Memorable Moments

We had a really nice weekend!  My brother flew in Thursday evening from Florida.  Friday night we went to my parent's house to grill some steaks.  The food and the company were both great.  Saturday night my dad treated us all to dinner at mine and CJ's favorite Mexican restaurant.  Between the laughing and salsa, we all had a wonderful time.  John flew back home Sunday.  I hope he enjoyed being home as much as we enjoyed having him here.  I miss him a lot and wish he would move back, but I'm also very proud of who he has become and all of his accomplishments.  He's got more letters after his name than my doctor and dentist combined!  I didn't take any pictures all weekend.  I even put our camera on the edge of the counter so I wouldn't forget it.  I can be so flighty sometimes! 

 
  

NOLA in pictures.

At Acme.

Happy 30th, darling!

CJ & Brian at K Paul's.

At Jazz Funeral.

:)

Promise we weren't lost!



Leaving Harrah's.



View from our hotel.



Loved all the cute signs.



CJ on the Riverwalk with our first Hurricanes.



I loved how pretty and loud this boat was!

See ya next time, Nola.

Guess what we got...

Remember when I said that Meredith couldn't wait to buy our first wedding gift?  We finally got it in the mail while we were out of town.  It was the headboard from our registry!  Her and Adam are always doing too much, but I really didn't expect this.  We love it and are so thankful for it!  Her first wedding anniversary is coming up next month...

In other news...
Callie turned three on Monday!  Today is the best mom in the whole world's birthday!  We're celebrating with her this weekend and I can't wait.  My brother is flying in from Gainesville tomorrow for a few days.  This should be a fun weekend!  While everything appears to be fun and games at the Ewers camp, I assure you it's not.  We work for our fun and games!  I have a mountain of school work to complete this week.  I also need to schedule an appointment for our DJ next week, a tasting with our caterer and a wedding cake tasting.  Clearly I have things I should be doing besides blogging, so - Giddy Up!

       

CJ's 30th!

Thursday:
We left last Thursday morning for New Orleans and made it down there for lunch at Acme Oyster House.  Next, we walked around and saw people filming a Nicholas Cage movie.  That was so neat, seeing all of the extras and hearing them yell, "CUT!"  After walking, we went to the casino (CJ won $200!!), then went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at K Paul's.  We couldn't decide between eating at K Paul's or Emeril's.  Apparently Emeril Lagasse was a sous chef for Chef Paul Prudhomme, who owns K Paul's.  We made a great choice!  While not a fan of raw oysters, I did have fried oysters with my meal and they were uh-may-zing.  Everything was!  If you're ever in New Orleans, you must go to K Paul's at some point.  It was an experience we'll never forget! 
I have to admit, I was shell shocked to say the least when we arrived...luckily it rubbed off after a few hours. 
Friday:
CJ's mom, sister, aunt and brother in law went to Cafe Du Monde for brunch.  CJ was hungry and needed a manly meal instead.  We walked around until we found Montrel's on the corner for lunch.  We sat outside and had jambalaya and a sausage poboy with a couple of drinks.  From there we met up with CJ's family and shopped around at the French Market then went for a walk down Bourbon Street.  We decided to go to the casino for a bit, then back to the hotel before going to eat at Drago's.  We tried our first charbroiled oysters and loved them.  Delicious! 
Saturday:
That morning CJ and I headed out to the Riverwalk where we found our first Hurricanes.  We walked around there for a bit, then went to Jackson Square.  We had lunch at The Palace Cafe on the sidewalk.  After walking around for a bit more, we went back to the casino then to the hotel for a nap.  That night we had dinner at the The Crazy Lobster on the Riverwalk.  I had the best steamed shrimp I've ever had. 

Over all it was a really nice trip.  I'm glad CJ was able to have a special 30th birthday.  It was definitely an experience we'll never forget! 

It's almost here.

Old Man CJ will be 30 in just a few days!
I have three days to cram five days worth of homework in...eeeeek!
I'm planning on spending Wednesday night ironing and packing.  I'm reminded every time we travel that we need luggage.  No matter how hard I try, or how neatly I fold - nothing ever fits in my suitcase!  CJ on the other hand, could fit everything of his into a zip lock bag.

We're so excited! 

Yes, of course I need an avacado slicer!

On Saturday we have an appointment to finish our registry!  I'm so excited!  We had a lot of fun starting it a few weeks ago.  If you're really bored and want to see all of the useful things we have picked out so far, hop over to http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/ for a peak.  I just love walking through the isles with my future husband selecting purposeful items for our new life together. 
Meredith couldn't wait for showers or parties, so she went ahead and bought us a wedding present.  All I know about it is that is will arive in a few days.  I'll have to post what it is as soon as we get it.  I love my MereBear.

Engagement Party Pictures

Me & My Honey!



CJ & Staci

Brian and CJ's youngest sister, Rachel

Katie, Mere, Aunt Nancy, Aunt Jo, Momma Bear, Jillian, Me

Albert and CJ's middle sister, Kayt

Me, Katie, Jillian, Mere



Josh W and CJ

Katie, Jillian, Staci, Loren, Mere...and us!

Bridesmaid, Maid of Honor, Bridesmaid, Bridesmaid

Me & Mom

Thanks again, Staci!





Joy.

We had so much fun at the engagement party that we woke up Sunday and wanted to do it all over again!  I'm actually sad that it's over...I miss it!  Staci did such an amazing job getting everything together and making the place look so wonderful.  It was the most special evening I've had (minus getting engaged) for as long as I can remember.  There was a screen that played almost 400 pictures of CJ and I growing up.  Staci had a frame engraved with a picture of us in it - and she had the cutest little coasters made with our picture on it.  Everyone looked so nice.  It was a night I'll remember forever.  My heart still swells at the memory of it all.
This past month and a half has gone by so fast.  I hope the rest of the year slows down.  I think this event taught me that I need to enjoy every tiny bit of the wedding planning because when it's over - that's it!  This is such a sweet time in our lives. 
Now, as soon as I get pictures from everyone I'll post them...
Here are pictures of Staci's sweetness: