My husband started his first day back to school today. This will be his second year of law school. I'm hoping that this year will go by as quickly as his first. It is hard to believe that after this semester he'll be halfway complete with his law education. The sooner the better. :)
My husband is an older student and works in health care. He has hit a point in his career where he needs his law degree to expand his business for future opportunities. He attends school full time as well as runs his business. He actually services his accounts between classes and school work. It has been difficult but we knew it was going to be a challenging 3 years. However, the payoff will be well worth it. Just running the marathon itself can be exhausting.
I used old books, an apple, and his graduation photo from his MBA as the centerpiece.
I purchased new place mats and these adorable apple napkin rings from Pier 1 Imports. I instantly fell in love with the apple napkin rings and thought they would be perfect for a "Back 2 School" theme.
I came across this Thomas Jefferson quote and thought it would be a nice inspiration to start off the new school year. Having the right mind set can truly move mountains.
I made some of his favorite dishes; baked pecan chicken, scallop potatoes, lemon basil zucchini, and a coconut key lime pie for dessert. I purchased the graham cracker crust but made the pie and whip cream myself.
My husband loves German wines.
I wish everyone with students and teachers in their homes a truly wonderful and blessed school year.
I've been spending my summer gearing up for the approaching Fall tennis league. June was warm, July was hot, but August had been down right brutal. It is absolutely horrid out there. I also changed tennis pros and my new pro is much harder on me than my last. He is young, fit, and loves drills in the middle of the afternoon. "Cardio Tennis" is what he calls it. I refer to it as "Death Tennis."
However, my game is improving. I plan on hitting the courts again this evening. My husband also loves to play and I'm planning on crushing him. We are both competitive but we aren't like some of those couples. You know them, where they yell or truly get moody if the other wins. Talk about uncomfortible. My husband and I like to kid around and are good sports. We laugh a lot but there are victory dances involved.
I came across these old pictures and thought it would be fun to post them for all to see. I'm soooo happy that tennis fashions have changed. I don't think I could survive playing a game in a dress. I especially love the hat.
Look at these tennis shoes!!! Are you serious? How on earth could you play in those? However, my favorite picture is below. What a hoot and quite daring. At times I feel that type of stress when I'm on the court.
I'm pleased to announce that I now know how to make macaroons. This morning I took a cooking course through Viking Cooking school. My goodness, I loved every minute of it. I plan on taking future courses in the next couple of weeks. Its a good way to meet new friends and challenge yourself in the kitchen.
To tell you the truth I was a bit nervous trying to master the art of the macaroon. I'm not much of a baker but I didn't allow intimidation to stop me. With a few clicks and my credit card number I was committed.
Macaroons are some of my favorite treats. They are absolutely delicious. There is something so artistic about them. The colors are vibrant and they are filled with the most heavenly creams.
Considering that I'm NOT a baker I felt at times I was completely a fish out of water. But what I enjoyed most about my instructor is that she took the time to show me what to do and gave me some incredible tips that I'm eager to use in the kitchen.
Although my macaroons didn't turn out as pretty as the instructor's or Laduree's, they tasted incredible. My fillings are chocolate, vanilla, buttercream, and peanut butter. My favorite was the peanut butter (too die for).
I'm going to continue practicing until I master the perfect macaroon. The chocolate macaroons are too big and look like whoopie pies.
Thankfully my husband could care less how they looked while popping them in his mouth.
BEFORE READING MY POST PLEASE CLICK THE PAUSE ON MY iPod TO STOP THE MUSIC.
My husband and I took a day trip to Memphis. We decided to drive up for some Memphis BBQ. After living in Texas, we've become a bit of BBQ snobs. We are on the hunt for the perfect BBQ joint in every state. We've had so much BBQ you'd think our blood was made of sauce. We have our favorites in Texas but enjoy trying to locate good BBQ across the South.
My husband plays guitar and loves music. We thought it would be fun to go on a Rock'n Roll tour of Memphis. It was such a fantastic day. We went to the Rock'n Roll museum, the Gibson Guitar factory, and Sun Records. My husband practically drooled over the guitars and I found it really interesting to see how they make them. However, my favorite was the Sun Records tour. I had no idea how much talent came from Memphis.
Of course we know that is where Elvis Presley got his start but I had no idea Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, and Johnny Cash also signed with Sun Records. Very cool!
Furry Lewis
Highway 61 is considered the Blues Highway. It starts from New Orleans and ends in Minnesota. However, the Blues Highway is the stretch that runs through the Mississippi Delta. The junction of Highways 61 and 49 is considered the famous "Crossroads." This is where legendary blues player, Robert Johnson sold his soul to the Devil in order to master the blues.
As you cross into the Magnolia state
Mississippi is considered the Birthplace of Rock'n Roll. Blues and gospel music originated from the Mississippi Delta. Elvis Presley was also born in Tupelo, Mississippi. He grew up poor and around black families. Even when his family moved to Memphis, Elvis lived in a black area of town. This is where he fell in love and learned to sing gospel music.
Sam Phillips
At the time there was a studio called, Sun Records. A man named, Sam Phillips, started Sun Records for his own love of independent music. He had a reputation throughout the South for recording black soul music. This was unheard of at the time. Many black musicians traveled from Mississippi, New Olreans, and Memphis to get an opportunity to record for Mr. Phillips.
Really cool retro jukebox
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Four guitars signed by various musicians like U2, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Willie Nelson, etc.
Gibson Guitar Factory where you can see how guitars are made
Guitars belonging to B.B. King
Above the entrance to Sun Records Studio
Legendary Sun Studio where Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash got their starts.
My husband doing his best Elvis impersonation
B.B. King
Elvis
Drum set that U2 donated to Sun Records. They recorded their Rattle & Hum album there.
Actual room where Elvis, Johny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison U2 and many more recorded.
The original sign they used back in the 1950s
My feet standing where Elvis use to practice and record
I tried to get a picture of the cool retro soda counter inside of Sun Records but some dude photo bombed me. At least he smiling and cheerful. Look at that picture on the wall above the counter. The picture is of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johny Cash, and Elvis. Elvis happened to stop by when Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins were in the studio. They called Johnny Cash and all had a really cool jam session. If you go on the tour you'll be able to hear them play and discuss the music.
Hope y'all had a fantastic 4th of July holiday. My husband and I had an amazing holiday in Pacific Northwest. We decided to visit family and friends on the West Coast. Our first stop was California. We only had a few days before we hopped a flight up to Seattle.
We stayed at the Pan Pacific hotel located downtown Seattle. It was a awesome hotel and walking distance to practically everything we wanted to do. And conveniently there was a Whole Foods on the bottom floor where we stopped in for healthy snacks.
The views from the Space Needle were amazing and we couldn't have asked for better weather. It was truly a beautiful week.
One of the highlights of my trip was when we decided to visit the Public Market. The market was really crowded and as we were walking around we bumped into one of our old friends. She was visiting with her family and I couldn't believe we saw her. The last time I saw her was 10 years ago. She had her beautiful babies with her too. What a awesome surprise!!!
Where else can you see people dressed as dogs?
Love the fresh flowers. I buy flower arrangements for our house on a weekly basis. It's something that I've always done since I was in college. It makes me feel happy. How much would I love to have a place like this. Gorgeous!!!
