Ch-ch-ch-changes

I mentioned in my previous post some friends of ours, Drew and Kristin, are almost done building their new house. In fact, they are finishing the details and are probably moving in as I write this. They are one of three couples in our group of friends who are in the midst of a move.

Granted, these aren't huge moves... from Flowood to Vicksburg (temporary while they've been building) to Madison, from Clinton to the Reservoir, and from Jackson to Madison, but there is still a lot of moving and shaking going on right now in my little circle of friends.

I won't lie, I've got the house-hunting bug, too. We're going to try our hardest to stay put for at least another year if not two so we can make a bigger upgrade when the time comes. There's no real reason for us to move right now... I love our little house on our little street. Too bad we're losing our little neighbors. There have been a few tears shed already with a few more weeks to go before moving day. It's sad.

While I bide my time at home sweet home, I will just live vicariously through all my friends in their new digs. I will even help unpack boxes to get the true "feel" of moving. I will smell the fresh paint and help hang things straight on the walls. Then I'll come back to my own home sweet home and maybe rearrange a shelf or clean out a closet just to feel like I, too, have made some changes. :)

Quiet Time

We had a nice, quiet weekend at home, which seems like a repeat of the majority of our weekends for the past month or so. I'm getting quite used to it!

Friday night we went to happy hour after work and then sat on the deck with some friends (a favorite activity of ours). Saturday we did a little flea market shopping, went to visit our friends Drew and Kristin to see their new, almost-finished house, and then grabbed some authentic Mexican food from the Taqueria to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, went grocery shopping at 8:30 on a Saturday night, then hit the couch for the night. We're really exciting, I know...

I spent most of Sunday lounging in the baby pool we bought last summer. I needed a little bit of sun, so I just sat outside and read my book for a few hours. It was soooo relaxing. That "aqua lounge" was the best $25 I've spent in a long time, and I have a feeling it will be making many repeat appearances this summer.

It's already 90 degrees here, so it's going to be a scorcher. I plan on spending every weekend in some body of water, whether it be Eagle Lake, the Reservoir, a friend's pool, or the aqua lounge. While I absolutely LOVE fun weekends on the boat with friends, sometimes a little quiet time is good, too. I feel rested and rejuvenated today. I guess it's going to be a good summer any way I look at it!

Neglected

Dear Blog,
I am so sincerely sorry for the neglect I've given you over the past couple of weeks. I know it's no excuse, but I've been out of the office for work and busy after 5, so my computer time has just been limited.

Plus, there just hasn't been too much to write about. We've done a few fun things on the weekends, but nothing too out of the ordinary. But for the record, there has been a friend's birthday party, a boat ride or two, the start of a new softball season, a dinner-and-a-movie date night, a 5K, some quality neighbor time, and a few odd jobs around the house... See? Nothing too exciting.

I promise to prioritize you again very soon. For real this time...
Yours Truly,
Elizabeth

End of an Era

Our neighbors put their house on the market this week. I knew this day would come eventually, but it still makes me very sad.

We really lucked up when we moved to Jackson. This couple is about our age, got married about six months before we did, and we immediately hit it off.

We were with them when they first suspected they might be pregnant, then minutes after a test confirmed it, then hours after Brady came home from the hospital. Brady's first steps were (coincidentally) towards Derek, and now he clearly loves his Aunt Wizzie and Uncle Durka. He's like a little Dennis the Menace and will be walking over to visit us on his own pretty soon.

In the past five years we've run (I use that term that very, very loosely) a neighborhood association together, recovered from a tornado together, celebrated three 30th birthdays together, rung in four new years together, and spent thousands of hours drinking beer on the back deck together. I can't neglect to mention that they're also our built-in dog sitters when we're out of town, too. It's the perfect relationship. :)

It's been a great five years, and I can't blame them for moving. If our next neighbors are even half as cool as they are, we'll be alright.

Another GORGEOUS Spring Weekend

There goes another beautiful spring weekend in the books, folks. What a great few days to rest and relax!

Friday night we met some friends at Tico's steakhouse for a surprise 30th birthday party for our friend, Trey. That was actually our first time to go there, and we absolutely loved it! Great food and a great time!

Happy Dirty 30, Trey!
Saturday we went out on the reservoir with our friends Claire and Jeremy. They just bought a boat last week, and we were invited on the maiden voyage. What a fun time! The weather was gorgeous, the water a little rough, but it was a great afternoon out on the water.

We'd been itching to get on a boat for the first time this year and get some good sun! Um, mission accomplished, that's for sure.

We spent Sunday relaxing at the house, which was just as nice as the rest of the great weekend. That was weekend #1 of four in a row with no plans, and we enjoyed every minute of it. :)

Beautiful Easter Weekend

I know I'm a few days late, but I didn't want to miss recapping our wonderful Easter weekend. It started by taking a few hours off work on Friday and riding down to Hattiesburg with the top off the new Jeep. It was a BEAUTIFUL day and a thoroughly enjoyable road trip.

So, here's where it gets interesting... we were sitting around the firepit in my parents' backyard Friday night minding our own business when a giant owl swooped down and tried to grab their precious little dog, Ponji. (At least that's what we suspect. The owl did swoop down and drop something on the deck then made a sharp left turn and landed on a tree branch.) Um, SCARY!

The incident will now be forever referred to as "The Owl Adventure at 13 Leaf Lane." There was also a huge, full moon on Friday. I was spooked.

Saturday was gorgeous and we enjoyed a lovely shrimp boil at my granny's house. The food was great, and the Easter Bunny was very kind to us... Jelly Bellies, cash, and Abita Strawberry. :)

When we got back to Jackson Saturday afternoon we met some friends at Pelican Cove out on the reservoir to listen to the band, have a cold beverage, and watch the sun set over the Rez. What a nice day!
Sunday we went to Vicksburg for a good Easter dinner and egg hunt with Frances. She was actually old enough this year to get excited about finding the eggs. So cute!
It was just a great spring weekend with family and friends. The weather was perfect, and the company even better.

(Oh, and we got a brand new A/C unit last week. It's fantastic. You can practically see frost inside at 70 degrees. I'm in heaven.)

Good Times

We had a great weekend... went out to the lake Saturday morning for a big crawfish boil celebrating Katie and Neil's anniversary along with a few other couples. It was a great time!

We actually were in "Chillville" at Lake Albermarle, about 20 miles north of Eagle Lake. If I had cell phone service I would have loved to have checked in on Facebook at Chillville. Oh well... kind of in the middle of nowhere.

They had 400 pounds of crawfish, 100 pounds of shrimp and live music from the Patrick Smith Band. So much fun! We had some good quality Grey family time. :)

We came back early yesterday and spent the day working around the house. We planted our spring flowers, restained the front and carport doors, did some grocery shopping, all that kind of fun stuff.

The only downside is having to do it in a HOT house. Our air conditioning unit has to be replaced, and while it's been bearable for the most part, yesterday was a balmy 80 degrees inside our abode. Talk about almost miserable... it doesn't make for the best night of sleep, that's for sure. It could always be worse, I know, but this girl is ready to have a cool house again. :(