Where I've been...

Sorry I've been AWOL lately.  Things are busy at work with "Tax Season, Part II" in full swing.  This means that corporate and partnership returns we extended in March and April are now due on September 15th (or 17th this year--thanks, Emancipation Day for making tax season longer yet again).

I've been very busy at work for the last two weeks.  I feel like people are pulling me in every possible direction to get their work done before someone else's work.  I'm also trying to put in extra hours so I can leave early on Friday, but I don't think that's going to happen.

I'm hopefully going to Gatlinburg this weekend with Mother, Daddy and Emma.  I'm going to take my DSLR, so maybe I'll manage to get some decent shots of Emma.  She did just get a haircut, so you can see her eyes for a change.  Also, since she looks more like a squirrel than a bear, maybe we won't have to worry as much about her being taken in by the Mama Bear (yes, we have a bear and two cubs at our condo) as a wayward cub?

Please bear with me until after September 15.  I'm really hoping that October 15 (individual returns that were extended are due) will not be as bad for me since I only have three individual clients as of now (knock on wood!)

Florence Fun

I spent the weekend in Florence again visiting with my family and trying to help Mom.  It's always good to go back home and visit with friends and family.  Even though I'm always quite tired from getting home late, I'm so glad every time I get the chance to go home.  Sorry, but no pictures during this trip.  The only picture-worthy moment was when I was alone with Grandaddy and I'm not very good at self-portraits.  To be honest, my camera was the last thing on my mind during those precious moments.

It's funny how confused I make people when I say I'm going home.  Home has multiple meanings to me--my house here in Brentwood, Florence and specifically my parent's house.  I've taken to saying I'm going "home to Alabama" when I'm at work because so many people were confused and didn't understand that I was going home to Florence instead of home to Brentwood.  This probably makes no sense--oh, well...

Friday, traffic was awful, as per usual especially on a Friday night.  There was a wreck at my exit, so I had to get off the interstate two exits early and work my way through a few neighborhoods to get home.  Once I finally got there, I had to get my things together and get Emma ready for a car ride.  I don't know how a "child" (yes, she's my fur child) of mine can hate to ride in the car so much.  It's not that I love it, but I'm in the car so much that I've learned to accept is as a necessary evil--and a two hour drive is SO much better than the 4+ hour drive to Auburn.  Emma, however, hates any and all car rides with a passion.  She shakes and whines every time (except for a few very nerve-wracking times when Daddy lets her sit beside him instead of in her crate).  Also, as I was loading the car, my 7 year old neighbor wanted to play with Emma.  She's not too fond of this little boy, but I didn't want to be rude, so I let her play for a minute before finally getting to leave Nashville.  By this point, it was after 7PM.  I spent a good bit of the drive talking to my good friend Molly and, before I knew it, I was in Florence.  I watched some TV with Daddy while we waited for Mother to get home from putting Grandaddy to bed.  Not long after, we all went back to the bedrooms and I read for a while before going to sleep.

Saturday, Emma decided she needed to visit Mother and Daddy sometime between 3 and 5 o'clock (I couldn't see the clock from the bed without my glasses) in the morning.  After fussing at her for a while, I finally put her in bed with Mother and went back to sleep.  When I did decided to get up, it was time to start the laundry and do a few other things around the house.  I also ran to Muscle Shoals to our Vet to get Emma her "special" food.  She's delicate, so she needs "special" food---actually, it's just something that she will eat!! After that, I visited with Grandaddy and fed him lunch.  In between sitting with him in the living room and the den, I made him shave.  Sometimes, I'm the only one that he will listen to.  It was so nice to have some quality time with him, though.  Grams and I were/are hand holders, so it's nice to sit with him and hold his hand like she and I used to do.  I went home for a while before coming back to tuck him in to bed.  It about broke my heart when he said he couldn't go to bed because he didn't know where Grams was.  Thankfully, I got him to sleep without many more questions and Mother and I were able to go back home.

Sunday, I went to choir practice and church.  I also managed to get a lesson on pie crusts aided by napkins and reading glasses!!  It was pretty funny, but an effective lesson nonetheless!  I'll have to try out my new skills this weekend and report back on my progress.  I'm always so glad to get the opportunity to sing with my choir friends.  I'm already looking forward to learning this year's Christmas Cantata.  I also heard that the Back-to-Choir party might be hoppin' this year--I think I'll need to take off early for that party! :)

After lunch, it was back to Grandaddy's house.  I'm sure he doesn't remember it now, but it was so peaceful to sit on the sofa with him, hold his hand and rest my head on his shoulder.  Definitely a memory to cherish!

