And It Starts

Summer is almost over. Counting today, I only have 6 more vacation days. Tomorrow and Tuesday I have a math workshop, then three days off. Next week, I have only Monday and Tuesday off. I have a mentor luncheon and meeting Wednesday. School officially starts for me on the 9th. Where did July go? Summer always flies by! Thankfully, my classroom is finished- I'll post pictures soon! I'm especially excited this year because I'll be teaching third again!

The house is coming along beautifully, but sadly, we found out last week that we will be closing a week later. This is going to be somewhat difficult considering this family does not miss football games. We close on Wednesday August 29th, which will be my second week of school with kiddos. That Saturday is the Auburn vs. Clemson game in Atlanta. It's going to be chaotic and we will both be running around like crazy people, but it will be so worth it when we move into that brand new house.

 Landscaping completed!

 Dining Room

 Living Room

 Kitchen

 Kitchen

 Stairs

 Master Bedroom and Sitting Room

 Master Bath with two sinks!

And a dream closet!

As for kickball, the team pulled through and got a win while we were gone! We were so excited! We might just make it to the playoffs after all! This Saturday, we are having a team celebration/get together at the lake to celebrate! Enjoy your week! I can't believe I have to get up early tomorrow :/

Amanda

The Lone Cypress

Day three of our California trip included shopping in Carmel and a trip to the Lone Cypress. I just can't get over the beautiful views in every direction. It's like nothing I have ever seen before! Day 4 we did lunch at the Hog's Breath Inn, made famous by Clint Eastwood. I learned that he actually used to be the mayor of Carmel in the late 80's and owned Hog's Breath at one time. We sat out on the patio next to a fireplace!

Later that day we visited Chateau Julien, a winery in Carmel Valley. We toured the facilities and vineyard. We also learned how to sample wine like a pro. It amazed me how so much could come from such a small fruit!

Now we are sitting at the airport in San Jose anxiously awaiting our departure home. California was fun, but like Dorothy said "There's no place like home!". Believe it or not, we miss the hot, humid summer of the south. And I miss Bandit, a bunch:)

Amanda

The Lone Cypress

The winery

Lunch at Hog's Breath Inn in Carmel

Carmel By the Sea

Phyllis and I had a great time shopping in Carmel yesterday. It felt like it was a million miles away from everywhere. The little story book cottages looked as if Snow White and the 7 Dwarfs lived there. It was all so beautiful- the flowers, the people, the stores! I never wanted to leave, and the best part was that almost everyone had a dog! My kind of place!

We shopped at the Christmas store. I got two personalized ornaments- one for Bandit of course! We also went to a fabric store calked Jan de Luz. It's a French store with beautiful dish towels, placemats, napkins, and more! I got two dish towels for my new house! Then we went to lunch at La Bicyclette, which is bicycle in French. It was so good and cute, too! Everything was too cute, I tell you!!!

Last night, we had dinner at Demetra's. As mentioned earlier, Phyllis was the dancing queen! She's just so much fun, and I adore her for planning such a wonderful trip! Today we are visiting the winery! I'm so excited! More to come, friends!

Amanda

Dinner at Demetra's

A Great Place in Carmel

The candy store.

Jan de Luz

The Tuck Box

Lunch at La Bicyclette

Shopping in Carmel

Dinner at Demetra's with Will!

The owner of Demetra's

Pebble Beach

What an exciting trip we are having!!! Everything is wonderful and we are enjoying every minute! Memories in the making, folks! Yesterday, Tucker and Al played golf at Pebble Beach. I have never seen such beautiful scenery! God's handiwork is so amazing! Phyllis and I tried our best to stay warm and drive the cart. The temperature has only been about 60 degrees everyday, and it has been overcast. With the wind coming off the Pacific Ocean, it's down right cold!

Last night after golf, we had dinner at 1833, a very cool restaurant with a super fun atmosphere. Today the guys played golf at Spyglass, and Phyllis and I shopped in Carmel. Talk about fun! Carmel looks like a little village you would see in a Disney movie! The quaint little cottages are so cute! We had lunch at a french restaurant called La Bicylette. It was to die for! We also moved to a B&B this afternoon. We are staying at Green Gables, and it's so precious and right on the water! Tonight, we had dinner at Demetra's. It has been my favorite restaurant so far. The owner played music for us, and one of the cooks sang! Phyllis even danced to the music! We are having an amazing time!!! More to come, I promise!

Amanda

Shaking hands on 18!

Group shot on 18! Tucker and Al played with a man and his son from England. The man squatting was the caddy.

Thank goodness for that blanket!

