Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday, y'all! As this weekend draws nearer, I get more and more excited about Halloween! Adam will be in town tomorrow night, and we are hopefully going to have a scary movie marathon!! As for our apartment living situation, we have found out that children just might be trick-or-treating in the building! I'm excited to finally be able to give out candy at my house. Wahoo! Hope you all have a happy Halloween as well!

Here's a cute foodie picture I literally "Stumbled" upon on the internet. If you haven't discovered the amazing-ness that is http://stumbleupon.com/, you need to check it out! You will get hooked! All you have to do is type in your interests and it leads you along a string of random Web sites that keep you entertained for hours. As soon as you get bored with one site, you click "stumble" at the top of the page, and it sends you on your way to a new and often more interesting site. Watch out though! Don't get too addicted!

On another note, keep my parents in your thoughts! They are lucky dogs visiting all the way over in Italia right now with four of their very close friends! They got there safely this morning*, and have since found their way to the Italian home they are renting for the next few days. They will be traveling all over Northern Italy for the next ten days. This is their second trip to Italy, so I don't forsee any problems with them finding the best food and drink around. I know they are having the time of their lives, and I am so happy they are enjoying themselves. They deserve it! I just request a bottle of vino (or five) upon their return. :)

Y'all have a great afternoon!!

*Mom texted me at 3:45am. I was so dazed, I didn't understand what was going on. She was dazed and forgot the five hour time difference. Bless her little heart. All's well though, so no worries!

**Jessica-- Just look at this picture and tell me you see tomato Bob herding his fave veggie sheep. Hilarious.

In my mind I'm goin' to Carolina..

There's nothing like going home.

This past weekend I got to travel back to South Carolina for the first time since August! It was such a wonderful trip and I got to see my family and my friends! I can't wait to get back there for Thanksgiving.. but until then.. this is how it went!

Friday night after work, I caught a flight home to Charlotte. Mom and Jessica came and picked me up and we made the trek back to Lexington! It was so good to be back at home. I spent time with the family and then hit the sack!

Saturday morning we all woke up and went out to eat at O'Charley's. They have a great brunch there! (Who knew?) My dad and I both had the prime rib omelette. It was so yummy and full of bacon, asparagus and mushrooms and smothered in Swiss cheese. It came with crispy potato wedges on the side and two slices of Texas toast. Not to mention the yummy Mimosas that Mom and I ordered too! It was definitely a great choice.*

After brunch, I traveled downtown to Columbia to The Gates to Samantha, Andrea and Amber's apartment. What lucky girls to live in such a beautiful apartment so close to Williams-Brice stadium! And they can have their pets Nala (Andrea's dog) and Billie Jean (Amber's cat) there with them.** After everyone got ready, we went over to the Memorial Lot to reunite with everyone!! That was soooo fun! It was so wonderful to see all of my friends again. It's always good to know that you can go for months without seeing the ones dearest to you, and it's like time never passed. I am so lucky to have such good friends. :)

After a few hours of tailgating (and more than a few beers were consumed) we headed to the stadium to watch the game. I can't tell you how much I missed Gamecock football! It's so great to come back to Williams-Brice and watch a game in person. It just isn't the same on TV. Although I love Crystal City Sports Pub game-watching parties, there is nothing like watching my Gamecocks play with 80,000 of my best friends.*** Here are a few shots from the game..

Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, SC

Watching the game with Andrea and Cady Nell

If you look closely, that's my ZTA little sister Maya on field as Homecoming Queen!! Maya was the second ZTA in a row to win Homecoming Queen! My good friend (and old roommate) Heather won last year. My sorority also won Homecoming school-wide! We were so excited!!!

After the game, we headed downtown to 5 Points to eat at Salty Nut and hang out for the night. My fried chicken wrap was everything I remembered and more. Yum! I really can't describe how exciting it was to be back in Columbia after so many months away! I'm glad I got to go downtown to my old stomping ground with all of my best friends! And a big thank you to Sammy, Andrea and Amber for letting me stay with them this weekend. It was definitely a blast!

On Sunday morning, my sister Jessica picked me up and we headed right across the street the the South Carolina State Fair. Now.. if you know anything about the Marshall family, then you know how OBSESSED we are with the SC State Fair. It's an annual tradition to go to the fair when it comes to town in October and take advantage of all the amaaaaazing varieties of fried goodies!! My sister and I got there just as the gates were opening and we headed straight for the food. Don't worry.. we got around to other parts too. Here are some pictures from the fun that was had!

