Awesome Giveaway....

Freck is hosting her first giveaway, and it's a doozie!! Click here to read her awesome blog, and learn more about these lovely monogrammed trays:

Miscellaneous

• Duke lost to UW tonight in men's basketball. In a word: DANG. Nothing burns quite like watching your team lose and knowing that you will receive lots of emails and texts from gloating friends.
• Tiger Woods now registers as my least favorite player on the PGA tour. I seriously hope he can change his ways for the sake of his wife and children. Severely, extremely, unbelievably disappointing. I liked Jesper Parnevik's quote....

“I would be especially sad about it since I’m kind of — I really feel sorry for Elin — since me and my wife were at fault for hooking her up with him,” Jesper told ESPN. “We probably thought he was a better guy than he is. I would probably need to apologize to her and hope she uses a driver next time instead of the 3-iron. It’s a private thing, of course, but when you are the guy he is, the world’s best athlete, you should think more before you do stuff. . . And maybe not just do it, like Nike says.”

• I played tennis tonight in a drill group with 2 other women. One of them is 2 years out of school and played for Tufts University......needless to say I'm exhausted and my legs feel like jelly, but it was awesome.

Happy December 1!

Well we are back in Missouri, and we had an absolutely wonderful Thanksgiving week! We went on several fun runs with SB's friends and family around UGA in Athens, I shopped with my SIL for Christmas accessories for the house, we went to see "The Blind Side" (yep, it's a good one!), and we ate and ate and ate! Most of our plans revolved around meeting up with people for meals - so we were able to see lots of friends in both Atlanta and Athens, but I'm really glad we ran a bunch too b/c of all the eating!!!

It's hard to believe it's already December! This month is an exciting one as my sister, a couple of nieces and a nephew all celebrate birthdays, and of course we're gearing up for Christmas! We put up the tree last night so our house is starting to look very festive. Today the forecast is 60 degrees and sunny....but snow is on the way (or so the meteorologists say!!). That probably means I should go purchase a snow shovel!!

Dear Delta,

I find your fees for checking luggage absurd. Isn't it assumed that a traveler will likely check a bag? Can you just include those fees when we actually purchase the ticket itself? I have decided that I will do everything within my power to avoid checking a bag during this Thanksgiving season. My strategy: wear the pieces that will take up the most room. This makes me think of that classic Friends episode where Joey wears all of Chandler's clothing (as the complete opposite of hiding his boxers). Not so sure I'd go to this extreme - but I won't rule it out ;) Do you remember this episode? Maybe this will jog your memory....

Joey: (entering) Where's my underwear?!

Ross: Whoa, whoa, whoa. Come on, come on, what. You took his underwear?

Chandler: He took my essence!

Ross: Okay, now hold on. Joey, why, why can't you just wear the underwear you're wearing now?

Joey: Because, I'm not wearing any underwear now.

Ross: Okay, then why do you have to wear underwear tonight?

Joey: It's a rented tux. Okay. I'm not gonna go commando in another man's fatigues.

Chandler: Well, then it looks like somebody is gonna have to give back somebody his cushions.

Joey: Okay, you hide my clothes. I'm gonna do the exact opposite to you.

Chandler: What are you, what are you gonna show me my clothes?

Joey: Hey, opposite, is opposite! (leaves)

Chandler: He's got nothing!

(Joey enters wearing a lot of clothes)

Joey: Okay, buddy-boy. Here it is. You hide my clothes, I'm wearing everything you own.

Chandler: Oh my God! That is so not the opposite of taking somebody's underwear!!

Joey: Look at me! I'm Chandler! Could I be wearing any more clothes? Maybe if I wasn't going commando...

