September

Ahhh September. It's always a big month! This one, I have a feeling, will be a particularly busy yet exciting month.

Here are some things I'm looking forward to:

- Tomorrow, the boys turns.... 30!!! I'm so happy I get to celebrate this time with him :)

- Tomorrow is also the first Memphis football game andddddd 901 Day - an all Memphis holiday (the area code is 901-- get it?). Basically it's going to be an all around GREAT day!

- Sunday is my Birthday, even though it doesn't really feel like it. No big birthday for me (I'll be 24).. this year will be all about Jeremy... well, mostly.

- And since I love you all very much, I'll give you working girls Monday off to celebrate our birthdays!

- My office is sending me down to Florida for four whole weeks starting at the end of September. I'll tell you all more about it as the time approaches but it's a great opportunity for me even though 4 weeks is a long time to be away from home.

- It will be a month full of pumpkin spice lattes, football, and hopefully cooler weather. Since I'll be in Florida for a huge chunk of the fall, I need to make the most of it while I can!! I imagine there won't be that fall crisp in the air in Florida.

- And of course, I need to throw in a little blog plug.. I do have sponsor spots as well as swap spots still available for September! It's going to be a good month.. with lots of blogging.. those are the best ones, right?

What are you looking forward to?

Life Is Good

<< This picture is slightly unrelated but Jeremy sent me flowers at work for my birthday :) I was so confused and surprised because my birthday isn't until Sunday!! He knew this would be the way to surprise me.. he's the best! >>


Several months ago I was going through a rough time. A really rough time for me. I hated my job to the point that I would come home crying every night, I felt really far away from my family, and it was winter, which doesn't ever help anyone's moods, among other things.

The other day I had a realization. This is it. This is what I was hoping for. These are the days I was looking forward to, the days I needed, the days I prayed for. 

I have a job that I love. A place I don't mind going to everyday. My supervisors appreciate me and recognize the good hard work that I do. 

I am making friends. Not that I ever had trouble with this, but I feel like my Memphis friends are turning into lifelong relationships. Between blogging, church, and other friends, I have been a very busy social butterfly lately.

I am in a great relationship. Things with Jeremy couldn't be better. He is incredibly supportive, open to my crazy ideas, and enjoys (as far as I know) being around me. We are always laughing and always have fun no matter what we are doing.

My family is still far (which isn't my favorite) but I think we've been better at talking on the phone and planning visits.

The truth is, in December, I felt helpless. I knew that things would turn around, I just didn't know when. I didn't know what to do. With a lot of prayer, support from my loved ones, and patience, things turned around. I can't really think of the last time I cried because I felt sad. I appreciate everything so much more now because of the difficult times I went through. I am happy. Life is good.

Happy Mail

 

Don't you just love getting happy mail? I got these adorable mugs (along with some coffee and tea) from my in real life best friend Mary. So thoughtful!!! I love them so much. They make my morning cup of caffeine that much better :)

 Thanks, Mary!!!

An Early Birthday

I got an early birthday present (thanks mom and dad!!) and I am in love! 

I cannot wait to take this baby out for a spin. 

PS. Sponsor spots are still open for September.. my birth month! I'd love to have you :)

Mind Your Business, Dennis

It's official. We're season ticket holders!! Well, I guess technically Jeremy is but his second ticket is mostly for me.. right? Anyways, I don't think I've ever been this excited for football season my whole life!! 

It's going to be a great season, I can feel it already! 

#mindyourbusinessdennis - I'm sure you'll be seeing this throughout the season ;)

Fashion and Fundraising with Carol

I'm taking a step back from my blog today and giving it over to Carol.. this is the first time I've EVER done this so you know it must be a big deal. Without giving away toooo much, Carol is basically doing a fundraiser to help a school.. in Memphis! So, of course, I'm all about it.



Howdy y'all!

I'm Carol and I blog over at Southern Belle Way! I'm so excited to be doing a guest post for Alyssa and all her friends today! I'm so happy to be here and share my shopping for a cause and some beautiful jewels with you :)

Here are some fun facts about myself:

I'm a southern girl forever. Born and raised in Louisiana and now Texas.

Yes,  I love wearing my cowboy boots and country music.

I just graduated from Texas A&M. Gig'em!

You will not find a bigger New Orleans Saints' fan! I can talk football with the best of them.

I have the corniest jokes EVER.

Things I love:

Family & friends

Any drink with whiskey

My baby rabbit Theodore. Aka "Chunk" because he is large an in charge.

Anything that is pink and sparkles

Birthdays (I make my birthday a month long event)

Why I love NOLA. This is normal.

This post is all about charity and accessories. A fun combo, right? I currently work for a new jewelry company called Chloe and Isabel as a merchandiser. And I am doing something really special with my boutique this month-- A portion of every purchase from my boutique will be donated to the Veritas College Preparatory Charter School in Memphis, TN!

