Hey there! Later this month, Nathan and I will be going to the beach for the first time in 2 years, so we decided to put together a Bucket List to build anticipation! Enjoy!
Check out our other bucket lists, also!
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Summer. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 4, 2016
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
Labor Day Weekend as told by Selfies
Saturday Night: Pentatonix Concert. In June, we bought tickets to go see PTX at Bridgestone Arena, and the concert day finally arrived! I had seen them in concert 2 years ago when my parents came to visit me during my internship in Maryland. The venue in Maryland was much smaller, so it was a different concert with a different sound, but the concert this weekend had a much higher energy.
Also, the PTX's song library has definitely grown, so they had more songs to choose from at this concert. It was a great night and an awesome concert!!
Sunday: Relaxing at the lake. My family was camping all weekend at Bumpus Mills campground on Lake Barkley, so we decided to drive up for a few hours and relax with them. We decided to decline actual camping this year after last year's Nathan-being-miserable and me-getting-food-poisoning fiasco.
Anyway, the main events at the campground on Sunday included riding around on the boat for a bit, eating grilled chicken legs, and me starting a fire with flint! I had a good time, and Nathan didn't die from being outside (although he insists he was close), so it was a successful day.
Sunday Night: Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation. Last week, we worked our way through watching the first 4 Mission Impossible movies and capped the marathon by going to Bowling Green to watch the newest installment, Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation. We both liked the movie a lot, and I would recommend people to go see it.
Since all of the movies are fresh on my mind, I will now rate them all based on how much I liked them. Warning: Spoilers for the first 4.
- Mission Impossible. You literally don't figure out who the bad guy is until the very end! If this wasn't the first movie, I might not rate it number 1.
- Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation
- Mission Impossible III. I liked this one because he actually had a more of a motivation to complete the mission, since his wife was abducted.
- Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol. This one is good. I liked the high intensity scene when Ethan is climbing the building and his suction gloves stop working and the scene after that.
- Mission Impossible II. This was the only one that I really didn't like. I have no idea why, I just didn't like it. Maybe its because there were too many instances with face-pulls.
One thing to note with Mission Impossible-Rogue Nation is that Ethan Hunt is looking pretty old...
Monday: The Historic Railpark Train Museum. Even thought we and Nathan's parents have been talking about going to the Train Museum in Bowling Green for months, Monday's events were an impromptu adventure! We loved the history and interesting aspects of going through actual train carts (even though it can easily induce claustrophobia!) and the neat intricacies of the huge model train setup.
We spent quite a bit of time learning about how the railroad system influenced so much of American and Bowling Green history. Afterwards, of course, we got ice cream.
It was a good weekend!
Friday, August 14, 2015
BPP #15
Ok, so I forgot to post last week's Brown Paper Packages update... I was busy... sue me.
1. DanDan is back! She is back from China after several months. We have all missed her and glad to be able to see her a little more easily now!
2. We had a nice visit from the Seelys a few Saturdays ago. We enjoyed catching up and having a cookout together. We're so blessed to have friends like Cody and Anne!
3. I've been working on a project lately, and I needed some resources at my grandparent's farm. We all had a fun time riding on the mule and exploring down at the creek. It was a beautiful summer day!
1. DanDan is back! She is back from China after several months. We have all missed her and glad to be able to see her a little more easily now!
2. We had a nice visit from the Seelys a few Saturdays ago. We enjoyed catching up and having a cookout together. We're so blessed to have friends like Cody and Anne!
3. I've been working on a project lately, and I needed some resources at my grandparent's farm. We all had a fun time riding on the mule and exploring down at the creek. It was a beautiful summer day!
4. I had the privilege to get to go to Chicago for a work conference. It was fun to be in a big city (for a few days). I'm not going to go into detail at this moment because I'm planning to write a more detailed post later on.
So, you've probably noticed that I didn't write much for today. I'm still as busy as I was when I first started writing this post 15 minutes ago.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Double Dose Date Night
While I was searching for fun things to do on 4th of July weekend, I stumbled upon the USA v. Guatemala Men's Soccer Game. Now, I don't claim to be a soccer guru or fanatic, but hey if our Nation's soccer team is playing in Nashville the day before Independence Day, then you-bet-ya I want to go!
And so we went! It was really exciting to go to our first soccer game, and also to witness so many people's passion for soccer and team USA. Although I was a bit nervous about the predicted weather forecast, the clouds held the rain until after the game. USA won the game 4-0! As an added bonus, I could actually follow the ball (which is more than I can say for hockey) and I actually saw a goal without watching the replay!