(found this transcript here)

To NYC And Back....All In 26 Hours

On Tuesday I flew out to New York City for a conference. I arrived at about 6pm, and immediately took a taxi to the Columbia University area to meet one of my best friends, Francie, for dinner. Dinner was not only delicious, but it was so fun to just gab about what's going on in our ever-changing lives. Friends like Francie are a true treasure. I mentioned her a few postings ago, but she was my roommate throughout college, and was with me through the very best of times, and most importantly through the very worst of times. She is truly one-of-a-kind, and I miss spending time with her on a regular basis. After dinner, we toured her apartment, and then I caught another cab to my hotel - Washington Square Hotel. Nothing fancy, but my brother lives near there (and of course he happened to be out of town this week, so I didn't even see him at all). The next morning I headed out to the conference, sat through 8-9 hours of presentations, and then headed back to the airport. It truly was a whirlwind. Being in New York and not being able to shop for even a second was such a shame!! What a neat city, but I'm happy to be back at home with SB.

One for you....{one for me}

I had a fabulously successful weekend of Christmas shopping! I am thrilled to announce that I have not only purchased all of the gifts for my side of the family, but I wrapped them too! Now I just have to patiently wait for the big day to get here ( sometimes I get too excited about gifts that I have trouble keeping them a secret!!). Here's the admission.....so I purchased lots of things for my family, but do you remember the adorable hat/scarf/glove set from J.Crew that I was admiring? Yea, well they came home with me too! Looks like I'm down to just a pair of slippers on my list. Now if this 50 degree weather would just get a touch cooler so that I can wear the cute outerwear!!

I heart weekends!

After a ridiculous weekend of hosting everyone and their mother here last weekend....this weekend has been simply the best, with more fun in store!

Here's a mini summary of all the fun:

• running on Sat morning
• haircut and highlights (love getting this done)
• Christmas shopping GALORE! (just about finished with my side of the family!)
• fun dinner last night with a friend from DC who's in town for the Rams' game today
• UGA won! (thank goodness......Georgia win = happy husband!)

And today I have to do a bit more Christmas shopping, play tennis, and that's really it! Oh happy day :)

New Name, New Identity, Newlywed!

The process of getting married and taking one's husband's last name is very exciting (hello! isn't that why we "test it out" for ages prior to the big day, scribbling it all over notebook pages), but I was surprised to feel a bit sad to "lose" the identity I'd had for the last 27 years with my last name. Just about all of the women in my family have taken their husbands' last names, and moved their maiden names to take the place of their former middle names. Perhaps because this big name change coincided with a move, I felt more of an impact -- all of a sudden I was no longer "Emily A," I was "Emily B." I introduced myself to people I'd never met before, and they never knew that Emily A -- or the things I'd achieved, the person I'd been prior to now, and the link to my family. Prior to experiencing this big name change, I thought it was a no-brainer that I'd take SB's name (and thank goodness it's a great last name -- there are a lot of doozies out there!). I can now understand why women do choose to keep their own names - and even though it is still a choice I'm happy to have made, I find myself stuttering a bit when people ask me my name! I took baby steps to fully change everything......first going to the Social Security office, then going to the DMV several weeks later, then making the big change professionally (which proved to be a bit confusing for a number of my clients) several weeks after that......and then just recently we opened a joint banking account with my new married name. Did you all change your last names (or do you plan to when the time comes?), and did you experience any sadness with that process??

The Start of a Christmas List...

This evening I ran a few errands, and ended up swinging through J.Crew. I have been wanting to get a scarf, hat and gloves that match for awhile - and I found an adorable set there. The color is super flattering - and I think it would work well for just about anyone.

(I think I like the hat....but I saw one in the store that didn't have the pom-pom or ear flaps, and I like that one a little better....though maybe the pom-pom and ear flaps could be fun?? Not sure...)
Is it bad that I can justify the ugg slippers as being casual and wearable to work (being that I work from home)?? Don't worry, I wouldn't wear these out of the house, but they look soooo warm and cozy.I still have a few more list-worthy ideas, so this is just the start :) I have already purchased a few presents for our family members.....but I need to really get on it pronto! I definitely plan to swing by the Gap for some kids' clothes with this 30% off coupon!!

Weekend Recap

SB and I experienced a parental infestation of sorts this weekend. His mom came to visit Friday through Sunday, and my parents arrived yesterday and are staying till tomorrow. No special reason....just pure coincidence that they were here over the same weekend - and believe me, it has produced two totally exhausted newlyweds after all this entertaining!

In the spirit of the month of thankfulness - I will give thanks that we have parents who love us, and are able to travel to visit us in our new city.