The school is in the heart of downtown Memphis and gives kids (grades 6-8th) the opportunity to prepare and succeed in high school and college. It is a 501(c)3 non profit and is in need of even the simplest school supplies for the kids.

My best friend just started teaching at the school. Just hearing her talk about how excited to kids were to learn and how grateful the parents were for taking the time to help their kids I knew I wanted to be a part of it. You can learn more about the school here.

So let's have a little fun with jewelry! Y'all are in for a special treat. Our new collection JUST came out! How about a little fall styling with the new jewels. Cooler weather isn't the only thing exciting about fall! 

Feeling Vintage?

How amazing are these pieces? Check out the rest of the collection HERE and HERE.

Loving that Autumn Scenery?

Take inspiration from nature HERE.

Want to work those metals? 

Add these pieces to any outfit for an understated wow factor. More metal looks HERE. 

Casual day out?

The bracelets come in every color combo thinkable! Have an arm party HERE.

How to die for are these? Want more? Look at even more of the collection at my online boutique. Make everyone jealous of your great new pieces while shopping for a great cause! Order today and your packages will be at your doorstep in 3 days :)

Thanks for blogging with me today!!

I would love for you to stop by my online boutique to see if anything strikes your fancy :) You can also visit me at my blog Southern Belle Way or find me on Facebook.

xoxo, Carol



Isn't that awesome?! What Carol is doing is so so thoughtful, I just love when people use their talents to help others. Definitely go over to her shop and check out all the jewelry.. I've got my eye on a couple things ;) and while your at it, stop by her blog and say hi!

Blogger Date

See that pretty button on my sidebar that says "The Darling Blog"? Well, that belongs to Kendra, who I can now say is a real life friend! I got to meet up with her this weekend and it was an absolute pleasure. She is just as sweet and pretty as she is on her blog.

If you haven't ever been over to her corner of the internet, you should go, right now.

Kendra, I absolutely loved meeting you and hope you come out to Memphis more often to hangout! I promise next time we won't get eaten alive by mosquitoes. You better believe that the next time we're out in your neck of the woods we'll be meeting for some buffet style meals ;)

Ps.. are you tired of seeing all my iPhone photos? Yeah, well that's about to change... I have a very special birthday gift on it's way (not so subtle hint: it's a camera)

Eating in Memphis (9) - The Blue Monkey

 

This Eating in Memphis is another example of a place we probably never would have gone to and an item we probably never would ordered!

The next leg of our Eating in Memphis adventure brought us to The Blue Monkey for the Hot Wing Rolls. Shocker, another place we've never been before but a place we definitely would like to go back to. We decided that this is the perfect place to go for a late night snack if you are in the downtown location. These rolls are very simple. Just some buffalo chicken in an eggroll. The simplicity is what makes them so delicious and the atmosphere is a great one to enjoy them in as well!

Another point for Memphis and it's amazing food.

What is "Eating in Memphis"? Our attempt to eat our way through the 100 things to eat in Memphis.

 Click here to see what else we've done!

Candlelight Vigil

 

It's been 35 years since the world lost Elvis Presley.

For 35 years people have been visiting Graceland on the day of his death to pay their respects.

People come from all over the world.

As soon as the sun goes down, candles are lit and the procession begins.

Elvis is buried, alongside his mother, father, and grandmother, on the grounds of Graceland. 

Thousands of people visit this site every year on this day.

We went. After processing for four hours, we decided to head home. It was about 1:30 am. We had to work the next day unlike majority of the others who were from out of town. 

Even though we didn't get to the actual grave-site, I'm glad we went. We got to pay our respects and see the love and passion people still have for Elvis Presley. It's pretty amazing the lengths people will go to be there on that night.

The vigil is more than the sideburns, is more than the pink cadillacs, is more than the jumpsuits. It's a tribute to the person and artist Elvis was and how loved he was and still is and always will be.

Born 35

Died 77

Gone 35

Age 77

Elvis On Tour

If you don't know much about Elvis, or even if you do, I have a movie recommendation for you. Elvis On Tour. We were lucky enough to see this concert film at the Levitt Shell. It was playing as part of their concert series and it was free. Does it get much better than that?

Back to the film. It sucked me in. I literally didn't want it to end. It was full of behind scenes footage and live performances by Elvis. I thought it really captured his spirit and what a concert must have been like.

What made seeing this film even more special is that Elvis had actually performed at the shell back in the day. It was a glimpse at what it must have been like. 

I highly highly recommend it. If you aren't an Elvis fan, I'm sure this will make you one, and even if you are, you will love Elvis even more. I promise!

