Happy 36th Birthday Bradley

My hubby of nearly 4-years turned the big 3-6 today.

Yes, he's a baby.

I'm 38 and will be 39-years old in August.

So does that make me officially a cougar?

HAA!

We laugh about that all the time.

We don't make huge deals out of birthdays but we do try and do something nice.

Not going to lie...

Brad's birthday falls at a bad time of the year. Right after Christmas.

I've already bought him what he wanted, his parents or my parents have bought what he wanted or he's received money to buy what he wants.

Sooo....

Giving that I generally give him practical and fun gifts.

This year I forgot to take pictures of his gift opening, but I gave him a Lowe's gift card, a water bottle for work(he asked for that) and the game LCR.

Then, giving that it is so darn cold outside instead of going out we stayed in and I attempted to cook a fancy dinner.

Cajun Shrimp Stroganoff.

Click here for the recipe.

Lots of veggies, carbs, and protein, so it was a one hit wonder.

No sides.

  I busted my butt and even left work early to get the dog walked in the frigid weather, get balloons, the table set, all before I picked up Shelby.

My goal was us to have a family dinner, all together before Shelby went to bed at 7pm.

(Brad talking to his parents for his birthday)

 And, I accomplished that!

 We were able to do that.

 And even enjoy Daddy's ice cream birthday cake together!!!

Shelby LOVED IT!

Happy 36th Bradley Scott Stephens!!!!

 Shelby(who appears to be growing a mullet from this picture), LOVED the ice cream cake!

Adorable indeed.

What was even more adorable?

Daddy and daughter snuggling on the couch after dinner.

 Melts my heart.

 Nothing fancy but special, family time at home.

Awesome stuff on a cold frigid January night.

Happy Birthday Brad!!

Chilling with Friends

Brad's only request for Father's Day?

He wanted to do what 'Brad' wanted to do.

Guess what that was?

Go to the lake house.

It worked out perfect because his parents were out of town and we were able to host some friends up there for the weekend too.

After the nasty storms on Thursday the rest of the weekend ended up being really nice.

So, we packed the car and headed north.

Despite fighting colds, we rallied and set up the corn hole boards and hit the lake.

My favorite view on High Rock lake.

The mountains and the water.

2 of my happy places.

Shelby wasn't 100% after her shots on Thursday but she enjoyed a little(like 20-minutes) of time in the lake.

We don't mind having her in the float without a life jacket but both Brad and I agree that in the lake, even off the dock at the house, she needs it on.

Even, Mr. Buddy enjoyed himself.

The lake house is his happy place too.

He would probably never choose to come back to Charlotte if you knew the truth.

HAA!

Shelby is so enamored with him right now.

It's the cutest thing to see.

Despite what you see in these pictures he gives her lots of kisses and attention.

He loves her!

We made dinner simple by throwing a few things on the grill and we all brought appetizers and sides.

I made this delicious appetizer that A Liz suggested.

Crostini, brie, strawberry, basil with a drizzle of honey.

They were a huge HIT!

We had a little fun with our new NIKON and I took some pictures and vice versa.

Love how this one of Katie and Josh turned out!

This one isn't too bad either.

Shelby grabs anything in her site these days.

It's funny and hysterical and a bit annoying all at the same time!

Brad said it was the perfect first Father's Day weekend, despite the cold/sinus thing we had/have going on.

Brad's Last Hoorah and Fun Game Day Gear!

While I was off getting my fix of Fall in the mountains over the weekend Brad was enjoying what I like to call, his last big 'hoorah' before Shelby arrives.

For months he and his friends have been planning a bus trip down to South Carolina to see the Virginia Tech Hokies play Clemson.

Among the group were several people who traveled in from Northern Virginia and Blacksburg but there were also others that live here in Charlotte.

I knew EARLY on, I wouldn't be going and that it would be Brad's last 'blowout' party weekend before baby.

Well, it was.....

After what I will call a 'late' night on Friday with the crew, his alarm went off at 5:45am Saturday morning to ensure he was on the bus that was set to leave Uptown Charlotte at 6:30am.

Needless to say, it was a long day but one full of lots of fun but in the end a loss for the Hokies.

Brad's not an over the top Hokie fan like many, but he did manage to sport a new piece of game day gear in Clemson that sparked quite a bit of interest.

A new Olly Oxen visor.

I discovered this NC preppy company while at the SEC kickoff party last month and instantly fell in love!

Brad said he even had a bartender at one of the Clemson bars that recognized the Olly Oxen brand.

Created by Raleigh designer Charlotte Guice in 2009, her approach to game day gear is simple and elegant.

No logos.

Instead simple in order to move from the football game to the formal occasion.

Olly Oxen carries a variety of products including game day flasks, that would make a perfect groomsmen gift for weddings.

To fun, preppy game day scarves for the ladies.

Of course, I'm digging the purple and gold Louisiana scarf to wear as I cheer on my Tigers.

But aside from their State Pride collection, they carry an entire Collegiate collection including the Mountaineer scarf for any of you App State fans.

And, then there is their bowtie collection.

Perfect for game day or any other day!

