Are You Ready for Some...

FOOTBALL!! I am SO glad it is football season! Over the last few years I have become a big football fan and absolutely love watching it with Rob. On Friday we headed to spend the night in Oneonta and go to the Oneonta/Arab game. When I got to my parents' house, my mom had this for me...

How cute is this "Redskins" shirt? I'm a little bitter that these types of shirts were not around when I was in high school TEN years ago....but I digress! Anyway, I didn't wear this on Friday night because my mom was wearing one just like it and there's just something wrong with matching with your mother....sorry Mom! But it will definitely come out for another game.

Rob and I rode with my parents and brother and I worked on my ability to take self-portraits. I'm getting pretty good, if I do say so myself.

Oneonta has a beautiful new fieldhouse....well in Oneonta it's not a fieldhouse, it is an Athletic Complex so if you are ever in Oneonta please call it by its official name........... THE STEVE JOHNSON ATHLETIC COMPLEX! :) The visiting team still uses the old fieldhouse which is on the other end of the field....so this building is only for Oneonta.

Oneonta ended up winning the game 34-33 in a nail biter. Arab was definitely better than people expected and Oneonta still has some work to do. It was a great night for high school football. I really enjoy going back for football games and seeing people that I haven't seen in sooo long and catching up! I spend as much time socializing as I do watching the game but it's a LOT of fun!

*I have NO idea why the font at the top is messed up. I have changed up everything, even typed it again but it is not changing and I'm tired of trying. :)

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Showers - A Bittersweet Post

It's Wedding Shower week at Kelly's Korner! This blog is bittersweet for me because it was by far the hardest week that I have had so far in my life!

Rob and I got married in September of 2003. In May of 2003, Rob's mother, Carol was diagnosed with liver cancer. Carol had already battled both breast cancer and stomach cancer and won both! We were worried but really felt that she would pull through this cancer too! During her chemo treatment, which was the bagged chemo that was attached to her at all times, she continued to get very weak. On August 9, Carol was taken to Huntsville Hospital because the cancer and chemo were getting the best of her. I remember this date, because this was the day of our "Tool and Gadget Shower" in Huntsville. Rob went with his dad to carry Carol to the hospital, then ran home and got ready for the shower. We spent that Saturday night with our wonderful friends and family and got so many wonderful things and it helped us get our minds off what was happening with Rob's mom.

The next day on Sunday, August 10, Carol passed away. It was heartbreaking and by far the worst thing that Rob and I have endured thus far in our relationship. Carol was a strong minded, stubborn, but just a wonderful person! She was so excited that her youngest son was getting married. We consulted with her on all major wedding decisions because she always had a say! :) Carol's funeral was held on the Tuesday, August 12th. Carol was always the life of the party and would not have wanted us to change our plans for her. Rob and I thought long and hard about postponing the remainder of wedding events, such as showers and the ceremony itself. However, in the end, Carol would have wanted things to go on the way that everyone had planned. She was definitely NOT a selfish person!!

The following weekend was my Bridal Tea in Oneonta given to me by friends that I have known all my life. It was wonderful and therapeutic! It was such a bittersweet day! I was so lucky because I was surrounded by people who cared about me and thought enough of Rob and me to give us thoughtful wedding gifts. That makes you smile! However, I was so sad that Carol wasn't there and that, of course, was sad. The day was filled with all sorts of emotions but I think looking back, it was exactly what we needed after the long week! In a situation like this, people kind of pick you up and carry you through it! And the fact that we were and are lucky enough to have those people in our lives means we are blessed beyond belief!!!!

(Rob was not at my bridal tea, but he and my dad came when it was over to help us load everything up.)

I think about Carol a lot and sometimes wonder what she would think. I know that if she were here, I wouldn't have to wonder because she would definitely let me know! ;) Though that was THE toughest week of our life together, it definitely brought us closer together and gave us a real world "for better or worse" situation. It still makes me sad that Rob's mom did not get to see him get married and won't be with us when we have our children, but I know she is with us daily in spirit and for that we are very lucky!

