Moving out of Memphis

Big things have been happening in the Barksdale household. The hubby's job is being relocated. The best part, (insert sarcasm) is we don't know where exactly we will be moving. This has all happened so quickly. 

We listed our house and it was under contract after only being on the market for 9 days. Selling our house so quickly was truly a blessing. Packing up all our stuff... not so much. 

I have mixed emotions about leaving Memphis. Memphis is where my husband and I made our first home together. When we moved to Memphis, we knew no one. It was adjustment having only each other to depend on. An adjustment that I believe only made us stronger in the long run. We quickly made new friends and those friends, who we love and adore became like family to us. We also had such a fun time exploring Memphis. Between the restaurants, NBA games, and traveling to Texas, Memphis became our window of opportunity to seek new things. 

It's exciting knowing that we will soon have a new place to call home. Memphis has set the bar high so I'm hoping we will grow to love our next home just as much. 

God has been more than good to us while living in Memphis. His constant faithfulness reassures us daily that no matter where we end up, his love for us will provide exactly what we need. 

Our friends, family, and co-workers have done nothing but love on us during this challenging time. I'm extremely grateful for the relationships we have established.

I'll be sure to update everyone once we know our official moving destination. 

Until then...

 

Dallas

We are back from Dallas and we had a blast. It is so nice to escape to a place you've never been before and just explore. We arrived in Dallas with no real plans which is nice sometimes, but we found ourselves constantly looking for places to visit. Our GPS was on overdrive. Having a little time for rest and relaxation was also a big part of our trip. The hubby and I have been spent. Our house, work, and just life in general have a tendency to get the best of us. We missed our puppy so much. I get tickled at myself for saying that but the truth is, we haven't been away from her that much in the 3 years she has been in our family. Our dear friends, kept her while we gone and I'm not even sure she missed us. She had her best four legged friend by her side to keep her company and an adorable little girl that loves giving the doggies treats from the seat of her highchair. Here are a few scenes from our trip. I can't wait for our next adventure.

Life is pretty fun when you have your best friend by your side. 

 

Life Lately

We've been pretty busy lately to say the least. We helped celebrate two special friend's birthdays with a little fiesta. It was so much fun. 

 

We had a great time at one of our friends going away bash. 

I recently joined a ladies Bible study, and I can already tell it's going to be so good. Here's the book we are using

 

Fellowship with other ladies of similar age and lifestyles is extremely important. As I've grown older, I've learned just how valuable girl friends can be. Especially, when they are in the same walks of life. My Memphis friends are some of the best girls you will ever encounter. 

We have successfully been keeping in touch with our old neighbors who recently moved to Oxford. I can't get enough of their sweet, little girl. 

Oxford really isn't as far from Memphis as I first made it out to be. It's actually a very nice town and we enjoy visiting. I'm so happy that our friends are enjoying it also. 

We are headed back to Alabama this weekend for our first Auburn home game of the season. Let's hope the Tigers can pull together for a WIN!!!

Labor Day Weekend

Hooray, for 3 day weekends!!

My parents came to Memphis for a visit and it was so nice spending some quality time with them.

Friday night we took them to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, South of Beale (SOB). It was featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives and I knew they would love it! SOB did not disappoint. My parents enjoyed it very much like I knew they would. They love the DDD show and it was a real treat taking them to one of the tv show's destinations. We then went to listen to some live Country music. My Dad always requests going to listen to this one band who headlines every Friday night at one of the local bars.

Saturday, my Mom and I started a little Christmas shopping and then returned home to kick off the Auburn football season. I was not ready for football to start. I had forgotten the nervous pang in my heart that the Auburn Tigers always bring out in me. AAAaaaahhhh!!! At least, we won though.

We grilled some delicious burgers for dinner and introduced my parents to corn hole. They loved it. It also gave us a few laughs and they now want a set of their own.

Sunday, we had a wonderful brunch at Lafayette's Music Room where we were serenaded with some smooth jazz and wonderful atmosphere. Later, we went to a local antique store to browse and burn off a few of those holiday weekend calories. That night we took my parents to our local watering hole, Brookhaven Pub and Grill. We love visting this place when one of our favorite Memphis musicians is playing, Charvey 

We had a fantastic weekend full of good food, great music, and wonderful company. It's nice having that extra day added to the weekend. It's amazing what you are able to accomplish with just a little more time before the busy work week.

and...

Here's how we labored on Labor Day

Vacuumed & dusted the house

Washed loads upon loads of laundry

Napped

Painted awning to our backyard shed

Performed a little post holiday workout 

Made dinner 

and was in bed by 9

Perfection! 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekend! 

On the Menu

Cooking in the summer seems more like a chore. I love to cook and try new recipes but when it's 100 degrees outside, why bother? My weekly menus have been subpar this summer but we are getting by.

