Off to a Good Year!

2012 has thus far been a year of busy weekends, time with family and friends and even a relaxing vacation!

In January, we spent a day at the Magic Kingdom with some friends. We enjoyed a day at the park and a delicious birthday dinner for one of Christopher's co-residents, Amy, at the Grand Floridian. We also hosted a fun Super Bowl Party complete with tons of food, burgers and hot dogs on the grill and even a TV outside to watch the game.
February was complete with a wine tasting event and dinner with friends, a week long visit from Christopher's mom, Gayle, a chili cook-off tasting in Downtown St. Pete and lots of basketball watching preparing for March Madness!

In preparation for March Madness, Christopher and I ventured to Gainesville to see Kentucky take on the Gators and add another 'W' to the record. We spent the weekend with our dear friend, John Thomas, and his new puppy, Duke. Duke and Derby had a great time playing, just as much fun as we had with John Thomas.

Christopher and I just returned from a fabulous 4-day cruise to the Western Caribbean. The trip was so relaxing and so fun; we are already looking into planning our next one. He and I both had not been on cruises since our high school graduation trips, almost 10 years ago. Wow! Nonetheless, it was a great time filled with lots of sunshine, great food and drinks and sightseeing in Cozumel.

Now that Spring has sprung in Florida, we are looking forward to some beach time, planting a garden, continuing to be on the job hunt for Christopher, enjoying a beach wedding for Matt and Marie in April, traveling to West Palm Beach for a family vacation with Gayle, Gary and Brandon, cheering on the Tar Heels and Wildcats in the NCAA tournament and so much more.

PS - If UNC and UK make it to the Final Four, we plan to go to NOLA for the championship weekend. Monetary donations would be greatly appreciated for this venture! :)

Traveling Near and Far

This post was to be published a few weeks ago, but I forgot to hit 'publish post.' Although a few weeks late, here is an upate! No pictures at this time as my computer is acting funny.

Where has the time gone? It is now 2012, and more importantly the day of our second wedding anniversary, and life is good for Christopher and me. I cannot be happier with our lives as we have been so fortunate to travel, see lots of family and friends recently and just have some good ol' fashion fun!

As mentioned in my previous post, the end of 2011 was very busy for us!

In October, we traveled to Bowling Green, Kentucky to celebrate the marriage of Amy and Nick. Amy was in my wedding, and Chris lived with Nick for a month while on pharmacy school rotations; so, we felt very blessed to be able to witness such a joyous weekend of two great friends! It was a great celebration and a fun weekend getaway.

We also spent a weekend at the Disney Food and Wine Festival. This year we traveled around the world with our friends, Jackie and Alan. We ate way too much food, had delicious drinks and enjoyed the warm, sunny weather at Epcot.

November, let's just say, was very memorable! We spent Thanksgiving weekend with my family in New York City. There was nothing like experiencing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, the hustle and bustle of the city at Christmas time and just being with my family in a different city. Our nieces and nephews were in awe of the parade and the city and were so perfect and well-behaved. We accomplished many things on the to-do list, as the Millers know how to pack in a quick weekend. On top of the parade, we also saw Santa at Macy's, went to Chinatown, rode the subway, saw a Musical, were live on TV at the Today Show, ate a Magnolia's cupcake and so much more. We would definitely recommend New York City at Thanksgiving to anyone; it should definitely be on your bucket list!

There is one word to describe December, busy! We had something on the calendar every weekend for the month and enjoyed every minute and memory created during those weekends.

Firstly, we traveled to New Orleans for a pharmacy conference and fell in love with this crazy, lively, fun city. It is great for a weekend getaway. Like all of our jet-setting adventures, we saw many sites, ate great food and just had fun.

Then, came my birthday weekend and I couldn't have been happier to not only celebrate it with Christopher, but my mom and grandmother came to visit. We did some shopping and ate sushi, of course! We also ventured to Tampa to see A Christmas Story: The Musical. It was just like the movie, pink bunny suit, bb gun, triple dog dare you, leg lamp and more. I am so glad I got to spend some special time with two of my favorite women!

Next, was a weekend of Tacky Christmas parties! Christopher and I went all out by creating our own sweatshirts. Imagine, your favorite elementary school teacher...glitter, sequins, bedazzled jewels and more! We decided these are going to be our go-to party outfits every Christmas, and we will add something new each year, only to make it more tacky and beautiful!

Then, it was Christmas weekend! What better way to spend the weekend than with both of our families. Although the majority of our time was spent on the road traveling to Kentucky and North Carolina, I don't think we would trade it for anything. We had a great time seeing our families, spending time with each other on the road and just celebrating the real meaning of Christmas.

To bring in the New Year, we spent it with Christopher's co-workers. Amanda, a co-worker and a great friend, celebrated her birthday on New Year's Eve. It was a great, Mardi Gras themed birthday bash on the beach at Treasure Island.

Now that 2012 is here, we are looking forward to seeing what God provides and where He takes us. Christopher's residency program ends in June, which means we are on the job hunt. We are open to any opportunity (within reason and Christopher's liking toward his career goals), but our first choice is to move Western North Carolina (Charlotte or Winston Salem areas). However, we are okay with staying in the St. Pete/Tampa area for just a little bit longer. All situations in the past similar to this have worked out for the best, so we will just wait and see what God's plans are.

