NOLA

What a wonderful weekend it was! I spent the weekend in NOLA along with most of my best friends. We all came together for Britt's Bachelorette Party. She is getting married in April, and we decided to send her off with a bang! haha It was nice to take the day off work, hop on a jet plane, and end up on Bourbon St. by lunchtime on Friday!! We had an absolutely fabulous time. It was full of great drinks, amazing foods, and lots of hilarious stories!! I am in full depression now that the trip is over...we've been planning it for almost three months! I am still trying to catch up on my rest, but hey...you only live once, right?! Below are pics from our trip!!

Cheers to the Bride-to-Be!

Kelly outdid herself with the planning! We had a limo with mimosas awaiting us when we landed!!

Our hotel was amazing!!!!!

First stop on Bourbon...The Ole Opera House

The band let Britt get on stage and play the instruments..in case anyone is wondering, "She wants to be an entertainer!!"

Taking a break from dancing for a quick pic!

Britt and Lucas singing 'Don't Stop Believing'!!!

We had brunch on Saturday at Court of Two Sisters. It was absolutely amazing...wish I had some more Eggs Benedict right about now!!

The whole group at brunch! Alex, Mel, JJ, and Bess all came down to join the party!

Walking around Jackson Square!

Waiting in line at Cafe Dumonde was definitely worth it....the beignets were AMAZING!!!

Stop #1 on Saturday night...The Carousel Bar at our hotel! Please notice our boas and other Bachelorette accessories!

Stop #2: Red Fish Grill for dinner

Stop #3: Pat O'Briens!!!

This next picture needs a few sentences. I never thought I would actually get to see a celebrity while being in NOLA. All I could talk about was seeing Reggie and Kim!! haha While standing in line at Pat O's, we befriended some guys in front of us in line. They told us they were from Florida and that Bill from "The Little Couple" was with them....they said they were on Bill's wife's brothers Bachelor party!! I thought they were lying because Bill wasn't with them. Then all of a sudden he appeared at our table! If you know me at all, you know I LIVE for celebrity sightings! I started screaming, jumping up and down and he was nice enough to oblige me by taking a picture with me. My mom and sister are very jealous they didn't get to meet him! He was super nice!!!!

I met Bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jess and Lucas

Twenty-Six

I cannot believe I am officially 26 years old. It's not that I think 26 is old, but I think it's the fact that I'm now in my late 20s...not sure I like how that sounds! Mid-20s sounds waayyy better! It feels like just the other day I was turning 16 and getting my very first car. My how time flies! I have to admit I was dreading my birthday this year...I did not want to partake in any big celebrations...no big dinners with family/friends or any parties! I pretty much was trying to boycot the entire birthday.

Much to my dismay, the celebrations started earlier in the week. On Wednesday night, I was sitting in my house (in sweats and no make-up) and I heard a knock on the door. I muted my TV and sat very still....then I heard a group of ppl break into "Happy Birthday"!!!! I opened the door to find 5 of my best friends standing on my porch with balloons and cupcakes! I was VERY surprised!! They were planning to surprise me at dinner that night, but I had decided not to go to dinner that night due to budgetary concerns. I think I threw a kink in their plan...sorry y'all! I am very blessed to have such an amazing group of friends. They brought me one my very favorite desserts...a dozen Edgar's strawberry cupcakes! They were YUMMY!!!

Thursday night, I went to dinner with Sister, Blake, and the DB. I tried to resist, but my sister insisted I had to come so that Katherine could give me her presents...apparently, she had been shopping very hard!! haha Below are some pics of the treats from my friends and the DB!!

I had been dying for one of these batter bowls!!

Sister and I are obsessed with MJ! I was super-excited when I opened this DVD!!!

I have quite possibly gained 10 lbs in a week from eating all of these! They were AMAZING!!

My actual birthday was on Friday. For those of you who live in the South, you all know what a crazy day that was weather-wise. I wasn't even sure I would have to work that day due to the impending snow, but we did get to go in on-time. I am blessed to work with some amazing people! To work with the special kids I work with I think it takes extra-special people. Some of my coworkers surprised me with these beautiful flowers!! They were gorgeous and my favorite color!!! Right after they surprised me with the flowers, the snow started to fall. It was so beautiful!!! Thankfully, we had an early dismissal! It was definitely a birthday to remember. My mom informed me that morning that it snowed on my 1st Birthday too!!!