 

Fall is quickly approaching and I am ready for all of the fall/winter recipes that make you feel like you are at your Momma's house. Here are a few recipes that we have indulged in lately. These are not all my own recipes just my recommendations.

 

 

Marinated and Grilled Chicken Thighs

 

(the marinade is simply Italian dressing, terryaki, and crushed garlic)

 

Summer Stir-Fry

 

Seasoned Potato wedges

 

 

Pasta with Tomato Cream

(I added chicken to this recipe)

 

 

Pork Chops with Apples

 

Mashed Potatoes

 

Green Beans

 

 

Chicken Quesadillas

French Bread Pizzas

Banana Pudding Poke Cake

Grilled Chicken Drummettes
(marinated in wing sauce to give them some flavor without making them super spicy)

If I wasn't so darn impatient and hungry, I would have more pics to post. Let's face it, there is not much that can keep me from my food. I promise to get better about that!

 

Headed to the BIG D, I mean Dallas

We have officially booked a trip to Dallas, TX. I am incredibly excited because A) I've never been to Texas and B) I love exploring new cities. I haven't figured out what exactly we are going to do in Dallas but boy have I had fun researching.  This will be our first trip west of Tennessee that the hubby and I have taken together. Okay, maybe that's a lie. We did travel across the bridge to Arkansas but that hardly counts because it's so close. Our trip is planned for early fall and I'm getting so into all the new fall fashions. I'm already planning outfits to pack with a little help from some of my favorite blogger friends. They really have a great sense of everything on trend and most of their recs are extremely affordable. Take a look at their blogs. There is always something to enjoy. 

 

Designer Bags and Dirty Diapers

 

Southern Curls and Pearls

 

A Thoughtful Place

 

Hanging with the Hewitts

 

Honey We're Home

With a little help from my blogger friends, I picked up these cute Booties

I think they will pair perfectly with this dress

This seems to be a perfect transition dress that can be worn now and into fall. I plan on wearing it paired with tights/leggings and some booties. 

I'm also obsessed with plaid for the fall. It was popular last year but I never followed thru with purchasing any plaid items.
This year just might have to be different.

Needless to say, I've been in the fall fashion shopping mood. It's been the most beautiful week here in Memphis. I'm hoping the cooler temps stick around for a while. 

 

Back to Life

I know I haven't blogged recently and it would be easy to say that life has a habit of getting in the way. I've been experiencing a huge work transition and stress levels have been soaring, our best friends and neighbors moved away, and I've been homesick more than ever. It's left me feeling a little manic. I'm talking breakouts, binge eating, and total melt downs. Truth is, I think we all have moments like that but whenever you go through it, it seems like you are the only one who's ever dealt with anything tough. I know, it sounds dramatic. I'm not sure how my husband has even survived the madness. It's getting better though and I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The summer is slowly coming to an end and I'm ready. I'm ready for change, adventure and a new season of life. 

Me, Myself and 27

Last month I turned 27. I have to admit, it hit me kind of hard. I've never felt old until now. So I asked myself, what is it about 27 that makes me feel old? I decided to list 27 things about myself that you may or may not know about me. Making this list really wasn't easy. I tried to narrow it down to the things that I thought really made me, me. 

1. I'm a reality show junkie.

I could seriously watch reality tv shows all day knowing that half of it is just made up scenarios. 

2. I google almost every character in the shows/movies I watch. I like to see if I can decipher whether or not they are a good person in their real life. It's a habit that ultimately determines if I watch the show or not.

3. I still possess my childhood baby dolls. I take them everywhere even if they never make it out of my luggage. They even came with me on my honeymoon. 

4. My biggest pet peeve: I hate when people don't wash their hands after taking their gum out of their mouth. Seriously, how could you not think that was gross? 

5. My favorite junk food is flaming hot Cheeto fries. I almost always eat the entire bag. 

6. I have like a million things I want to accomplish in life but yet all the major ones seem to go unfinished. 

7. I love to read other peoples blogs. 

8. The older I get the more fearful I become.

9. I absolutely cannot sleep without washing my face first.

10. The improper use of the words yeah, yea, and yay drives me nuts. My husband thinks it's comical and does it all the time. 

11.  I do about 90% of my shopping online. If I could grocery shop online & not worry about s&h costs you better believe I'd do that too. 

12. I really don't like alcohol. I would be perfectly happy going to a bar or party without drinking. I mostly drink  to calm my nerves, release tension and let myself relax. Maybe I should stop drinking. 

13. I am beyond scared to have a baby. 

14. I have a huge conscious. I constantly feel guilty for things I should or shouldn't have done, said, or thought. This even includes eating, exercising, and participating in social activities. 

