Cause to Celebrate

I always knew he had it in him - it as in more than enough smarts. But until recently, my brother, Colin, lacked the drive and desire necessary to complete his degree. Late this Spring he lit a fire under his own you know what and applied to University of Arizona in Tucson and today he received his official acceptance. He'll be starting in just a couple days with the 2nd Summer session. I couldn't be more happy for him! Col, Monday is the first day of the rest of your life. Go Wildcats!!

Ben and Amie's Firecracker!

This past weekend, Jimmy and I had the pleasure to meet the wonderful, adorable Lucy. Ben, Amie and Lucy came from Venice, CA to visit Ben's family in Emerald Isle, NC for a few days and then came to visit us for the 4th of July weekend. What an amazing way to spend the holiday. Some highlights of our time together (in no particular order)...

1. Jimmy and Ben got some good surf.
2. Jimmy and I successfully planted the seed to get the Lucas' to move to the Southeast.
3. We decided to take a trip together some time in the next year and half - the boys for surfing and the girls for the beach & relaxation. The destination, Bocas del Toro, Panama. Whose coming with us?!?!?
4. Amie and I got to cook some meals together - for those of you that don't know, Amie is my inspiration in the kitchen.
5. Amie and I got to go on a run together - just like old times in CA.
6. Jake got to meet Lucy and visit with Ben and Amie at his BBQ.
7. Jimmy and I got to see Matt and other friends at the aforementioned BBQ. 
8. Malloy and Lucy hit it off and now they're fast friends...

Now for the onslaught of pictures. I apologize in advance. I can't stand to not post every picture of Lucy.

I'm so sad that the Lucas' are now back in L.A. We've missed them so much and I can't stand that the next time I see Lucy she'll probably be crawling, talking and more.

Lucas Landing

The countdown is on... Ben, Amie and Lucy will be here in 8 1/2 hours. How am I going to work today? Talked to Amie last night and she said Lucy has a bikini and a special 4th of July dress. I can't handle it. So unbelievably cute...

Latest Happenings

So the last couple days have been interesting. The new restaurant, 19 Hundred, I blogged about last time was great. Eclipse was just okay as far as I'm concerned. A little uneventful for my taste. I'm more excited for the wedding, baby, etc coming in the last movies. Here's a pic of all the gals out to dinner...

I think I blogged about this before, but on the way to Kelly's wedding in April I got my first speeding ticket in Greenville, NC. Today was my court date, so I decided to appear in court and ask for a prayer for judgment. To ask for a prayer for judgment, I needed a certified copy of my driving record. Like the organized person that I am, I got this from the DMV a month ago. Excited about my girls night out, I conveniently left this crucial piece of paper at the office. The office is locked down at 6pm and I had to leave for Greenville at 5am in the morning. Awesome. Luckily, one of the girls I went to dinner with is the Director of Accounting and has the codes to get in the office after hours. It was pretty comical walking through the office late at night, in the dark, punching in all the various alarms. I don't know - you had to be there.

Total of 5 hours travel time and three super boring and painful hours sitting in Traffic/Criminal court and I was set free.

My reward for the inconvenience, a Chick-fil-a peach milkshake. Ok, so I had a spicy chicken sandwich as well. Both were delicious...

Girls Day

Very much looking forward to a fun filled day tomorrow! First up is a long run with Jimmy and Malloy bright and early. Then for lunch I'm going out with some girls to celebrate a couple coworkers' birthdays. The lunch spot is a place called Osteria Cicchetti, the "OC", as us Wilmingtonians like to call it. Very yummy Italian food and great lunch specials.

Next up is dinner at a new place in Lumina Station near Wrightsville Beach called 19 Hundred. It supposedly has a LA, lounge feel with great cocktails and tapas. Perfect spot for an after work girls dinner.

Then, the grand finale, we're all going to see Eclipse. I'm not the least bit ashamed to admit that I'm super excited to see the next movie in the Twilight saga. Woo hoo!

Wedding and Family Vacation

I apologize in advance because for some reason this weekend, I wasn't in a big picture taking mood. Saturday we had a great beach day - Jimmy's first without a textbook in some time. Mike parked at our place and walked - some hooligan stole my bike the other day - with us to the beach. He and Jimmy got a couple surf sessions in while I worked a crossword and kept my eye on the beer cooler. Saturday night we went to Lauren and Josh Lea's wedding reaffirmation. It was a beautiful setting, actually their backyard, that overlooked marsh land and just an all around great time. Congrats Lauren and Josh!

Saturday also marked the start of the annual Atkinson family vacation in Carolina Beach, so we met up with Matt and Ryane at the Fat Pelican when we got back into town. Sunday morning we did breakfast together at Kate's Pancake House and then Jimmy and I had to do a couple hours of chores. It sometimes sucks living at the beach because you actually have to do stuff other than sunbathe and drink beer on the weekends. Such is life. Sunday afternoon we went to meet up with the whole Atkinson family at their beach rental for dinner. A great dinner, a few cold ones and a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit later - GIRLS RULE! - and it was time to call it a night. Jimmy and I both feel super close to the Atkinson family and really look forward to the summertime when they're in the area for a week.

One of the Atkinson "girls", Gracie, and the youngest human sibling, Sydney, loving on Gracie.

Very much looking forward to the Fourth when Matt is back in town and Ben, Amie and Lucy(!!!) come to visit! Woo hoo!

One Twelfth

Today marks the end of Jimmy's first "semester" of grad school. I put semester in quotations because the sessions/length of classes are actually expedited. He's in school for two years, but will have a total of 12 different sessions. In one way, that's a good thing - more milestones to help it go by faster. On the other hand, it's always a lot of information to cram in such a short amount of time. Anyways, we're just glad to be 1/12 of the way done. Jimmy's done wonderfully and I couldn't be more proud of him!

In other news, we're super excited to have Matt Atkinson as our wake-up call tomorrow morning. Matt's driving to our house from Durham and meeting his family from Boone for a weekend at the beach. Tomorrow afternoon we head to Lauren and Josh's wedding - so happy for them - and then back to Carolina Beach to meet up with the Atkinson's again. Should be a good time...