Stepping into the 21st century . . .

One day a couple of weeks ago, Kevin came home from work and said, “Well! I found a car for you!”

Let me back up. It has been “All SUV, All the Time” talk over here lately! Every time we go out, Kevin points out all the SUVs we pass, telling me about the features, what he likes and what he doesn’t like. And every time I come home, I find browser windows open to reviews, safety ratings, and links to the models he thinks I’ll like!

“You’ll like this one” he said. Both of our cars were pushing 200,000 miles. Mine is a ‘97 and his is a ‘96. We both got them in high school. I knew it was only a matter of time. And Kevin had it all planned out. We went and looked. We test drove. He showed me all the features it had. See, my car.. my 12 year old Nissan Altima.. it’s the first and only car I’ve ever had. I liked that car. It was a good car. I didn’t think I needed a new car. But Kevin knows what I like. And wow. I was kinda star-struck by what all this new one could do!

A few days later we traded in the Altima…

…and said hello to the 2007 Toyota 4Runner Limited!

This is the first vehicle we’ve ever purchased together…

But she’s really mine. ;)

It has a rear-view back-up cam- man that thing is handy! Especially pulling into the garage- I can check and make sure I’m in far enough. Oh, and see that 231 under the screen? That’s telling me how many miles I have left on the tank.

GPS Navigation- the other night I was running late and going to a friends house. I had no idea how to get there, but my car did! I punched in the address and it took me right there. Fun!

Now *this* is cool. When I get in the car, it automatically connects with my cell phone via bluetooth. Any calls I get go through the car- the caller ID shows up on the screen and I can answer or ignore the call from the steering wheel (and also adjust the volume). I can talk hands-free and the sound comes out through the radio speakers. Love it!

It has a 4 disc MP3 player…

And finally!! Dual-side air controls!!! Now I can keep my side of the car perfectly pleasant and Kevin can keep his side at his usual -27 degrees. No more freezing my buns off! :D

Speaking of buns… they definitely won’t freeze now with heated seats! These were so nice the other night when I was driving back home in the cold.

The steering wheel… I can answer, hang up, and ignore phone calls, adjust the radio/phone volume, skip tracks on the MP3 player, and even initiate voice command… Like I can say “Go Home” and it’ll set the GPS destination for Home. Or “Call Kevin” and it’ll call Kevin! Neato.

Garage door opener- Kevin programmed the middle button so it would open our garage door at home- I guess we can program the other two for our Lake House and Beach House. ;) Hah. Totally kidding. ;)

Plenty of room for traveling now! And I like how the back window rolls down- Miley and Howie do too! The trunk door doesn’t pop open from the key fob, but it does roll the window down. lol

Hellooo sun roof! And leather seats. :D

The rearview mirror also has a compass. And um, I’m honestly not sure what that power button does. :O This new car has so many buttons it’s like looking at an airplane control panel!

Behind the wheel…

It’s fun to have a car that was actually built in this century! ;)

Thanks so much for looking! :)

P.S. If you’re looking for the winners of the notecard giveaway, they can be found here! :)

Filed Under: About Us, Photography, 2007 Toyota 4Runner Limited, 4runner, Toyota • 68 Comments

In with the new- What I’m wearing this fall!

Because it’s rainy, and because all I want right now is a hot, creamy bowl of chicken and dumplings, and because it’s really starting to feel a lot like fall around here…

Let’s talk about fall. Let’s talk about new, crisp, fall clothes. I love this time of year- bundling up in layers of corduroy, sweaters, and scarves. I’m completely in love with the delicious berry colors that are oh-so-popular right now.

Here are some fun new fall pieces I picked up this weekend with my mom- we headed out to the mall and shopped that place out! ;)

Ok, it was mostly Ann Taylor Loft that we shopped out. I love that place! :) I stuck mainly with layers I could mix and match- more bang for the buck! ;) Tank tops under sweaters, cute tees that can be worn now while it’s still warm, then layered over a long sleeved white tee when it gets cooler, and warm, gray corduroys that go with everything.

