year 1 for the love doves

It's been awhile, but I have been throughly enjoying my summer vacation!

I may not have mentioned it before, but my precious puppy chewed through my computers power cord (so long ago I'm seriously embarrassed to admit how long it took me to get a new one).  So let's just say, for awhile I've been bumming off the hubs power cord.  Unfortunately, our computers are different and it just wasn't strong enough to do the job.  TODAY I broke down and got one!  So my blogging should be more up to speed now.

David and I turned this past weekend into a LONG one to celebrate our 1 year anniversary!  We left early Friday morning and drove straight to Savannah.  Since we were very early for our hotel check-in, we put on bathing suits and headed over to Tybee Island to catch some sun and explore.  

When we arrived at our hotel, there was a problem with our room and the hotel was unable to help us out with another room...worst nightmare when on vacation in a busy town.  We were refunded all of our money and set up in a BEAUTIFUL Bed and Breakfast in the Historic District.  It was quite literally, the last room for rent in town.  What seemed like it was destined to be a disaster, turned out to be the best thing that could have happened..  The President's Quarters Inn was beyond our expectations.  The staff was so helpful and kind.  Breakfast was yummy.  And the location...it was perfect.  We could walk everywhere!

After finally getting settled, we headed down to River Street to eat at Fiddler's.  David had been before and loves there steamed seafood platter.  We got one to split and it truly hit the spot after a long day!  I tried my first crawfish (mudbug) and I thought it was okay!

The next morning we got up, enjoyed a beautiful breakfast outside and began touring!  Being two history nerds, seeing and touring the house Sherman stayed in when he came to Savannah was on our list of things to do.  The house was beautiful and the tour was so fascinating!  After walking through countless squares and shops we decided to grab some lunch and head back the to beach for a little more sun.  We ate lunch at B&D's burgers.   It is rated as 1 of the top 10 best burgers in the U.S.  And it truly lived up to expectations!

That night we dined at Huey's on River Street and walked around some more.  If you can't tell, I got a little sun (or burn)!  After dinner, we went on a ghost tour in a hearse.  It was a really fun experience!

On our anniversary, David and I explored Savannah more, shopped, soaked up some more sun, and ate a wonderful dinner at the Olde Pink House.  The house was converted into a beautiful restaurant.  We dined in the ballroom with chandeliers, mirrors, and gold and silver paintings.

We had the best time dressing up, taking pictures, and enjoyed dessert.  When our dessert came out, the waitress also brought a giant candelabra.  It was beautiful!




All in all, we had a FANTASTIC first anniversary celebration and trip! Tanning, shopping, exploring, touring, and eating cake- so fun!

Thank you to everyone who helped make our day so special one year ago.  We love you all so much!

Memphis

We've been back from Memphis for a week now, so I figured I'm overdue for a blog update!  But in all seriousness- I've been in detox mode from all of the BBQ eating!  I've been dancing it off at all week at Zumba!

We had such a fun trip! David and I rode with my parents to Memphis, and we stopped in Tupelo, MS for lunch on the way!  Romies had some of the best BBQ ribs I've ever had!

When we arrived in Memphis we immediately got ready for my cousin Mitch's wedding!  Their wedding was absolutely beautiful!  Congratulations Mitch and Lynley!

(They are Ole Miss fans, but we love them any way!)

The next day we toured Memphis! We started with breakfast at the Blue Plate Cafe.  It was fantastic!  We gulped down tons of coffee and omelets. Good fuel for a long day!

We saw Graceland, Sun Studios, Beale Street, and the Peabody Ducks! And obviously- ate more BBQ!  For lunch we went to Central BBQ and had more ribs!

The following picture is from the wall outside Elvis's Graceland! 

The history teacher inside of my got really excited when I found out we were going to visit Martin Luther King, Jr.'s memorial site.  Below is the famous balcony and preserved room that MLK Jr. was staying in.

Next, we visited Sun Studios!  This was a really cool experience.  We got to stand where Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, and many others famously recorded their first tracks!  I even got to sing into Elvis' mic!

After walking in Elvis's footprints, we headed over to the Peabody Hotel to see the famous Peabody Ducks as they marched from the fountain, down the red carpet, and into the elevator!  ESPN was even there to record!  It was very neat.  Below you will see the Duckmaster explaining the history of the hotel and the ducks.  And when he finished the ducks filed to the elevator!