And so we went! It was really exciting to go to our first soccer game, and also to witness so many people's passion for soccer and team USA. Although I was a bit nervous about the predicted weather forecast, the clouds held the rain until after the game. USA won the game 4-0! As an added bonus, I could actually follow the ball (which is more than I can say for hockey) and I actually saw a goal without watching the replay!
Weird Al has been providing fun songs for me to listen to for longer than I've been alive, so getting to go see him live seemed like fun! Al put on a very good show, and I have to say that I'm impressed with his musicianship, as well as his band's. He played a hodgepodge of his greatest hits, including one of my favorites, White and Nerdy, and even rode out on a Segway which is mentioned in his lyrics.
From Left to Right, Top to Bottom: "Lame Claim to Fame," "The Saga Begins," "Eat It," "Amish Paradise," & "Now That's What I Call Polka!"
Thursday, July 2, 2015
It All Started with a Hammock
It all started with a hammock.
Day 1: Our 2 person hammock, which we bought from Lowe's, was delivered to our house. It was a day with beautiful weather and blue skies. The perfect day to lay in a hammock.
Day 2: While laying in our hammock, we got to talking about the future of our hammock and imagining our future house(s). As a rule from our landlords, our hammock (as well as our patio table, grill, and fire pit) had to be on a small slab of concrete, and NOT on the grass. After a long discussion about our unhappiness of our current residence and landlords, we decided to start looking for a new place to live, even though our lease didn't end for another 7 months.
Day 4: I emailed someone who we thought might know a lot of people in the town we wanted to move and who may possibly know someone who had some rental property. This person just so happened to be the owner of our reception venue. Shoutout to Lydia and the Arling!
Days 6-8: Back-and-forth emails which soon lead to Lydia informing us that she and her husband had a potential house that we could rent.
Day 9: We went to look at the house, and decided it was perfect for us!
Days 10-13: After work, we packed stuff into boxes for several hours.
Days 14-17: Took a mini-vacation to Gatlinburg.
Days 18-21: See days 10-13.
Day 22: Moving Day!
Days 24-27: Unpacked EVERYTHING...
Days 28-30: We accommodated 6-8 guests for my sister's bachelorette party, lingerie shower, bridal luncheon, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding.
So as a review... We packed, went on vacation, moved, and unpacked in only 2 1/2 weeks (all while working at our day jobs every day), directly followed by 3 jam-packed days of wedding festivities. It was a crazy few weeks! Not to brag, but that's pretty darn impressive, if you ask me!
After the crazy was over, we relaxed in our hammock in our big yard!
<< Previous in the Move 'em Out series - Next in the Move 'em Out series >>
Day 1: Our 2 person hammock, which we bought from Lowe's, was delivered to our house. It was a day with beautiful weather and blue skies. The perfect day to lay in a hammock.
Day 2: While laying in our hammock, we got to talking about the future of our hammock and imagining our future house(s). As a rule from our landlords, our hammock (as well as our patio table, grill, and fire pit) had to be on a small slab of concrete, and NOT on the grass. After a long discussion about our unhappiness of our current residence and landlords, we decided to start looking for a new place to live, even though our lease didn't end for another 7 months.
Day 4: I emailed someone who we thought might know a lot of people in the town we wanted to move and who may possibly know someone who had some rental property. This person just so happened to be the owner of our reception venue. Shoutout to Lydia and the Arling!
Days 6-8: Back-and-forth emails which soon lead to Lydia informing us that she and her husband had a potential house that we could rent.
Day 9: We went to look at the house, and decided it was perfect for us!
Days 10-13: After work, we packed stuff into boxes for several hours.
Days 14-17: Took a mini-vacation to Gatlinburg.
Days 18-21: See days 10-13.
Day 22: Moving Day!
Days 24-27: Unpacked EVERYTHING...
Days 28-30: We accommodated 6-8 guests for my sister's bachelorette party, lingerie shower, bridal luncheon, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, and wedding.
So as a review... We packed, went on vacation, moved, and unpacked in only 2 1/2 weeks (all while working at our day jobs every day), directly followed by 3 jam-packed days of wedding festivities. It was a crazy few weeks! Not to brag, but that's pretty darn impressive, if you ask me!
After the crazy was over, we relaxed in our hammock in our big yard!
<< Previous in the Move 'em Out series - Next in the Move 'em Out series >>
Friday, June 26, 2015
BPP #12
I don't know if anyone enjoys reading these, but oh well... ;)
1. We went to Asheville, North Carolina for our anniversary. Also, several people have recently commented to us that we sure do travel a lot. Well, duh! No denying that! We both think that people should take the opportunities to travel when you get the chance, because one day you might not get those chances anymore.! If our parents are going to invite us to stay with them at Gatlinburg, or Gulf Shores.....OF COURSE WE ARE GOING TO GO! Firstly, we love traveling. Secondly, it's a cheap vacation. And lastly, and most importantly, we get to get away from the grind and spend time together (and with our family)!