Elvis Week Kickoff 2012

We have been looking forward to Elvis week for quite some time. Like I mentioned on Friday, it's a pretty big deal around here. We decided to kickoff Elvis week by heading to the Redbird's game for their Elvis Night. They were giving away special Elvis bobble heads so we were there bright and early!

Now, I'm not going to get too much into it, but if you follow me on Twitter you might have noticed that I was pretty disappointed in the Redbirds organization on Friday night. We are big supporters of sports in Memphis, especially the Redbirds. We have been to countless games and have always had a wonderful time. Friday night, however, we were met with unfriendly, unprofessional, and downright rude staff that really left a bad taste in our mouths. There's no reason for poor customer service. I really hope this isn't a sign of things to come.

Anyways.. back to the good stuff! The ballpark has veggie dogs that I look forward to getting every time we go to a game. They are delicious!! Really tastes like a real ballpark frank.

So, since it's Elvis Week, of course we had to go down Beale Street. We ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe for an Elvis Tribute Artist Contest. This was probably one of the most fun things I've done in Memphis. Between the people watching, tons of Elvi (plural for Elvis) walking around, and the live entertaining, it was an amazingly fun night.

It was also incredibly impressive the amount of talent these men have. When some of them were performing it actually felt like I was watching Elvis, the mannerisms, their voices, the overall stage presence was so entertaining and extremely Elvis-like. We didn't stay to see who won, but my vote was for this young Elvis! Oh man, he was so good!

Flashback - Elvis Week 2011 - The Boy Blogged

Next week is a pretty big deal here in Memphis.. it's Elvis Week. I have some pretty fun blog posts planned to commemorate The King, but I'm going to start off the week off today by re-posting a blog post from last year. I have a lot of new followers since then, anddd this was the one and only time the boy hopped on my blog and wrote his own post!

Here's what he had to say:

The United States of America has had 44 presidents but only one King. 

By way of introduction lets get a few things out of the way first. I'm not Alyssa is probably the first thing I'd like to point out. I'm Jeremy, Alyssa's boyfriend, but you guys might know me better as "the boy". Secondly, this is my first exploration into the world of blogging other than following the girl's (Alyssa) blog. Thirdly, I am originally from Memphis, TN and I'm also a big Elvis fan and the combination of those two facts is all you need to know about my expertise and ability to write this very special edition of Ten Feet Off Beale.

August 16, 1977 the world lost Elvis Presley tragically. Now for those of you not from Memphis, this might not mean much, but around here it's a really big deal. Now you may have seen some things about Elvis Week in Memphis, but to really see what goes on down here you really need to visit. People from all over the world come to town to go to all sorts of events like Elvis Tribute Artist contests, showings of some of his famous movie appearances and concerts at a local theater and all culminating with the Candle Light Vigil at Graceland on the night of August 15th every year. People line up outside of Graceland and stand in line for the opportunity to walk along Elvis's grave site and remember him in their own, and often strange, way.

As a native Memphian and designated (unofficially) tour guide of Memphis, I had to take Alyssa out on the town to see what this week has to offer. We managed to make it downtown on Friday night for a Date Night/ Elvis Week Sightseeing Tour and managed to stumble upon some pretty interesting sights that Alyssa has already blogged about . We also had intentions of attending the Candle Light Vigil, but unfortunately the night got away from me at work and I called it an early night, but there's always next year! I think we still had a great time and think it was a good introduction to Elvis Week for the girl and I hope she enjoyed it.

Anyway, if any of you are Elvis fans or Elvis fanatics or really don't care about him one way or another, I strongly suggest a trip to Memphis sometime between August 10th and August 16th and I promise you won't be disappointed.

Without further delay, one of my personal favorite Elvis performances. Enjoy ya'll!!

Original post here.

My First Furniture Project - Part I

If you follow me on twitter you might have seen that I bought a piece of furniture off Craigslist. I have never done this before and it was completely an impulse, but I just absolutely fell in love with this charming piece of furniture. Well, it's turning out to be alot more work and taking a lot more time than I thought.

The lady I bought it from had gotten it at an antique store. She sanded it real good and painted it white. The paint was chipping a little so I knew I wanted to repaint it. Right now, I'm thinking a light mint green (I'm kind of obsessed), but who knows, it's still a long way from being painted. 

So, right now I have a giant cabinet smack dab in the middle of the living room and we're slowly stripping the old paint off of it. Step one. I've been told this is the hardest part. Oh, how I hope they're right.

Yeah, it's a long way from being done but at least we're having fun doing it!

#SheReadsTruth

There is this thing spreading around the blog world like wildfire. It's called #SheReadsTruth. Basically, a few bloggers realized they wanted to do a Bible study together, so they did. Well, rather quickly, many other people joined in! Now, they coordinate bible studies with the YouVersion Bible app so everyone can join in. I won't get too much into the history, you should definitely go to the website and read all about it. 