It doesn't get any better than this!

Dinner at 1833

Monterrey Aquarium

After a long day of traveling, we made it to California safely! California is two time zones behind us, so right now it is 6:00 here while it's 8:00 at home. My stomach is also growling! I guess my stomach still thinks its 8:00! From LAX, we flew into San Jose. There we rented a car and drove to the Monterrey/Carmel area. The drive was beautiful! There were mountains on both sides, and every now and then the pacific ocean would peek out. It was absolutely breathtaking!

In Monterrey, we went to the Monterrey Aquarium. I have been to the Chattanooga and Atlanta aquariums too, but this was so cool! They had penguins, puffins, otters, and a huge jelly fish exhibit. They were so majestic! I was just memorized by one of God's most unique and dangerous creatures. My favorite exhibit was the sea horses! They were so cute! The aquarium was having a jazz and wine night, so it was fun to watch the jazz band and relax a little after a day of hard traveling.

Later, we went to dinner at The Loose Noodle. It is a neat little Italian restaurant in Monterrey. The food was delish! Then we headed to our hotel, Spanish Bay, which is on Pebble Beach. It is gorgeous! This morning, Tucker and his dad will play golf at Pebble Beach. They are so excited! I'm excited too, to see the beautiful scenery! Tomorrow, they will play golf at Spyglass, another beautiful golf course, while Phyllis and I shop and play in Carmel! We are having so much fun! See you soon!

Amanda

Countdown to Cali!

Vacation has finally arrived! As I write this, we are on our way to the Atlanta airport. We have a layover at LAX! I'm hoping to see some celebrities, but I'll settle for a Real Housewife! Ha! Then we are off to San Jose.

Tonight we are going to the Monterrey aquarium. Tomorrow the men play golf at Pebble Beach, while Phyllis and I drive them around! I'm so excited to see the gorgeous scenery! Monday the men play more golf, and Phyllis, Will, and I will be shopping! Tuesday we are visiting a winery! I'm beyond thrilled to be going on such a fun and exciting trip! Tucker and I are so blessed! We thank God daily for the amazing life we have together! I'll keep you updated on all the fun, so stay tuned, friends!

House Update: They have poured the driveway and the drywall is completed! It's so nice to see "real" walls!

Kickball Update: Not much has changed. We still stink! Ha! We won't be there this Wednesday,so maybe our friends can score a win! Ha!

Amanda

One Step Closer

We are one step closer to having a completed house! Tucker and I picked interiors this past weekend. We chose the hardwoods, carpet, granite, tile, paint colors, back plash design/color, and much more. We can only hope that what we picked actually looks good and goes well together! Carpet will only be placed in the bedrooms. Hardwood will be placed in the living room, dining room, and hallways. Tile will be in the kitchen, laundry areas, and bathrooms.

When driving by this past weekend, we saw that the roof was completed and most of the brick was finished. The windows were also installed. All of the electrical and plumbing work was also completed. I can't wait to see what progress is made this week!Hopefully, they were able to get all of the outside completed so that they can focus on the inside this week and next. I don't want the rain to delay the process!

Almost!

Kickball Update: We officially stink! We have only won one game so far, and we are 6th out of 8 teams. We are a very athletic team, so we are really not sure what the problem is. This may be a realization that we are getting older :( Hopefully, we will win the rest of our games and make it to the playoffs :) Have a wonderful rest of the week!

Amanda

Our New Home

On our weekly trip to see our new home, this is what we saw...

 The second floor is finished!

It is so much fun to drive by every week now that we are making so much progress. I'm really hoping that we will close on time. We are very anxious to make our new house a home. This week they had completed the plumbing! All bathrooms had a tub, and they had installed the gas fireplace in our living room. Also, the wall between the kitchen and living room was framed out. It's so exciting to see our house taking shape! There is going to be a culdesac behind us (bummer), and the builders have already started clearing the land behind us. We are going to build a fence for privacy and so that Bandit can run free. 

 The backyard

 I forgot to mention, they completed the covered porch too! 

 The wall between the kitchen and living room. I love the open feel!

 Fireplace in the living room.

 Master bath

I opted to not get a jetted tub. I have heard they are tough to keep clean.

 Upstairs Bonus room/ Man cave :)

 A picture from the top of the stairs looking down the hallway.

 Middle bedroom on the left of hallway

 Last bedroom on the left from hallway

First bedroom on the left from hallway.

We can't wait to see what the builders accomplish this week! They had shingles outside this past weekend, so maybe we will have a roof when we go this weekend! Have a safe and happy 4th!

Amanda