Here’s a closer look…

1. Maybelline Expert Wear® Eye Shadow Quads (Natural Smokes)

I saw an ad for this in InStyle while flipping through the magazines the last time I got my hair cut. I instantly fell in love. Let me tell you. I know NOTHING about makeup. Literally. Nothing. Especially eye shadow. For the past 5 years I have been wearing blush, YES blush, as my eye shadow. I just threw it on. The lid, the crease, the brow bone, everything. I longed for those smoky, sultry eyes, that just popped (Jennifer Love Hewitt’s look on Ghost Whisperer, anyone?). I even watched a youtube video on how to get that look. It helped a little. But this. This eye shadow. It does everything for you. It comes with four coordinating colors and it tells you exactly where to put them: lid, crease, brow bone, and corner. It even shows you a picture on the back of EXACTLY where to put each color! Just what I needed! I need someone to hold my hand and walk me through every baby step when it comes to makeup. Sure, I can dive into pages of of gnarly CSS, HTML, Javascript and PHP when it comes to blog makeovers. But makeup?? Real live makeup? Hold me. This eye shadow does just what I need.

2. Folklore Paisley Scarf from Ann Taylor Loft

Love this scarf! Love it! Fell in love with it immediately. Everything I bought for fall goes with this scarf. People are going to get sick of me wearing this scarf! :D I even wore it to dinner with friends last night, even though the temperature outside was a balmy, 75 degrees. Help me.

3. Bolero Dropped Shoulder Cardigan in Cedar Heather from Ann Taylor Loft

Sooo soft and cozy for layering over tank tops and tees! Goes great with jeans and cords.

4. Chiffon Trim Cami from Ann Taylor Loft

Very comfy, and the pleating across the chest is actually very flattering. I got a couple of these in different colors for layering.

5. Corduroy Modern Boot Leg Pants in Shadow Grey from Ann Taylor Loft

I like corduroy, but what I loved about these was the COLOR! It’s a really warm gray- immediately draws you in- and it goes so well with the pinks, creams and purples. These pants will definitely be getting their wear this fall!

6. Coach Penelope Op Art Clutch – from the Coach Outlet store in Foley, AL

Kevin’s mom bought this for me over the summer when we went to the Foley Outlet Stores. Now talk about shopping that place OUT. We spent eleven hours there one Saturday. Yes! ELEVEN HOURS!! :) I went there specifically to go to the Coach outlet store- I knew I wanted a small clutch, just big enough for my keys, cell phone, and monies. I LOVED this one, but I wasn’t so sure about the color. I wanted something to go with everything. I’m not one of those trendy, chic gals that changes my purse with every outfit. Although I wish I was. I really wanted it in just the classic, Coach brown. But this purple was what they had. And it was on sale. And it matched the outfit I was wearing that day. And I really, really, liked it. And Kevin’s mom offered to buy it for me. :D It didn’t take much to convince me. :D And you know what I discovered? That purple really does go with just about everything I own. It looks warmer with warm colors and cooler with cool colors. And I was just tickled pink (purple??) when I realized how well it would match my new fall getup!

7. Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush Lip Gloss

I hardly ever wear anything on my lips, and only lip gloss when I actually do remember to throw something on before running out the door. But I got a free sample of this lip gloss at the store one time and I really liked it! It gives my lips just a hint of color and a shimmery, glossy sheen. Not clown like. Not ultra fakey wet dripping supermodel like. Just right. And after flipping through the catalog at Ann Taylor Loft, and seeing how *every single one* of their models was wearing that berry pink lipstick color (that matches the tank top), I decided to follow the fashion trend- I got this gloss in Cupquake- the perfect pink to match my fall colors. Plus, I had just gotten a pedicure with OPI’s Pink Flamenco, which totally also matches! ;)

8. Miss Me Jeans

I needed a new pair of fall jeans, and the ones at Ann Taylor Loft fit me really well, but… Well. The design on the back of the jeans was… Well to be honest. They were butt ugly. *snicker* Get it? Butt ugly?? Ahem. Sorry… I just crack myself up sometimes. *SNARF!* Get it?? CRACK?? *wiping tears* Okay, I’m back. Anyway. Yeah, I really liked these jeans. Hey, if they gotta have a design on the back, might as well be cute right?? ;)