Of course, I'm only chipping away at the iceberg.

Go and check out Olly Oxen's entire line by visiting them via web, Facebook, or on Twitter.

I think they make perfect gifts for that football fan in your family this Christmas or just for fun.

I know Brad really likes his!

Brad's Birthday and Weekend Pictures

After surviving sickness last week we enjoyed a low-key Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday was actually Brad's 34th birthday and while he originally told me that all he wanted was 'silence' as his gift we went out and got sushi.

His favorite is the 'Fire Cracker' roll at Ru Sans.

After dinner we came home and some of our neighbors came over and we all celebrated with a few adult beverages.

Again, low-key which was needed after our crazy holiday schedule and then being sick.

Today I woke up and met my friend Kelli for brunch and a trip to the Mint Museum.
They have a new exhibit at the museum and it was free to get in today.

This was my first trip to the new location in Uptown Charlotte.

We decided to brunch at the restaurant that's inside the museum, called Halcyon.

First visit here too.

It's a farm to table concept restaurant and I will be back!
The decor is very rustic.

The food was amazing!

The new exhibit inside the museum is a collection of Romare Bearden's work and it was something to see.

A fun Sunday!

Now, I'm just sitting here relaxing and catching up with my besties in Louisiana on the phone.

Everyone is STOKED about tomorrow's National Championship game where my LSU Tigers will take on Bama!!

I thought about watching it with the LSU Alumni group here in town but it's a work night and I think I've talked myself into staying home instead.

Why can't they schedule the game for a Saturday night??

How was your weekend?

Myrtle Beach Weekend

We had a great time this weekend in Myrtle Beach!

It was a spontaneous trip which even makes it more fun.

We decided on Monday that we were going.

I had only been to MB once before and it was brief.  We stayed in N. Myrtle Beach too.

Brad used to go all the time as a kid and has done a few golf weekends down there but it's been a few years.

We took Friday off so when we got down there our room was ready.

We only had to wait 20-minutes so we enjoyed a fruity drink at the Tiki Bar on the beach. 

Our hotel was cheap for being on the beach and a lot better than I had expected.  I'm totally writing a Yelp review.  Don't get me wrong - it was not new but it was clean and not totally run down.

Then we hit the beach! Good times! Brad and I realized on this trip that it's the first one in a long time(except Charleston) where we've been by ourselves without a wedding, event or something else.

Brad even joked that we should tell people we were on our honeymoon.
LOL!

Since it was last minute and we weren't looking to spend a ton of money - we picked an ocean view room instead of oceanfront.

This isn't too bad.  I was expecting worse.

Here's a question for all you bloggers that aren't on the East Coast.  Do businesses do this on the West Coast? I believe I remember them from my days on the Gulf but it's been a while.

Brad and I were talking about it and I thought I would ask since they are so common here in the Southeast.

Everyday around lunch and dinner time we would see 4 or 5 of these.

Bit of wind.

The part of Myrtle we were staying in was overrun with these ice cream men.

Tons and tons and even in the morning around breakfast.  Seriously?

Our first night we went to Broadway at the Beach.

I'm not sure I had ever been here before but it reminds me a lot of Pleasure Island in Disney World. Restaurants, shows, night clubs, shops.  You name it.

We ate at Landry's - which I'm familiar with being raised in Louisiana but this particular one? NOT GOOD! The service was terrible and the food just okay.

I will be writing a review on this location.

They have a big Ripley's Believe or Not there too.  No, we didn't go.

I had to take a picture of this shirt hanging in one of the store fronts.  For those that have been reading this blog for a while know, I'm not a fan of these family stickers on the backs of people's vehicles. There seem to be more and more of them now and I have even seen one with a girl and her dog. WhatEVAH.

The next morning we go up and hit a few of the cheesy beach shops that every beach town has.

I had to take a picture of this.  We miss Buddy but he's having a good time at the lake with his Grammy and Papa.

Saturday we spent all day on the beach! Great weather and we even got to know our lifeguard a little bit.  Super interesting to hear about these seasonal life guards.  They basically work through a company who hire college kids and it's a program where they live down there just for the summer.

Later in the evening we enjoyed dinner at Sea Captain - which is one of the oldest restaurants in town.  I had been there once before.

We met another couple from Charlotte who took a few pictures of us while we waited for our table.

Giving that we were down in the old area we headed to the Strip.  In the past year Jimmy Buffet has bought a lot of this area up and even built a Sky Wheel! Click here to read about it.

The line was long so we didn't do it but we did do a few other rides down there. Pretty fun!

What's even better is that connected to the Sky Wheel, Buffet built a LandShark bar!

Don't think we didn't stop in there for a beer.  Super cool and fun!

Last but not least -- I couldn't do a Myrtle Beach post without the cheesy t-shirts that some of you may have gotten when you were in high school.

Overall, it was a great trip but not sure we'll back anytime soon because it's a little too commercialized for us. It was fun though and I can see how kids would enjoy it!

 The best part of the trip was Brad and I spending some quality time together and talking about our future amongst other things. 

We had a really good time.

How was your weekend?