I'm sorry this was such a downer type post but that was the week of our wedding showers. I really can't talk about the showers without explaining what a week it was! Our family and friends were so giving and we got so many wonderful gifts!

Date Night!

Rob and I finally got to celebrate his birthday this past weekend. His birthday was July 5th but I was feeling a little under the weather so I owed him a night out. We ate dinner at Ruth's Chris and of course I had the usual.....Yes the Ahi-tuna with lumps of crab meat! YUMMY! I am a HUGE tuna fan and nobody prepares it like Ruth's Chris. After dinner, we headed over to Monocco Theater and attempted to take pictures of ourselves like goofy teenagers.

We watched (500) Days of Summer which was really a good movie. We really weren't sure what to expect but it is definitely worth the time.

This movie is fun and very quirky. It says "This is not a love story," however it is a story about love and is quite charming. If you are looking for a good movie, you should watch this one!

Overall, it was a wonderful night out with my husband! :)

Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay...

...or sitting at Hard Dock on the Tennessee River...either way, a good time! Saturday night Rob and I met up with Scott and Meredith to enjoy a celebratory evening at Hard Dock in Decatur. Meredith's birthday was earlier this month and Scott just finished up his Bachelor's. We had all heard about Hard Dock but had never been there. We will all definitely be going back. It is just a small restaurant/bar right on the river and we sat on the patio/deck and enjoyed the summer evening and the people watching (right Meredith!)

Matt (minus Stephanie who was in Louisiana) and Scott looking for a breeze

As you can tell by our faces, we didn't find the breeze :)

Scott and Meredith - the b'day girl and college grad! We had fun with you guys! Congrats and Happy Birthday!

*By the way, it is absolutely ridiculous what humidity does to my hair (I know lots of you have this issue too). My hair was straight and fixed when I left the house... Yet when we got home after getting sweaty and being outside my hair had become one big curl! So annoying....anyway sorry...just had to vent! ;)

Show Us Your Life - Favorite Vacation Spots

So this week at Kelly's Korner was Favorite Vacation Spots. I'm a little late posting this but I have LOTS of things to say and show on this subject - so better late than never! (Be ready - this could be a LONG post) Rob and I have been very lucky in our (almost) six years of marriage to get to go to lots of great places and experience many wonderful things! One of our favorites has become Las Vegas. We have gone to Vegas twice and spent a week there each time. We always wanted to visit Vegas but ended up loving it more than we thought we would. We went in September of 2006 and stayed at Mandalay Bay. We had a fantastic penthouse room with the most beautiful view of the strip
On that trip to Las Vegas we got to go to Cirque du Soleil "O" at the Bellagio. Rob and I are HUGE fans of all things Cirque du Soleil. If you have never seen a Cirque show, you are definitely missing out!

We went back to Las Vegas in September of 2008 and stayed at the Mandalay Bay again (but with not a great view). During that trip we did THREE Cirque shows, "KA," "Mystere," and "Love." People always ask us which has been our favorite but we really can't say. They are all wonderful in their own way and I would pay the money to see each of them again!

We have also been to Progresso and Cozumel Mexico and time on a beautiful beach is also one of our favorite vacays!
We also try our hardest to get a trip in to Gulf Shores each year because there is just not much better than lounging on the beaches of Alabama!

But our absolute FAVORITE place to go is Walt Disney World. In our (almost) six years of marriage, we have been to WDW a total of 4 times. We love trying new things and eating at new restaurants while we are there. We have gotten to go at Christmas time twice, which is the BEST time of year to go because it is absolutely beautiful! Rob and I actually spent Christmas Day there in 2007. Even though the crowds were horrible, it was still an amazing experience! Here are pics from our many trips to WDW!

In 2005, we stayed at the Wilderness Lodge and were there a few days before Christmas. This resort at Christmastime is absolutely gorgeous.

In 2007, Rob and I spent Christmas in WDW...

