A few weekends ago, Matt's roomate from college (also named Matt) stopped by Tallahassee on his way home to San Francisco. We enjoyed a cold afternoon at the beach and a delicious seafood dinner.


Friday afternoon sunset

The water and lighting were beautiful.

Helland and Crockett.

They went for a walk. I was too cold. I love the pink colors of the sunset.

SO SO glad it's Friday and looking forward to a relaxing weekend. Matt and I have lots of plans: dinner, firepit, movies, packing and some touch up painting. We're calling a real estate agent this week!

Apartment Hunting

The weekend we went to Tampa to find our apartment we actually stayed in Orlando so we could visit Disney.


I was happy we found an apartment and flew around the room like Superman. Matt was able to snap this picture despite my flying around the room "faster than a speeding bullet".....

Wil and Steve were excited we found a place as well. Wil was especially relieved to find out it had lots of space for walking, sniffing, peeing and barking. Stevie just wanted to be sure she could eat and sleep there on her normal schedule.

Epcot on Saturday night. We went there and had dinner around the world. Guacamole in Mexico, a warm and spicy drink to fight the chilly air in Germany, and fish and chips with vinegar in the UK. It was a wonderful way to wrap up our sucessful trip to Tampa.

On Sunday morning we went to the Magic Kingdom. It was gray and cold. We rode the Speedway as the line there was relatively short for once. Matt was excited to get behing the wheel of our awesome red, white and blue speedster.

Showering for Baby G.

I am SO behind in journaling life since Christmas. Matt's new job, while great news, has really thrown our regular lives for a loop. In mid January we traveled up to Birmingham to visit family and for yours truly to help host a baby shower for the arrival of my first nephew, Baby G.


Elizabeth did a great job with the decorations. These aren't technically "boy colors", but they're pretty and the orange is good for Baby G's parents who are Auburn fans.

Bunny hat handmade by Grammy.

Baby blanket that says "I Heart Aunt Ashley". What every child needs. I'm all about providing the essentials to parents-to-be. I plan to present the happy parents with a tattoo gift certificate for Baby G when he's born. The only requirement is that the tattoo have something to do with how awesome I am....haha. I kid, I kid.

Me with Katherine, Elizabeth and Maggie.

That little baby is very loved already and we're all ready to welcome him to the family!

Ch-Ch-Changes!

From Crawfordville, FL to TAMPA, FL!!!! So, there are some big changes coming our way. Matt recently accepted a position with Ernst and Young in TAMPA!!! After I got over being totally overwhelmed with the idea of moving, downsizing to an apartment and finding a new job I got excited. We're now packing up our house, preparing it to sell (hopefully sell quick!), and searching for that perfect job for me. I ask for your prayers for us during this crazy time. I have to admit it's been a HARD transition for me, and all along I thought this was something I wanted. :-) Be careful what you wish for, huh!?

I had some rough days with worry and panic, but I'm feeling more positive now. I'm excited about the cute little apartment we've rented with one blue wall (we picked the color). I'm excited about living in the middle of town instead of 30-45 minutes away. I'm excited about the Super Target and Whole Foods that is just down the street from our apartment. I'm excited about the Tampa Ikea, the Tampa Buccaneers and all the other cool news stuff we're going to find. I'm excited that SouthWest goes from Tampa to B'ham so I can get some good deals on flights home instead of driving eight hours. I'm excited about the opportunity of a new job and the possibility of a job offering more creative opportunities. I'm excited for Matt and this new job. He's SUCH a hard worker and too often that hard work is something that a state department just doesn't recognize. (Of course he's won about every worker award they have to give over his past 4 years (yeah, I'm a little proud of him.)) He's always been willing to work the extra hour and go the extra mile for someone calling him for help. He's always sympathetic, respectful and ALWAYS works to make the best decision for each situation. He talks about tax in the car, over dinner and before we go to bed. He worries over cases, meetings and letters. Not because they stress him out, but because he wants to be absolutely sure he's doing the right thing. Ernst and Young is very fortunate to gain a worker like Matt.

So wish us luck and remember us in your prayers as we start this new chapter in our lives. I know this is all part of God's plan for our lives and I'm excited to see what happens next. I'm going to enjoy life in the BIG CITY! (And only 45 minutes to DISNEYWORLD!!!)

(Matt's office is in the building on the right with a pyramid/triangle top.)