow to load, but as you can see, they are totally worth the wait! :) If you use one of the backgrounds, post a link to your blog in the comments! I’d love to see it live on your site! :)

In other news…

It’s just not summer without juicy, mouth-watering, bacon cheeseburgers.

Don’tcha wanna make these??

We had these tonight and they were *delicious.* You’ll love ‘em! :D Click Here for the recipe.