State Fair Weekend

Kristen, Clay, and the kiddos came to visit this weekend. It was the first time they had been to our house in Louisville and AJ was pretty excited to show them his handy work. On Saturday we went to the State Fair bright and early to watch some cow shows. Kenley enjoyed walking around the exhibits. She rode a tricycle, colored on a giant mural, and saw lots of animals. Later that evening, we all went to the Parklands to play on the playground and the splash pad. I'm not sure who had more fun... The kids or Aaron. We had a great weekend! 

The Parklands

August Birthday Party

I have been waiting for an opportunity to host a party at our house since I've moved in. My sister turned 21 this month so that was the perfect event.  My mom and younger cousin, Zachary Tate, also have August birthdays so we combined them all into one big party.

I decided to go with a country theme which I had a blast decorating for.  There were handkerchiefs galore and Jason Aldean even made an appearance. The food was awesome. My Mammaw made a low country boil, my uncle made his famous mai tias, and I (true to form) had most of the rest catered. :)

 

The cakes came from Kroger and were EXCELLENT.

 

 

 

Kelsey's dream man... sorry Tyler.

 

Delicious!

 

 

 

Red Solo Margarita glass

 

Bryce and the little birthday cowboy

 

 

 

 

Echo Valley Vineyard

I am very happy and excited for some of my extended family today. My great aunt, uncle, and cousins own a vineyard in Flemingsburg, KY (located in a dry county). Until today, the Watson family has been unable to produce and sell their own wine. I just found out that after a special vote today, it was determined by a landslide win that Echo Valley Vineyard can now make and sell wine in Fleming County. This is great news!

Check out their Facebook page to keep up with all of the happenings at Echo Valley Vineyard here:

www.facebook.com/pages/Echo-Valley-Vineyard-EVV/272010382811303?id=272010382811303&refsrc 

This past weekend we attended a pig roast and wine tasting at the vineyard and had a great time. Below are some pictures from the event: 

Fourth of July Weekend

Aaron and I both lucked out this year and were given two days off from work for the fourth holiday. The long weekend went by way too fast but we had a very nice weekend at home with our families!

On July 4th, my mom drove us down to Nashville to do some shopping. It poured the whole time but we had fun scoring some good deals and eating at the Aquarium restaurant. That night we enjoyed some fireworks in my parent's front yard. They live on a hill so we could see probably 5 different shows from there!

On Saturday we went to a get together at Aaron's parents. We got to see lots of family and play with our sweet niece and nephew. Kenley had lots of fun taking pictures with my phone. Below are some of the pictures she and I took!

Kenley's photo:

Another kenley photo: 

And a few I took:

Our marriage turned one!

Since we were out of the country last week, I was unable to proclaim my love for my handsome husband via social media on our very first wedding anniversary! So here goes....

Aaron is truly a gem. He has the biggest heart and will do anything to help someone else out. Hes gorgeous, funny, intelligent, and he can fix or make anything he sets his mind to. Aaron couldn't sit still and relax to save his life. Whether its mowing perfect stripes in our tiny yard, working on a custom project inside the house, or helping out a neighbor, the guy seriously doesn't take a break. And while his overly active disposition tends to wear me out at times, I know every other wife in the world wishes their husband was like that so I feel lucky. 

Aaron is my best friend. He is the first and last person I want to see each day. When I'm anxious or stressed (which I tend to be a lot), he brings me back to reality and reminds me whats important. He has encouraged me to go after things and accomplish things that I probably wouldn't have been brave enough to without his reasoning. I honestly believe I could not have found a more perfect person to spend my life with. 

I can't believe it has been over a year since we married. I wish it was possible to re-experience memories because that day was perfect. 

I look forward to all of the adventures we have ahead of us in the future. Oh, the places we'll go... :) 

Happy Anniversary, Aaron!

Carnival Dream Family Vacation

We had a great time on our anniversary cruise! We just got back home today.
Our first stop was the Bahamas. The water was beautiful and we had a blast at the beach. Aaron and I tested out our new snorkel gear and I got a chance to use my new underwater camera. Bryce had fun burying Aaron in the sand. That night we celebrated Mammaw and Pappaw's 50th anniversary at dinner.

The next day was a "day at sea." It was also mine and Aaron's one year anniversary. We relaxed by the pool all morning and around lunch Aaron surprised me by telling me I needed to head to the Cloud 9 Spa on board the ship for a massage and facial.  It was awesome! He also got me a silver monogram necklace and had the cabin steward decorate our room.  sweetness :)

The next day we arrived in St. Thomas. We booked an excursion to go snorkeling at Trunk Bay on St. John.  Trunk Bay has been voted the world's most beautiful beach by National Geographic several times.  I went there on my very first cruise almost 10 years ago and I was very excited for Aaron to see it. Here are some pictures from the snorkeling:

 

Our last stop was St. Marten.  Carnival's Dream studios took professional pictures of our family at this stop.  They turned out great. After that, we did some shopping! I have always wanted a Tacori ring and mom helped me score a great deal on one while we were there. These are some of my favorite pictures from the Dream studios shoot. 

 



50th Anniversary Party

I’ve decided to start blogging again! (& share pictures with family who do not have Facebook)

This past weekend, my mom, aunt and I threw a surprise 50^th anniversary party for my grandparents.  We’ve had a lot of great parties but this one, in my opinion, was the best!  My grandparents devote a lot of time to other people and it was so nice to do something special for them.

The party was held at the College Café in Maysville, KY.  This adorable restaurant is connected to the Maysville Community and Technical College’s culinary school, which my grandfather pioneered.  We ended up having to tell the guests of honor about the party the night before so they would have time to cancel their Saturday plans and pick out what to wear.  They were completely surprised….which really surprised us considering literally hundreds of people had been invited.

There were lots of surprises in store for my grandparents the day of the party - including... A police escort to the event, a lifesize print of one of their wedding photos on display in the restaurant, a 6 tier cupcake display, unexpected family and friends showing up, a special gift from the college, etc...

I also created a video slideshow that was shown during the party; it included pictures from the day they got married and many more from the following 50 years.  We ended our night by sitting down to watch this as a family at my grandparent’s house.  My favorite part about the night was when a close up picture of my Mammaw in her wedding dress came on the screen.  My Pappaw said “She looked like an angel.” & he was right!

I can’t wait to celebrate their actual anniversary this weekend on the Carnival Dream!

The happy couple... Today and 50 years ago!

Generations...

The College Cafe was the perfect place for the party!

Brad and Z-man

Party decor

A sign made by my sister, kelsey!

We had a lot of fun decorating!

The party planners!

MCTC presenting my grandparents with a very sweet gift... A chef prepared meal in their home for them and four of their friends

Me and my soon to be hubby of one whole year!