In January of this year we celebrated my 28th birthday in Disney World. January is definitely a great time to go because there really are no crowds and the weather was wonderful with highs in the 70s.

If you have stuck with this extremely long post Thanks! I hope you have enjoyed learning where the Akins' like to vacation! :)

Minnie's Famous

If you remember a few months ago I blogged about a super cute crocheted flower that I ordered from a vendor on Etsy.com. I sent a pic of Minnie in her ADORABLE flower to the creator of those crocheted flowers, Mimi Green. I received an e-mail today saying that Minnie had been added to their gallery of customers! Check out my now famous dog at Mimi Green.

Check out their products while you are there! They are too cute!!! :)

Wedding Reception and Honeymoon - Week 3

It's week 3 in Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner. This week's focus is the wedding reception and honeymoon. Our reception was held at the historic Oneonta Depot. We actually held our rehearsal dinner and reception there. The whole time we were planning our wedding, my only requirement was I wanted a PARTY for a reception. And that's exactly what we got! We had a DJ and basically just danced the night away! Since we got married at the end of September, the weather was nice, even though it rained. We had the tables set up on the huge porches of the depot and the food and dancing were inside. Here are a few pictures:

All of my dancing pictures are actual hard copies and not scanned in. So, I'm just showing what I actually have scanned and on my laptop.

The same applies to our honeymoon pictures. We went to Walt Disney World for our honeymoon and it was MAGICAL! Of course, WDW is our favorite place to go but our honeymoon just can never be beaten! We stayed at the Contemporary Resort in one of the top rooms facing Magic Kingdom. We could basically see Cinderella's castle from our bed! It was by far the most magical and romantic trip EVER! If you know us, you know that we have been to WDW 4 times in our almost six years of marriage! We absolutely love it! Rob would move there and be Mickey Mouse if he could. :)

Great Summer Weekend

Have I said lately how much I love summer? One reason that we love summer at the Akins house is grilling out. We LOVE grilling out and love trying new veggies on the grill. Last week we tried grilled zucchini and it has become one of our favorites. Friday my friend Jada brought me this

Yes a huge bag of okra! We are going to try it grilled probably tomorrow night. We have never grilled okra before (of course we love fried okra but for a healthier and less messy option we are going to grill it). I'll let you guys know how it goes. I read an article that this is becoming a popular way to cook okra.

On Saturday, Rob and I went to the Madison City Farmers Market on Hughes Road. This was the first time we had been to this one and it is really great! There were vendors from all over and lots of things for sale! We bought fresh corn, fresh peaches, homemade salsa, and homemade pickles.
There is also a lady there who sells fresh flower bouquets for $5. I absolutely LOVE having fresh cut flowers in the house (I got this from my mom).

After delivering all of our purchases to our house, we headed to Five Points in Huntsville to eat lunch at the famous

Yup, Mullins Restaurant, a local, legendary home-cooking diner. It had been so long since we have been there. Rob grew up in this area of Huntsville and ate there a lot growing up. It really is good and there is so much Huntsville history there.

On Sunday, our plan was to grill out all of the veggies that we bought. However, my parents were headed to Jackson County to Crow Mountain Orchard and we were definitely game for that. So, we will be grilling tomorrow night! :) We met my parents and brother in Scottsboro and headed up the mountain to Crow Mountain. If you live in north or central Alabama and have never been to Crow Mountain you are definitely missing out. The PERFECT time to go is in the fall when the apples are in full season. This place has EVERY type of apple that is imaginable. Today, we bought pears, nectarines, and some apples. Doesn't this fruit look scrumptious?

My parents brought us the fresh tomatoes and peppers out of their garden, along with 3 jars of canned peas (yummy). After Crow Mountain, we had lunch in Scottsboro at BuenaVista, a really good Mexican restaurant.

My kitchen is a mess because I don't have enough room for all of this. However, we are happy as clams with our fresh fruits and vegetables. All in all, it was a wonderful, laid back summer weekend! (I'll keep you posted on grilling out tomorrow night....I can't wait for all of this yummy food)