Anyway, for our anniversary, we planned a trip alone to Asheville and it was delightful. Click here to read the Asheville blog post!
2. My dad was in a really bad wreck. You might be thinking..... "uh, why is this one of your favorite things?" WELL, miraculously everyone involved were completely 100% ok! He, my uncle, and 2 other men from their church were driving to Elizabethtown to help their new pastor move. It was raining pretty bad, and their truck hydroplaned then hit a guard rail. THEN it the truck preceded to spin around, flip upside down, and then drag across I-65 via the roof of the truck. All of them were wearing their seat belts, so they were suspended upside down as cares raced by their overturned truck.
My dad, uncle, and one of the other guys were eventually able to help each other in getting out of the car. With the help of an ambulance, finally the other man was taken out of the car and rushed to the hospital. They thought he might have some head trauma, with the possibility of even worse. At this point, it did not look good for him...
THEN, once they all arrived at the hospital, Danny was surprisingly talking and joking, like he normally does. After a short while, and a few staples later, EVERYONE left E-town alive and well!
There are so many variables that could have been different and made this year's Father's Day terrible for four families. Thankfully, God was watching over them as they traveled that day and gave us all a miracle. I'm so glad that everyone was ok and that I got to spend another Father's Day with my dad. I love you, Dad!
3. Another wedding happened! Well, technically, it was a reception, not a wedding. A friend from high school, Chelsea, got married on June 6 (same day as Lauren's) at the beach! The couple had their reception 2 weeks later in their hometown and celebrated with many friends and family! They had their first dance, the best man and matron of honor gave their toasts, and they showed a video from their wedding ceremony. I really enjoyed watching the wedding video and watching the wedding video to get to see their faces throughout the day: excitement during getting ready, happiness and a bit of nervousness during the ceremony, and love (and relief) after the kiss! It was a relaxed, yet very classy reception! Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Alexander!
Additionally, I got to see all of my other high school friends as well!
Thursday, June 25, 2015
Our First Anniversary Trip
This year, for our anniversary, we decided to take a vacation to Asheville, North Carolina. Since neither of us had ever been there, this was the first vacation we took where we were both experiencing a new place at the same time. Additionally, we especially needed a nice relaxing vacation after my sister's wedding and moving! So, we were both pretty excited!
Of course, I did some research to find out the big things that we should add to our itinerary, so we were prepped and ready to go! For some reason, we were both expecting Asheville to be very similar to Charleston. Maybe its because they are both in the Carolinas; who knows.... but we soon found out, that it is very different form Charleston.
Day 1: We arrived in Asheville on Friday afternoon. I feel like the normal thing to do is arrive to your vacation destination on a Saturday or Sunday, however, there were several things we wanted to do on Friday and Saturday morning. So, we decided to start our trip on Friday. Every Friday night the Asheville Drum Circle happens in Pritchard Park. We thought this would be pretty interesting. And boy, was it interesting! Accompanying the drum circle was a mosh pit, which appeared have the potential for rowdiness. That's all I'm going to say about that. It was funny, yet a bit uncomfortable.
Day 2: We wanted to do a walking tour like we did in Charleston, and discovered Asheville By Foot. Kevin, our tour guide, was very knowledgable about both historic and current Asheville life. We walked all over downtown getting our feet wet for the remainder of our trip! We loved it, and I would recommend it to anyone going to Asheville!
Day 3: OUR ANNIVERSARY. On this day we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started in Asheville (obviously) and made several pit stops traveling north. Some highlights included Craggy Gardens, Linn Cove Viaduct, Linville Falls and Gorge, and Mt. Mitchell (the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River). Additionally, we went on a short hike, had a picnic, visited 3 National Park visitor's centers, and browsed the Folk Art Center.
Day 4: This day included the biggest tourist attraction known to Asheville: the Biltmore Estate. I'm not sure what exactly I expected, but this mansion is so amazing! We enjoyed an audio tour of the house, a lunch in the courtyard, and wandering around the Biltmore Gardens. Afterwards we drove over to Antler Hill Village to shop, eat some ice cream, visit the Biltmore Museum, and go on the winery tour. It was a good day, and definitely worth the ticket price!
Day 5: This was a complete relax day, which was unquestionably needed! First, we got a Couple's Massage (4 thumbs up). Then we swam and laid by our hotel pool for a few hours. Last, we enjoyed a little shopping at Asheville Outlets.