We hope 2012 is off to a great start for you and that life is good as well!

Keeping up with the Carters

Wow! I have gotten really bad at this blog update thing. So, here goes another long-winded, yet filled with fun details all about our summer, update!

JUNE

We have a Doctor in the house! Christopher graduated from pharmacy school on June 5. It was a memorable weekend filled with many of the family and friends that we love dearly. We could not have asked for a happier celebration to celebrate all of Christopher's hard work and dedication. After all the festivities, we were fortunate enough to have both of our moms stay a little bit longer to help us pack for our move to Saint Petersburg. Their help was greatly appreciated by Christopher and me!

While Christopher spent most of the month of June studying for his board examinations, I took some time off from work and went to North Carolina for a week. I celebrated my best friend from college, Ashley, and her upcoming marriage at her bachelorette party in Wilmington. We celebrated her in great taste by visiting Duplin winery, soaking up some sun on Figure Eight Island and eating fabulous food all weekend long. After the bachelorette festivities, I spent some time at home with my family. It is always great to catch up with them!

Carolina Girls...Best in the World

Lunch & Wine Tasting at Duplin Winery

Out on the Town in Wrightsville Beach

Pi Love

Gracie & I at the Pool

Kai & I Riding in Grandma's Car

JULY

The first weekend in July, we made our "big" move to Saint Petersburg into our adorable, bungalow home in the historic district known as Old Northeast. It is a quaint old home with hardwood floors, a claw-footed bath tub, a fenced in backyard and everything is just our size! We absolutely love the area and feel we can make this area our home.

Christopher began his residency program July 5 and has hit the ground running in the program. He absolutely loves the VA Hospital, the staff and his co-residents. I think it has been a great fit for him.

I made a professional decision and left my job at Massage Heights. Between the extensive commute to Sarasota, and the unknown expected opening date of the Brandon location, I accepted a position at a managed health care company in downtown Saint Petersburg. It was an excellent decision! I am working for the Human Resources department and am learning new working skills and things about the company everyday. I am hoping to continue to plant more roots in the ground, so to speak, and continue to grow with this company.

AUGUST

We got to experience our first taste of what its like to be a professional as we attended a pharmacy conference in Orlando. Christopher represented the VA Hospital in hopes of recruiting current pharmacy students for the 2012 residency program. It's a life we can get used to...free car rental (we'll ignore the fact that it was a minivan) and a free night's stay in the hotel. Thank you US Government! Jackie and Alan also participated in the conference; so we were able to enjoy some time with them and ate some great sushi at Dragonfly. We couldn't go to Orlando without seeing Gary and Brandon. They treated us to a fabulous celebration dinner at Ruth Chris' steakhouse; it was a great evening filled with fantastic food and wine. And, of course, our weekend would not be complete without them if we didn't play games!

The Famous Godzilla Roll

Christopher's residency class has lovingly named time that we (spouses and loved ones included) spend together outside of the hospital "Spring Break Sunday." We have cooked out, gone on boats, played games, eaten pizza, etc. It has been a great way for all of us to get to know each other and spend quality time together.

SEPTEMBER

With some time off for Labor Day weekend, my parents took advantage of the holiday and drove down to see us. It was a great weekend packed full of things...from shopping at the outlets, to eating sushi, to playing games, to painting the inside our house! We certainly know how to do a few things in a short amount of time.

We got to spend an afternoon with our favorite football-watching family, the Bradleys. Boone has gotten to be quite the big boy and we loved our time with them!

Earlier in the year, Jackie, Alan, Christopher and I purchased a Groupon for a catamaren adventure in Tampa Bay. We spent a Sunday morning on the open sea with fabulous weather, food, drinks and company! It was so much fun and I am pretty sure we will do it again one day!

Derek Jeter's Home - The Size of a Best Buy

I made a quick 48 hour trip home to North Carolina to celebrate Ashley and Andrew's wedding. It was everything Carolina and was absolutely beautiful and perfect for the two of them! I was truly honored and felt so special being able to come and be a part of a wedding where two people truly care about and love each other.

My Beautiful Niece, Kennedy

The Gorgeous Bride!

Christopher's family came to visit us last weekend. Again, another packed weekend of fun for us! From shopping, to playing games, to spending time outside, to family portraits in Palmetto, we had a great time together.

I have recently developed an interest in cupcake making. I have brainstormed ideas and have begun playing in the kitchen. I think Christopher loves having weekly treats to munch on! In my dream world, I will one day open a shop called Sweet Southern Comfort and all its yummy treats will be inspired by the fabulous cities of the South. Take a look at some of my creations!

The Memphis - Banana Cupcake with Peanut Butter Frosting

The Louisville - Chocolate Bourbon Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting - Topped with Pecans

The DC - Spice Cupcake Topped with Cream Cheese Frosting - Filled with Apple Pie Filling

Now, that you are yet again caught up with the Carters, we hope this update finds everyone doing well and getting ready for the fall, and even, holidays season! It is hard to believe Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner! We will be traveling A LOT in the next coming weeks...Amy and Nick's wedding in Kentucky, Orlando for Epcot's Food and Wine Festival, Thanksgiving in New York City with the Miller family, New Orleans for Midyear Pharmacy conference and a quick drive to Kentucky and North Carolina for Christmas. As they say, it's the most wonderful time of the year!