I loved my flowers!

I think in total we got around 2-3 inches of snow!

My birthday present from AK and Blake were tickets to the Black Eyed Peas concert. I could have never guessed how wonderful it was going to be. LMFAO and Ludacris opened for them. Luda busted out all his old school tunes...I had forgotten how many hits he has had! The B.E.P's sang all the classics, all the new stuff, and Fergie even sang several of her own songs!!! We had AMAZING seats...probably the best seats I've ever had at a concert. I probably shouldn't call it a concert, it was more of an "experience". I stood the entire time, danced and screamed throughout the whole concert. By the end when they played "I Gotta Feeling", I was jumping and fist pumping...Snookie from Jersey Shore would have been so proud of me! haha If my big necklace wouldn't have been so heavy, I would have jumped higher!! We had the BEST time and I'm really depressed it's over. If anyone is looking for a great concert, I highly recommend this one..it's well worth the money!!

Sister and me at the Black Eyed Peas!!!!

We were so close to them!!

If I would have taken "The Reb", I think I could have seen them sweat!! haha

Fergie is probably the coolest person ever!

To end out the birthday week, Sister and I went to A'ville today for a birthday lunch with the parentals and the DB. We had a FABULOUS lunch...buttermilk fried chicken, mac and cheese (my absolute favorite), deviled eggs, black-eyed peas, and pound cake! All of these were requests from me!! I'm a southern girl to the core! My parents are so amazing and they outdid themselves as usual for my birthday and for Valentine's Day. Below are pics from lunch.

I thought this was a cool action shot of the DB! She was decked out in her Valentine's finest thanks to Aunt TT!

My mom's beautiful V-Day inspired tablescape!!

The first present I opened was this super-cute Vineyard Vines jacket...it's preppy and pink! My two favorite things!!!

Present #2 was a new camera lens!! I am super-pumped to finally have a professional lens!

Birthday cake from the Albertville Home Bakery is the BEST cake in the world!!!

The DB made me a valentine!!!!

I also got a new camera bag...it's a Crumpler! Now it just has to be monogrammed!
I might not be able to take professional pics yet, but I'm sure trying to look like a pro in the process!!

Even though I was completely dreading turning 26, it was a wonderful birthday! From the snow, to the B.E.P.'s, to the new camera accessories, to the amazing food, it could not have been any better. Thanks to everyone for all the birthday wishes! I am a very lucky girl to be surrounded by such thoughtful people. Next weekend I'm off to NOLA for Britt's Bachelorette party!!!! Don't think "The Reb" will be making the trip, but the old digital will be out in full force!

Wedding Season Has Officially Begun

The month of February is off and running! What a busy and wonderful weekend it has been. Friday night, I went to the Brad Paisley concert with Britt. It was a great concert! Brad sang for almost a solid two hours and we had the best time! Well...except for all the Alabama/redneck references the singers made throughout the show. Apparently, everyone thinks that if you live in the state of Alabama, you are a Bama fan...Umm...no!!!! I don't think so. Sorry, that's my soap box for the day!

Wedding season 2010 has officially begun for me. One of my best friends from college, Miss JJ Cook...now Mrs. JJ Wedgworth, got married Saturday!!! The group gathered in Greensboro, AL, to celebrate the big day. It was an absolutely beautiful reception and we had the best time tearing up the dance floor and catching up with everyone. The food was amazing, the flowers were GORGEOUS, and did I mention that JJ looked stunning??!!!! All in all, it was a fabulous night. Here are pics from the reception!

*****DISCLAIMER*****

I forgot to add that I found my OLD CAMERA this week!!! Yay!!! So these pics are from the old digital...not from "The Reb"!!

Melanie, Bess, Britt, and me

The group with the beautiful bride after singing "Shades"!!!

The bride-to-be with the Mom-to-be!!

This is hilarious...Allison telling Chelsey that she looks beautiful pregnant and Chelsey arguing with her!

Chelsey and me...She will be a Mom in two weeks if all goes as planned!!!!!

These dancing fools are getting married in April!!

Sometimes I catch myself complaining because I'm so busy and tired. But, actually, I'm blessed to have such an amazing family and friends that keep me busy! February is going to be a crazy busy month. There is something every weekend....so be expecting lots of posts! Happy Super Bowl Sunday to everyone....Go Saints!!!!