9. Fleur Applique Graphic Tee in Vintage Plum from Ann Taylor Loft

Love the color of this shirt, love the pattern, and hey! It matches my new jeans. ;) Can be layered over a scoop neck, long sleeve white tee for cooler days, or under a warm cardigan for even colder days! :)

Okay. That was fun. :D If you made it this far, thanks for sticking with my fall fashion rambling! ;) But what I really want to know is… What are YOU wearing this fall??! :) Or what do you WISH you were wearing this fall?? I would LOVE to see a blog post of your favorite fall pieces! :) Polyvore.com makes it super-easy to put together ultra-stylish collections. Hope over there and check it out- and if you post your collection on your blog, leave me a link! Pretty please? I wanna see!! :)

Filed Under: About Us, Fashion • 76 Comments

Labor Day Weekend

We had a really fun Labor Day weekend. Three-day weekends are such a treat, and we tried to make the most of this one by fitting in as many activities as possible! :)

Saturday was the first Auburn football game of the season, so on Friday after lunch we loaded up and headed straight for Auburn! :)

Before the game we went to “Tiger Town” to find new Auburn shirts for us to wear to the game. This is my new Aubie shirt! Isn’t he cute? :)

I love, love, love Auburn football games. The traditions, the band, the game, the cheering, the CROWD! :) The first game of the season is always special because, I don’t know, I guess in the months during the off season I forget how much I love it? But then I get to that first game. And I’m always overwhelmed at just how much I’ve missed it! I always miss it. I love Auburn football! :)

I’m getting old though, because my hiney is STILL sore from sitting in those bleachers for 4 hours!

On Sunday we went to an Atlanta Braves game! :) Yes, that is Miley and Howie all dressed up in their Atlanta Braves gear! :) That’s because it was a special “Bark in the Park” dog day at Turner Field where dogs were allowed to go to the game! :)

Here’s Miley and Howie at the park, getting ready to cheer on the Braves! :)

We were very excited when we found out that Tim Hudson would be pitching at the game- he’s Kevin’s favorite pitcher and he used to pitch at Auburn too! :) That’s how Kevin and I got to know each other, you know- before we started dating. Have I ever mentioned that? I have a friend, who shall remain nameless ;), but she had a huge crush on one of Kevin’s friends. Kevin and his friend would always go to the Auburn baseball games in the spring of 2001. So my friend and I would go to the games together and try and work it out so she could sit next to Kevin’s friend. Well! Kevin would never let that happen because *he* was trying to work it out so *I* would sit next to *him*! :P We would always lament how he was “messing up our plans!” ;) Little did I know! Well, my friend and his friend never did get together. But it all worked out because her Mr. Right came along not too long after that. And I will always be grateful to her for dragging me to all those baseball games! :)

But back to the Braves game! Not only did we get to bring Miley and Howie to the game, but the day was twice as nice because we got to meet up with a few of our friends and fellow boston terrier owners! :)

This is Shelby and Rupert B. Puppenstein, me and Howie, and Jenny and Bella.

It was also like a mini-family reunion for Miley and Howie! Miley and Bella, while not directly related, are from the same beautiful and sweet breeder in Tennessee. Miley’s breeder is awesome- I love her! Miley is 3.5 and we still keep in touch. She always leaves the sweetest comments on Miley and Howie’s pictures! :) This is Howie and Rupert in the picture above. After we got to the game, we saw the amazing resemblance between them! We got to looking at their pedigrees and found out they are actually pretty closely related! They share the same great-grandfather, Ch. Sunwoods Repeat Performance, ROM, “Pete”. So does that make them third-cousins? haha. :)

Howie’s favorite spot during the game was hanging out under the chairs, in the shade, with his head rested on the seat. What a lazy boy! :)

It was really sunny at the game, so Rupert had to sport his super-cool shades! :)

Howie had a blast watching the game and cheering on the Braves! ;) They didn’t win, but it was still a fun time for all. :)

Thanks so much for looking! :) How was *your* weekend?? :)

Filed Under: About Us, Miley and Howie, Photography • 30 Comments