Eating my favorite food at the fair!

We have been going to the same Pronto Pups stand for 13 years!

Jess with her Pronto Pup!

The best lemonade at the Fair!

Making our lemony concoction. Jessica was so excited she could hardly stand it.

So excited to be at the fair! (And to be holding her lemonade. Ha!)

Of course, pizza was next!

She loves her cheese pizza!

Yes.. we did visit the indoor exhibits. What a huge tree!

After all the excitement of the indoor exhibits, we were hungry again. (Imagine that.) So, we decided to conduct a little fair experiment. We wanted to try some fried candy. The SC State Fair, in the last few years, has been experimenting with different types of fried candy bars. Over the last few fair cycles, they have managed to fry (and sell) fried Snickers, fried Reese's and even fried cookie dough. Well this year, they outdid themselves: they managed to fry Pepsi. Yes, my friends, Pepsi-Cola. Now, as you know, the Marshall family has strong ties to this lovely drink, so Jess and I were more than willing to try it in a different form. I mean, we have tasted almost every Pepsi product flavor. (They even make Dr. Pepper flavored BBQ sauce, believe it or not.) So here we were, getting ready to try the weirdest food yet. Here is the proof:

Oh yes.. your eyes are not playing tricks on you.

Yep.. they did it.

They look like donuts.. but don't be surprised..

Here is Jess' first bite.. Ha!

Had to get our Fiske fries.. Don't worry, we covered them in salt and vinegar!

Here was our final loot: popcorn for Mom, caramel apples, a Greek gyro, and Fiske fries.

Was it a success? Absolutely!

After all was said and done, and we were home from the fair, I really was so happy how the weekend turned out. It was so great to see my family and my friends. I miss them all so much, but I know I will see them again soon. I just keep telling myself how grateful I am to be surrounded my so many wonderful people in my life. I am truly blessed.

Stay tuned for more posts this week. I have a great grilled chicken dish I want to share with you all! And after I go back and buy the pie crust I forgot at the grocery store today, I am making my famous PUMPKIN PIE!! Have a good week and happy eating!

* Thanks to Mom and Dad for routinely trying this restaurant out. I can say.. it is a great brunch place for being in downtown Lexington.

**Nala was rescued by Andrea, Cady Nell and Peters last year after a sorority sister found her on the side of the road. She is such a good dog. She looks like she is part wolf and part hyena with a gray snout. She even slept snuggled in between Andrea and I on Saturday night. She is so sweet and they are so lucky to have such a lovable dog! Can't wait to see her again!

***And by 80,000 of my best friends I mean it, y'all. Everyone in that stadium loves each other like family when we watch our Gamecocks play!!

**** After I read through this post, I realized that me and my sister's tour of the fair was a walking Pepsi ad. Ha! We are Marshalls!! Take a look back through the photos and see if you can see it!

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thursday everyone! It's almost Friday which means I will be traveling to South Carolina this weekend for USC's Homecoming football game! I could not be more excited to get home and see all my family and friends! It has been since August that I have been back in Lexington/Columbia, SC. I will have a full-fledged update on all the fun that will be had! I know my sister and I are planning a trip to the SC State Fair on Sunday to get our fill of corndogs, Fiske fries and caramel apples! We may even throw in a few rides before I have to leave to board a plane back to DC. I can't wait to be in SC!

In keeping with the theme of Happy Thought Thursday, I have posted a few Peanuts comics* that remind me of the fun times we have ahead of us. In less than two weeks we have Halloween to celebrate. We have yet to make definite plans for Halloween, but I am sure something fun will come up that we can attend. And hopefully not too soon after that, winter weather will begin to set in! I know I am looking forward to the first flurries in DC! My birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas are all right around the corner! It's going to be a fun couple of months coming up!

I hope y'all have a great rest of your week and a great weekend as well!

*If you are having trouble reading the small print, just click on the comics and they get bigger in a new window!

The Big Apple!!

It may come as a surprise, but I have NEVER been to New York City before. I have many friends who have made the big move to the big city, and this weekend, I am finally going to be visiting for the first time! Randan and I will be leaving Saturday morning on a bus headed to NYC!