After more touring, specifically of Beale Street, we ate dinner at Germantown Commissary.  It was delicious!  One of the coolest things about TN BBQ restaurants is that they have deviled eggs as a side.  YUM!  I was in heaven!  This was an especially good meal! The picture seriously doesn't do it justice.

We were exhausted and went back to catch some sleep for a long day of traveling to come.  In the morning, we caffeinated ourselves and got on the road.  But don't worry--we stopped for BBQ one more time!  We took a different route home and went through Nashville.  We stretched our legs and ate lunch at Jack's in downtown.

We headed home with only one more stop for a little shopping adventure.  The guys weren't as excited about it as my mama and I were, but they were troopers!

All in all, it was an awesome trip! I'm so happy Mitch gave us a reason to check out a new city and explore some others on the way.  It seems like we did a lot of eating--and we did.

But it was all worth it!

So now it makes sense why I've been at the gym maybe? :)

Hope you've had a great weekend!

vacay!

Last week my school went on intercession.

Woohoo a week off!

We have our tennis region tournament during spring break this year, so I knew I had to take advantage of it.  My mama and grandma very generously took me to the beach for the week!  Boy, am I thankful for all the sun and my tan!

Welcome to Hollywood Beach, Florida! So beautiful!

 The first night, we went to Taverna Opa!  We had a very good experience!  It was so entertaining and fun!  Here are grandma and I!  At the beginning of our meal they brought out garbanzo beans that had been marinated in olive oil and mixed with garlic in a mortar bowl.  The waitress showed us how to make our own hummus with the pestle!  It was so neat and yummy!

 Here are three generations standing outside the restaurant!!

It was really windy at night!

 On another evening, we ventured over to Le Tub.  Their burger was rated one of the best in the US by GQ Magazine and Oprah!  So of course we had to go try it!!  

The burger lived up to all burger hopes and dreams.  It was exceptional!

The atmosphere was awesome.  We were sitting waterside enjoying our dinner!

Now that I'm back, I promise to be a better blogger!  I'm looking forward to make my own hummus recipe and trying some other new recipes I will post soon!

Hope you are having a great week!

road trip

David and I got up really early to head to Asheville on the 30th! We wanted to make several stops along the way and bypass some closed roads in the process.

And.... We saw TONS of snow ❄❄❄ and this Georgia girl just had to go play in it!

David let me jam out to 90s (the only thing I listen to) almost the whole way. My favorites you ask? Every song written during the 1990's. Anything Goo Goo Dolls, Third Eye Blind, Matchbox Twenty, ALL boy bands, TLC, and Coolio just to name a few.

Confession: in high school, I named my tennis racket Rainmaker. Mostly, because I was obsessed with the song Real World by Matchbox Twenty. I told David about it in the car today, we had a good laugh. Instead of Coach Dove, maybe I'll have my tennis team call me Rainmaker. (Seriously kidding!!)

On our first night we dined at Tupelo Honey Cafe. Every time we mentioned going to Asheville, it was recommended to us that we eat there. It lived up to the expectations. The biscuit and honey was such a yummy start to the meal. I had "fried" chicken in nut flour and nuts(GF) it was amazing! And after our waiter went on about how famous their Brown Butter Pecan Pie was... well, we had to try it.

And he was right.... It was AMAZING!

We shared one piece, but we were wishing we hadn't!

David and I spent all of the 31st touring the Biltmore, Biltmore village, and downtown Asheville!

I had not been to the Biltmore since 2000 and David had never been, so we were soaking it all in!  It was gorgeous!  They were still decorated for Christmas and it was beautiful.  We went back for the Candlelight Tour.  All of the fire places and candles were lit, it was amazing.

Outside the Biltmore with the beautiful view!!

In front of the Biltmore, about to go in!

In the Biltmore conservatory!

      

We ate our New Year's Eve dinner at Cedric's in the Biltmore.  Cedric was the family dog that lived there.  I even got a picture with him...err...his statue.

And we couldn't leave sweet Hazel without bringing her back a yummy treat!

We went to Three Dog Bakery and picked up some treats that she absolutely LOVES!

She actually helped me write this post... but really she just walked on my key board and erased everything, so I got to start all over!

I hope you had a wonderful New Year!  We certainly did!