Day 6: We explored downtown some more on day 6. First, we walked through the Grove Arcade, stopping in several local shops. Next, we ventured over to the Basilica of St. Lawrence, one of only 82 Basilicas in the United States. As the day progressed we made our way to the Thomas Wolfe site and museum. Thomas Wolfe is a famous Asheville author. Last, we went to the French Broad Chocolate Factory and Tasting room. Very interesting place and very strong chocolate!
If you decide to visit Asheville, maybe you could use this post as a guide. We had a great time on our anniversary trip! CLICK HERE to see the accompanying video!
Of course, I did some research to find out the big things that we should add to our itinerary, so we were prepped and ready to go! For some reason, we were both expecting Asheville to be very similar to Charleston. Maybe its because they are both in the Carolinas; who knows.... but we soon found out, that it is very different form Charleston.
Day 1: We arrived in Asheville on Friday afternoon. I feel like the normal thing to do is arrive to your vacation destination on a Saturday or Sunday, however, there were several things we wanted to do on Friday and Saturday morning. So, we decided to start our trip on Friday. Every Friday night the Asheville Drum Circle happens in Pritchard Park. We thought this would be pretty interesting. And boy, was it interesting! Accompanying the drum circle was a mosh pit, which appeared have the potential for rowdiness. That's all I'm going to say about that. It was funny, yet a bit uncomfortable.
Day 2: We wanted to do a walking tour like we did in Charleston, and discovered Asheville By Foot. Kevin, our tour guide, was very knowledgable about both historic and current Asheville life. We walked all over downtown getting our feet wet for the remainder of our trip! We loved it, and I would recommend it to anyone going to Asheville!
Day 3: OUR ANNIVERSARY. On this day we drove the Blue Ridge Parkway. We started in Asheville (obviously) and made several pit stops traveling north. Some highlights included Craggy Gardens, Linn Cove Viaduct, Linville Falls and Gorge, and Mt. Mitchell (the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi River). Additionally, we went on a short hike, had a picnic, visited 3 National Park visitor's centers, and browsed the Folk Art Center.
Day 4: This day included the biggest tourist attraction known to Asheville: the Biltmore Estate. I'm not sure what exactly I expected, but this mansion is so amazing! We enjoyed an audio tour of the house, a lunch in the courtyard, and wandering around the Biltmore Gardens. Afterwards we drove over to Antler Hill Village to shop, eat some ice cream, visit the Biltmore Museum, and go on the winery tour. It was a good day, and definitely worth the ticket price!
Day 5: This was a complete relax day, which was unquestionably needed! First, we got a Couple's Massage (4 thumbs up). Then we swam and laid by our hotel pool for a few hours. Last, we enjoyed a little shopping at Asheville Outlets.
Day 6: We explored downtown some more on day 6. First, we walked through the Grove Arcade, stopping in several local shops. Next, we ventured over to the Basilica of St. Lawrence, one of only 82 Basilicas in the United States. As the day progressed we made our way to the Thomas Wolfe site and museum. Thomas Wolfe is a famous Asheville author. Last, we went to the French Broad Chocolate Factory and Tasting room. Very interesting place and very strong chocolate!
If you decide to visit Asheville, maybe you could use this post as a guide. We had a great time on our anniversary trip! CLICK HERE to see the accompanying video!
Friday, June 12, 2015
Brown Paper Packages #11
WOW! So much has happened since the last time I posted a BPP! Holy Moly!
Memorial Day Weekend Vacation! Nathan and I had planned to go to Gatlinburg in February with his parents and brother. Well.... that was when we had the snow week and our cabin informed us that that we would not be able to make it up the mountain to our cabin. SO...we rescheduled it for Memorial Day Weekend. In February, we were bummed that we weren't able to go. But, Memorial Day weekend actually worked out better because Nathan and I were able to stay an extra day because of the National Holiday! I wrote about what we did in this post and recorded the whole thing in this video.
Lauren's Pre-Wedding Festivities! I got the opportunity to host several girls for a few days before Lauren and Blake's wedding. It was so fun getting to know some of Lauren's closest friends and enjoying the days before the wedding. Find out all of the details here.
The Lam Wedding! It was a wonderful day! The weather was great, albeit hot; the ceremony was lovely, and Lauren and Blake both looked fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed myself! The day actually seemed to go by quicker than our own wedding day! Click here to find out more details of her big day!
We Moved! Yes, amidst all of the craziness in the past 3 weeks (vacation, wedding preparation, and the wedding......also add in 2 visits to the vet, and a massive cold where I lost my voice) we found a new place to live, ended our old lease, packed all of our stuff, moved, and unpacked everything. I guess we both work well under stress. I don't know.