I can't wait to walk around the city with my scarf blowing in the wind and a hot Starbucks in my hand! A big thanks in advance to my good friend Maria for letting us crash in her apartment for the next two days.. I could not be more thankful!

If you have any ideas on fun things to do, please let us know! We are novices!!

In the meantime, I'll keep you updated on all our plans!

It's Fall Y'all! Happy Thursday!

Oh, it's here! In full-force! The weather is cool, the scarves and boots have come out of the back of my closet and my Starbucks consumption as been up-ed by about 20%.* I have been a long-time advocate of the fall season. I guess it's in my blood. (I'm a November baby, if you hadn't heard.)

I have to say, I am sorry for lapsing again in my updates. The end of September and the beginning weeks of October have been a whirlwind for me. I am so blessed to report that I have a new full-time job here in DC that I couldn't be more excited about. I am moving offices from Pennsylvania Avenue to Capitol Hill and I could not be more ready! I recently was in Michigan for the passing of my grandmother, and was able to visit with my family for almost a week. It was a very sad and trying time for everyone, but I am so glad that I was able to spend time with everyone that I love. I will miss Gram, but there will always be a piece of her in my heart. :)

There are so many more fun things to look forward to as fall sets in! So to start us off, here is a funny fall picture for Happy Thought Thursday! It's almost Halloween everybody!! Get ready!

*Yes.. I have probably had a Starbucks concoction everyday for two weeks. This may be a problem. But, we'll deal with that another time.. :)

Happy Thought Thursday

Here's a little something I saw in the Metro the other day. I thought it was quite funny. Even fast food restaurants are obsessed with Facebook these days. Sorry it's a bit blurry. :)

Happy Thursday!

Less than 100 days!

In honor of the fact that there are less than 100 days until my absolute favorite time of the year.. Christmas, duh.. I want to reminisce some of my favorite holiday memories. There really are so many, but I have a few that always remind me of how blessed I am, how nuts I am, and really just how much I LOVE Christmas. Many of them have to do with my friends and family, which I believe is the reason why I am such an avid holiday lover!

1. Christmas music on the radio.

This is one of the first real signs that Christmas is approaching. Thanksgiving turkeys have been eaten, kids are on the long stretch to Winter break, and the local soft rock station changes over to holiday tunes 24/7. If you are lucky enough to have grown up in Columbia, SC you may have noticed that WBBQ (the station in Augusta, GA) starts their tunes a bit early. I am talking right after my birthday.* Almost a full week before Thanksgiving. I know that some people hate this part of the season, but I happen to think it is fantastic! It gets you in the mood to decorate and drink warm drinks and await Santa. To the sad dismay that is my life, I begin adding a holiday song here or there into my rotation on Pandora beginning with the first signs of fall. Don't judge me. I already know I am crazy :). (For crying out loud, I already started this countdown!)


2. Eggnog Lattes from Starbucks.

I know, I know. Eggnog. The forever argued over holiday drink. "Is it safe to drink? It's gross!".. blah, blah, blah. I LOVE eggnog. Always have, always will. My sister and I used to get so excited when mom brought it home during the fall season! We would drink it for breakfast and with dinner. Weird? Maybe, but who cares! And the only thing better then plain eggnog are the eggnog lattes from Starbucks! So creamy and good! I am so happy to say that one of my favorite childhood drinks is now an adult version. Sweet!


3. The Nutcracker.

For twelve years, starting when I was 9, I performed in the annual production of the Carolina Ballet's The Nutcracker in Columbia, SC. It took just that one performance as a party soldier, in November of 1996, for me to realize the love and passion I had for ballet. I continued to perform until my freshman year of college, when school and life began to pick up and ballet slowed down. I will never forget the nerves and excitement of arriving at the Township Auditorium the Sunday of Thanksgiving week and seeing which dressing room I would be in, what the stage looked like when the auditorium lights were on, and always sneaking a peek into the older girls' dressing room to see my favorite dancer or costume. I was fortunate enough to dance the role of almost every part in that ballet throughout my eleven years performing. It was a thrill to dance in the flower scene as the Dew Drop Fairy twice! My entire family was consumed with The Nutcracker at this time of year, as my dad was in the Party Scene as a Party Dad and my mom worked backstage as the property manager. My sister even (sometimes) enjoyed coming to the studio to hang out while my mom painted and created amazing props. We lived, breathed and danced The Nutcracker for four months every year. The people of Carolina Ballet became a family to me, and I am so lucky to have met so many wonderful friends. Dancing will always remain one of the most important parts of my life, and there is no better feeling than starting the Christmas season off with a beautiful production that warms hearts. My wish is that I will one day be able to be involved again with this wonderful ballet. Until then, I will always envision Sugar Plums dancing in my head. :)