15. Hands down, Mexican food is my favorite type of food.  

16. I have to make the bed every single day in fear of what might crawl into it when it's unmade. 

17.  I believe "pretty is as pretty does" has to be one of the greatest mottos. 

18. I'm not Buddhist but the idea of karma fascinates me. 

19. I have more guy friends than girl friends. 

20. I slur my words when I'm tired. 

21. I'm always in a hurry but I'm always on time. I envy people that are patient enough to take their sweet time in life. 

22. I generally try to be nice to everyone. "Be nice" is a phrase I say all the time to myself and to others. 

23. I am a Momma's girl. We are more alike than I ever thought possible. 

24. I hate to drive. 

25.  I get extremely anxious when thinking about the future. Future house, home, kids, car, jobs, parents, grandparents, and even pets. 

26. I'm no social butterfly. I'd rather stay home on a Friday night than go out. 

27.  I secretly love home improvement stores but not for the reasons you may think. I love to look at all of their practical solutions for the home. Even though, I'm guilty of never buying any of it. Maybe one day. 

All in all, I worry way too much about things I have absolutely no control over, I probably watch too much tv, and I shy away from things out of my comfort zone. I know that I need to start living in the moment and enjoying this beautiful life. God has a perfect plan for me. I'm trusting his plan and leaving my worries and troubles behind me. 

27 is just a number and I'm blessed to have all of those years behind me. The Lord knows the lessons I've learned, the relationships I've built and the love that's been established in me as a child of God and he will direct my path.

 Here's to another 27 years! 

Vacation Recap

We are back from vacation and boy did we have a good time. I've been playing catch up all week trying to get my house in order after being gone for so long. On our vacation, we headed down to Orange Beach, Alabama. My in laws were kind enough to let us stay in their condo for a week. Huge money saver that we appreciate more than you can imagine. Especially when there are so many fun things to do in OBA.

Our trip sorta had a rocky start. Christopher hurt his leg playing softball a day before we left for vacation and lets just say it was more serious than we first thought. He spent the first two mornings of our vacation in the urgent care seeking treatment for what appeared to be a nasty infection. He was pretty bummed about not being able to get in the water for the week. Thankfully, it started to heal.

Our first night of vacation we met up with my brother, sister in law, and nephew for dinner at the Tin Top in Bon Secour. It seemed to be a local favorite and a little hidden gem.

We also ran into them one day during lunch at my new favorite place in OBA, The Gulf. I highly recommend this place. It has wonderful food and drinks in a relaxed beachy atmosphere. It's very casual and perfect for kids. They even welcomed our fur baby. We ate there 3 times during our vacation and every time we chose a different menu item. All delicious!!! The Gulf also offers some pretty ocean scenery that makes it hard to ignore all of the photo opps. Just take a look. I went a little crazy with my camera.

On Wednesday, our good friends Blake and Anna arrived. We took them to Shipps Harbour Grill. I believe I mentioned that place before in a previous blog post. It is very good. I finally got to try their sushi and it was on point.  Their service could improve but the cuisine makes up for it in a major way. The staff is extremely nice but you can tell they are overwhelmed. I think being a waitress/server has to be a very hard job. Customer service is extremely important and I can only imagine the customers they encounter on a daily basis.

On Friday, we headed to the Eric Church concert. His concert was one of the primary reasons for booking our vacation when we did. He happens to be Christopher's favorite country performer. We have now seen him 3 times and every time he has put on a different show. The concert did not disappoint. There was no opening act so he created his own by playing acoustic versions of his songs. It was awesome. We have never heard him acoustically and it was a real treat. Christopher and I love to imagine that one day we will be friends with Eric. He seems like a cool guy. We are such dreamers.

Here are a few more photos captured during our trip

Saturday was our last day in OBA and was probably our favorite day out of our vacation. We got to tour the Turquoise which is the largest condo complex in OBA. We traveled all the way up to the 29th floor. Ahhhh.... Talk about a gorgeous view just as long as you didn't look down.

Then we met up with some friends for a ride on their boat. I have never been out on the ocean other than a dolphin cruise and I'm choosing not to count that. The boat was pretty awesome. We spent most of the day anchored at Robinson Island. It was so fun. We are so thankful to Kyle for inviting us out. We had a great time!

We ended the evening at Cobalt. I had never been there before and it was well worth the wait. The drinks, food and atmosphere is some of the best in OBA.

I can not wait for our next beach getaway. I seriously could live there. Although, Christopher seems to think we would take it for granted if we did live there. He is probably right, but I know there is still a lot more to be seen in the beautiful OBA.

While time away from home is always nice, I'm looking forward to spending this weekend at home. Especially, after being gone for the last 4 weekends.

Hope ya'll have a nice weekend!