Memorial Day Weekend Vacation! Nathan and I had planned to go to Gatlinburg in February with his parents and brother. Well.... that was when we had the snow week and our cabin informed us that that we would not be able to make it up the mountain to our cabin. SO...we rescheduled it for Memorial Day Weekend. In February, we were bummed that we weren't able to go. But, Memorial Day weekend actually worked out better because Nathan and I were able to stay an extra day because of the National Holiday! I wrote about what we did in this post and recorded the whole thing in this video.
Lauren's Pre-Wedding Festivities! I got the opportunity to host several girls for a few days before Lauren and Blake's wedding. It was so fun getting to know some of Lauren's closest friends and enjoying the days before the wedding. Find out all of the details here.
The Lam Wedding! It was a wonderful day! The weather was great, albeit hot; the ceremony was lovely, and Lauren and Blake both looked fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed myself! The day actually seemed to go by quicker than our own wedding day! Click here to find out more details of her big day!
We Moved! Yes, amidst all of the craziness in the past 3 weeks (vacation, wedding preparation, and the wedding......also add in 2 visits to the vet, and a massive cold where I lost my voice) we found a new place to live, ended our old lease, packed all of our stuff, moved, and unpacked everything. I guess we both work well under stress. I don't know.
Enjoying Family Time! Because of Lauren's wedding, we got to spend time with several family members who we don't get to see that often! We spent several nights having fun with Rita, Dennis, and Sydney, complete with last night's 2nd annual Talent Under the Stars!
Monday, June 8, 2015
Lauren Lam
Well, my sister is officially married! It was a fun, stress-free day! Here's a run-down of some things that happened from the Matron of Honor's perspective!Lauren and I left to go to her hair appointment. This was a good time to chit-chat and catch up with our beautician that we've had since we were little. In all honesty, I was a little bit nervous about the hairstyle Lauren had picked, but supportive anyway. But when Mrs. Denise was finished, it was beautiful! Mrs. Denise, if you're reading this, it looked beautiful and held perfectly all day!
Next, I drove us to the church where all of the bridesmaids had arrived and started getting ready and excited. We all painted our nails, got our hair curled and fixed, and got our make-up done. My mother-in-law did most of the hair and make-up. It was fun to have her there, and she did awesome! My hair is the curliest its every been in my entire life (which still isn't super curly, but getting my hair to curl at all AND HOLD is a feat)! Thank you, Melanie for taking on such a large task with the hair and makeup!
Before we knew it, the ceremony was due to start in 15 minutes! We prayed together. Then, we squealed together. Then we walked over to the church to take our places. It was game time.
Directly after the ceremony, we took immediate family photos, bridal party photos, and relaxed while The Lams took couple photos.
Then, we all caravanned to the reception location. I had never been to The Rawlings (the reception venue), so when we arrived, I was in for a special surprise! The Rawlings is beautiful, inside and out, and perfect for Lauren and Blake's wedding decor. I wish I had taken more pictures of the outside because the trees were tall, green, and luscious!
Things like Grand Entrances always make me feel awkward, but thankfully, the Best Man, Demetrius, agreed we should just walk in normal. Also, the DJ completely botched my last name, which was really funny, and made for several jokes throughout the night!
The Lam Fam danced their first dance, my dad and Lauren danced theirs, and Blake and his mom danced theirs. THEN the DJ forced all of the wedding party to come out and dance (which was completely unplanned, but ended up being really fun and hilarious).
The DJ, was legit. Thats all I really have to say about him! He was really good at knowing when to change it up and what songs to play!
My last responsibility came at 6:25, when I gave my toast. I was very nervous, which made me opt read it, instead of try to memorize it. As I predicted, I choked up. BUT, I think it was still good! Demetrius and my dad both gave their speeches, and they were both great!
The rest of the night consisted of eating, dancing, and laughing! It was a great reception and everyone seemed to have a great time!
I'm so glad to have Blake as my brother-in-law and I'm so excited to witness Lauren and Blake's relationship grow! June 6, 2015 was a great day!
#LamFam15
For all of you new readers, click here to start at the beginning of the Secrets of the Matron of Honor series!
**NOTE: This is NOT the last post in the series. I will be posting tomorrow and the next day to finish up the Secrets of the Matron of Honor series! Then on Thursday, we will return to the normal Monday/Thursday rotation, and Friday will feature a new Brown Paper Packages. Yes! You're reading this correctly; there will be a new blog post EVERY DAY THIS WEEK!
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