I love the encouragement. I love how the blog community and even those outside the blog community encourage each other to read God's word. Nobody is ashamed to tweet a verse that stuck out to them, or their thoughts on that day's reading. People are openly discussing religion and the Bible. It's pretty amazing.

I've got to say, though, my favorite part is seeing what other people write in their journals. I love seeing the Instagram pictures and tweets. Sometimes, others pick up something I didn't necessarily notice. 

This month, the study is Proverbs. Simply, you just read one proverb each day. I've enjoyed reading early in the morning and then can reflect on the proverb throughout the whole day. I didn't read much of the Bible growing up, so most verses are brand new to me.

Since participating in #SheReadsTruth, I've felt more positive. I think this is a good thing for me. It doesn't take long, just a few minutes to step back and read what God has written for us. How could that hurt? I encourage each and every one of you to join in, if you so please. 

I'd love to hear what you all have to say!

Slider Inn

 

Tried a new restaurant this weekend.. anddd we will definitly be going back. This is Slider Inn. A casual restaurant with a laid back bar atmosphere right in the heart of the Cooper-Young district. Their menu? Primarily sliders. You can mix and match the different types of sliders they make to create the perfect meal for you. Bonus: they had vegetarian options, that's always a plus for me.

   

For those in Memphis, I highly recommend this place and guarantee this will be a spot we go before or after Memphis football games.

The day we went, they were celebrating their 1 year anniversary. Happy 1 Year Slider Inn - and here's to many more.

 

U-S-A

Who doesn't love the Olympics? Seriously. Every four years, during the Summer Olympics, there is a feeling of intense patriotism around the whole world. I guess technically it's every two years, but for some reason, I feel like it's more prevalent during the summer Olympics. Names like Gabby Douglas and Michael Phelps can be heard everywhere and you can hear people talking about back handsprings and the breast stroke way more than any other time of the year. Most importantly, it's fun. It's fun watching sports you previously knew nothing about (gymnastics), or sports you have a connection to (track).

Here are some things the Olypmics has made me realize:

- Dreams really can come true.
 I just love seeing the passion and determination every single athlete has during their events. It's hard to not get teary eyed when you see them win their race or get the gold. It's truly amazing to see their life-long dreams that they have been working toward come true. 

- I am terrible at geography.
Yeah, I probably can't find majority of the countries competing on a map. It's bad. I'll be the first to admit it. I am terrrrrible at geography. Maybe I'll make it a personal goal to be better at this by the next Olympics. The athletes are training for their events and I'm training to be good country finder.

- I can't really name the country that belongs to the flag.
I test myself sometimes when I watch the Olympics on TV. I'll spot a flag and try to guess what country it belongs to. I'm not very good. I can get some major ones like France, Italy, Australia, and Japan, but other than that I'm pretty much stumped. 

- I wish we watched more obscure sports.
Why do we wait four years to watch gymnastics on TV? Maybe that's what makes it so exciting, we anticipate it for four years and it's fresh in our minds. It never ceases to amaze me what these athletes can do. Every single event I watch I find myself thinking - and oftentimes saying out loud, "wow, how did they do that?"

I'm really looking forward to all the track events to start. I especially love watching the high jumping since that was my event in high school. These people jump so high, it's crazy.


What is your favorite event to watch in the summer Olympics?
Which do you prefer.. summer or winter?

 PS. Check out these reallllly cool swimming pictures!



 

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mom -

Happy happy birthday to you!!! I'm sorry I'm not there to celebrate with you today but I hope you have a fantastic day! You absolutely deserve it. I love our talks during my lunch break - they're a good break to my day. I miss you and being home and I'm really looking forward to your next trip to Memphis! I already know all the places we're going to go that you haven't seen yet. I'm excited for that. 

I also want to take this time to thank you for supporting me these past couple months. I know you were worried when I was bouncing around from job to job and that you had my best interests in mind. I'm thankful for your support and know that I wouldn't be where I am today without you. You raised me to be independent, responsible, and kind and for that I will always be appreciative.

You mean so much to me. I love you. Happy Birthday!!!!

- Alyssa

Oh, How Pinteresting - Furniture Projects

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram you might have seen yesterday that I am thinking of updating an old piece of furniture I found on Craigslist. I don't know if the piece is still available (still waiting to hear) but I have been doing some Pinterest searching anyways in preparation! Who knows, if this piece doesn't work out, I may be on the hunt for another.

Source: realsimple.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: becolorful.typepad.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: tipjunkie.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: benita-loca.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: younghouselove.com via Alyssa on Pinterest

Source: hypheninteriors.com via Alyssa on Pinterest