4. My mom's incredible decorations.

Our house has always been tastefully decorated. My mom has always had what it takes to make a house a home. But when it comes to Christmas... it is amazing! Each room in our house has a theme. She decorates each one from top to bottom. Not in a tacky way, but in a subtle way that is so great. It's all about nutcrackers on the back porch, snowmen in the kitchen and a village scene in the study. We have at least three Christmas trees every year: the gold one in the dining room, the family ornamented one in the study and the ever-changing tree in the living room. Our house is always filled with scented candles and wonderful cooking around the holidays and I always miss it most at this time. The decorations that are put up outside are so tasteful and beautiful. The white lights frame our front door and run all the way down the front banisters to the topiaries at the bottom of the steps. They are never too much and my family and I love to turn them on and ride to the end of the cul-de-sac in front of our house just to ride up and see how pretty everything looks. It is a special moment every year, and I am so excited to have my very own Christmas tree in my apartment this year. The first 'big' one.** Decorations really open up the door to a great celebration!


5. My first Christmas snow.

As I have said before, I have spent most of my life in Lexington, SC. The state with no seasons. It goes from hot to cold in a matter of days. So when my family traveled to Detroit, MI to visit the rest of our extended family for Christmas break during my junior year of high school, you can imagine the shock of the extreme winter weather that awaited us. It was C-O-L-D! My sister and I were sure that it would snow when we were visiting, so everyday for a week, we would wake up and hope that a white blanket would be covering the yard outside. But nothing happened. It was finally Christmas Eve at my aunt's house and we were so happy to share it with our family, but it was so sad that we may be leaving soon without a hint of snow. Much to our happiness and surprise, when we woke up the next morning, there were 6 INCHES covering EVERYTHING!! It was one of the best Christmas presents ever. I'll never forget being able to play in the snow on Christmas morning and then being able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon laughing and sharing time with my loved ones. I hope I can have this same surprise again sometime in my life!


6. Listening to Mariah Carey's Christmas CD

This has been a tradition in my family forever. We LOVE Mariah Carey's Christmas album. It is one of the best CDs ever. It always makes me so happy to drive down the road during the holidays, blasting these songs and singing along with my dad. Who cares if it's Mariah? We don't. :)

7. Celebrating Mom's birthday on the 23rd then celebrating Christmas Eve and Day

Mom's birthday is two days before Christmas, so we always do something nice on her day before the craziness that is Christmas. She always gets gifts for both, so I enjoy shopping for her the most during the holiday season. Then starts our Christmas ritual. We are a Christmas Eve present-opening type of family. We have always done it this way. I didn't think anything of it until I started school, and my friends thought it was weird. We always do the same thing every year. We go to church around 5 p.m. Then we come home, get our pajamas on and go out in the garage and get those huge black trash bags. We turn on the holiday music channel on the TV, and then my sister and I sit on opposite sides of the living room and we open all of our wrapped presents. We take turns between everyone, and then we would let Sugar open some of her presents.*** She was so cute digging her nose in the bags looking for treats. I'll never forget it. After everything was done, we call the family in Michigan and then watch TV until we get sleepy enough to go to bed. Then the next morning, we wake up and get our gifts and stockings from Santa. Then we try everything on and figure out what we will return. It all ends with a big breakfast before we all watch TV all day long. I love our holiday traditions the most out of everything in the holiday season. I CAN NOT WAIT FOR DECEMBER 23 to get here! 

I hope that my holiday memories have you excited for the next few months to fly by as much as I want them to! I know, I know, I shouldn't rush through the best season of all. I will take in every moment here in DC until I get to come home for the holidays. Until then, Merry (almost) Christmas!! 

*My birthday, for those of you who don't know, is November 16. I will be 23. Eww. But, add it to your calendar anyway. :)

**As for those who have roomed with me in the past, you know I put up the baby fake ones here and there.

***Sugar, our dog, will be loved and missed this Christmas. :(