Rocky Top & Pumpkin Carving

Alan and I had a super fun weekend with our family and friends. Patrick and Elizabeth came in town on Friday night and we celebrated Patrick's birthday with my whole family and had a great time catching up. On Saturday we all tailgated together on FIJI Island before the game.

Elizabeth and Patrick

Wyatt and Caitlin came in town too and it was super fun getting to hang out with them :)

Maggie stopped by our tailgate too for a little while as she was making her way throughout campus...such a fun day!

On Sunday, Alan and I decided we were long overdue for some pumpkin carving, but not too late since we still had one more day until Halloween! Here are our pumpkins before:

During...Alan's whole family got involved!

Mitchell said that Alan, Katie, and I "cheated" since we used a pattern on our pumpkins, that's a pretty harsh word, what do you think?

Alan was the last to finish, but I will say I do think that his pumpkins looked the best!

Finished! From left to right is: Alan's, mine, Katie's, and Mitchell's

They all looked so great lit up once it got dark!

And one last treat that I'll share with you if you decide to do a little pumpkin carving yourself is to save the seeds, rinse and dry them, lay them on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with Lawry's seasoning salt and garlic powder, and bake at 400 for 10 minutes, delish!

2011 World Series Champs

Last night the Saint Louis Cardinals became the 2011 World Series Champions! It was such a fun and exciting night for Alan and I because we love that team and city so much! I was telling Alan it's too bad we lived there last year instead of this year! I will say though, having been there last year and having grown to love that place, made it all the more special now. WooHoo!

So proud of the Cards and their amazing journey to this moment!

Urban League Gala

Tonight Alan and I attended the Knoxville Area Urban League Awards Gala. Since U.S. Cellular is a corporate sponsor- I was asked to go, so by default- Alan came too (which he was excited about but also reminded me that we had to get home in time to watch the end of the baseball game... the Cardinals are currently in the World Series! We did end up having a really great time.

some of the U.S. Cellular associates at the Gala

Katie was there too representing the Knoxville Leadership Foundation

Tom Catani, U.S. Cellular's East Regional VP was recognized as a board member of the KAUL

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Helen and Ellen: twin sisters who founded The Love Kitchen which is a food pantry ministry in Knoxville. They were recognized on Oprah several years ago for the amazing work they have done in our community. They were the only award recipients to get a standing elevation...it was probably the most touching moment of the evening.

The O Jays were the entertainment for the evening and they were great!

Such a fun night with a fantastic turn out!

AND... the Cardinals won their game tonight in 11th inning so we are going on to Game 7 tomorrow!!! WooHoo!!!

Strawberry Cake & Amy's Birthday

For Amy's birthday celebration at Girls Night I made a Strawberry Cake. The recipe belongs to Alan's grandmother, Nonnie, and it was a huge hit so here it is:

-white cake mix

-small package of strawberry jello

-1 Tbs. flour

-1/2 C. water

-3/4 C. oil

-4 eggs

-small package of frozen strawberries, thawed and mashed up

-2 C. powdered sugar

-1 stick butter, softened

-fresh strawberries

Combine cake mix, jello, and flour. Add water, oil, eggs, and half of frozen strawberries. Pour into 3 well greased 8 inch round pans. Bake 25 minutes at 350. To make the icing, beat together powdered sugar, butter, and the rest of the frozen strawberries. Wait until the cakes are completely cool before icing and stacking. Garnish with fresh strawberries and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Amy!!!

Trick o' Treat

Last night Alan and I went to Franklin for Janie & John's first annual (Janie I hope I can "officially" consider this a budding tradition!) Halloween Party! IT.WAS.AMAZING.

Janie completely outdid herself in every aspect of the evening. From the fun invites by Beth Hart Designs, to the delicious food, to the quality (and quantity) of drinks, to the gorgeous decor...it could not have been a more perfect night with friends!

The yummy chocolate cake balls were are huge hit! Here is a picture of everything right before the party got started...

Alan and I dressed up this year as the infamous Mario & Luigi

Janie and I...Janie was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz

What a fantastic turnout!

I Feel Like an Ole Miss Fan...

Okay, so Saturday morning Alan said something that I thought was quite funny. He said, "I feel like an Ole Miss fan because I know we're going to lose today and all I care about is dressing up and having a good time." Hahahaha.... and while we did in fact lose against LSU, we did have a great time before and after the game!

So glad we got to hang out with our friends, Caitlin and Wyatt!

Drew and Danica were in town for the game too!

long-time FHS friends reunited!

Such a fun gameday...GO VOLS!

Little Blessings

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD"

-Psalm 127:3

On Wednesday night, our friends, Katherine and Joe, had their precious little girl!

Caroline Ashton was born at 11:23pm

9 lbs 1 oz 21 inches

She is beautiful!

On Thursday afternoon, our friends, Allyson and Seth, had their precious little boy!

Hilton James

8 lbs 9 oz 21 inches

He is perfect!

We are so happy for our sweet friends and their little ones!

"Sometimes," said Pooh, "the smallest things take up the most room in your heart."

Now, isn't that the truth?!

Deltas, FIJI Island, and UT Football

This past weekend might possibly have been one of the most fun-filled weekends since Alan and I moved back to Knoxville. My sorority sisters and I have talked for several years about having an annual tailgate for a game each season and this was the first time (of many!) that we actually pulled it off! The plan was to meet at FIJI Island which is a huge lawn in the middle of fraternity row and each bring a few things. It worked out perfectly and was so much fun!

Alan and I got there early to "stake out out our spot"

Cassie & Janie were the first to show up

One of my favorite couples...this one is for you, John!

Janie brought her delicious corn dip which we love!

group shot (missing a few)

had to break out the "Delta" at one point...

Alan had a mini-reunion with a lot of his Sigma Chi brothers that were there too

We slipped away for a few hours to go to another party, mainly to see our friends, Becca & Will, who have helped us get reconnected in Knoxville and we love them!

We finally made it to the game a little before kick-off

gotta love the Pride of the Southland

I think I take a picture of the team running through the "T" every game but I absolutely love it each time :)

The Vols were not able to pull off the win, but other than that, it was a perfect football weekend!