I needed a little Sunday afternoon nap before heading back to Nashville.  Emma is getting a haircut, so I made the return trip alone.  If I didn't think I had OCD before, it was confirmed when I couldn't sleep because I hadn't completely unpacked.  Once I unpacked (and scrubbed my kitchen with Clorox wipes), it was time for bed.  I think I checked four times that I'd turned my alarm back on (I did), but it always worries me after a weekend.

This weekend was over much too soon!  I'm so looking forward for Labor Day Weekend and an extra day off from work!

Two Years

I wrote this last week and intended to publish it on August 16.  Obviously, I got sidetracked and just remembered to post it.  That's what I get for setting it aside to proofread later!

Today marks two years since I started my career as an accountant.  Sometimes it seems like it's been forever since I graduated from Auburn for the second time, packed up my house and five years of memories and headed north to start the next chapter of my life.

I was driving down Old Hickory Boulevard earlier this week headed home and remembered how I felt when I drove down that road for the first time headed to my new apartment and my new life in the "city".  Since I've lived in the Brentwood area the entire time I've been here, I don't really feel right saying I live in the city.   I was nervous and excited all at the same time.  I can't say I had the *greatest* time in college, but I did make friends that I hope will be in my life forever and we were suddenly no longer ten minutes away anymore and that was more than enough to make me sad about leaving Auburn.

Moving to Nashville was not part of my five year plan (Yes, I've had a five year plan for as long as I've know what a five year plan is.).  I was supposed to live in Birmingham like the majority of my classmates (It's almost 50/50 Birmingham/Atlanta in a graduating MAc class), but for a combination of reasons, moving to Birmingham just wasn't in the cards for me.  At the time, I was thrilled to get any job within two hours of home since the economy was so bad.  I was so tired of being told I needed 3-5 years of experience or getting letters saying they would keep my resume on file despite my internship and good grades.  It was a really low point when I was two months away from graduation and still didn't have a job.  Things happened quickly when I got this job, but I got a job and that's the most important thing even if I'm not where I originally planned to be. 

Nashville might not be my forever home, but it's home for now and for that I am grateful.

Weekend Recap

Whew, I had a busy weekend--here's what I did:

Friday afternoon, I headed home to get Emma and we went to a dog park one exit down from my house in Brentwood.  I really liked this dog park even though it was quite a trek for tiny legs just to get there.  Emma had the best time barking at the dogs in the "big dog" dog park!  We were alone most of the time we were there, so she could walk around and sniff without being chased by other dogs.  This was our first time to visit this park, but we'll be back for sure!

I had to be sneaky with my video camera--she always stops doing whatever she's doing when she sees a camera!

Unfortunately for Emma, a trip to the dog park also meant a bath.  She hates the bath part, but loves the hairdryer afterwards!  She feels so soft after being brushed out and bathed--if she liked it even a tiny bit, I'd bathe her every day!

Saturday was our lazy day.  I did some laundry in between napping and watching TV.  I got a second wind around 10PM and scrubbed my bathroom for a while including some time on my hands and knees cleaning baseboards--what a Saturday night, right?  I also made pie crust in my new food processor.  I don't know why, but I'm always almost out of butter while I have plenty of margarine.  Thankfully, I had three sticks left which was just enough to make three pie crusts.  I whipped these up and then stuck them in the fridge per Martha Stewart's directions.  I also knitted another square for a blanket my work knitting group is making.  I think we have about 30 squares now and need 19 more to finish our 7x7 blanket.  I've got to stop trying to do complicated things and just pick a pattern I can finish without too much thought!

Sunday was a very busy day.  I went to church and then hit the ground running.  First, I grabbed some lunch and went to work to try to finish a few projects.  Things didn't go as I'd hoped, but I still got about three hours in.  Then, I went to Home Depot to have some spare keys made--that reminds me, I need to make sure they actually work since I seem to have a problem with new keys every time I have them made.  Then, I went to the grocery.  I don't know how I manage to spend $75 and barely have anything to eat.  I did get ingredients for the two pies I made later in the day and several "staple" ingredients (milk, eggs, butter, etc.), but I had to think about what I actually had to make for dinner. 

After unpacking the groceries, I set out to make my pies.  I decided to make a chicken pot pie for a coworker with a new baby and also to make a chocolate meringue pie to share at work.  I've made the chicken pot pie several times in the past, but I've always used store bought crust.  I had more difficulty rolling out the crust and then transferring it to the pan than I expected.  I tried using parchment paper and then tried my silpat, but neither worked as well as I had hoped.  I think my dough was too warm at first and then too cold after a few minutes in the refrigerator.  At least I got the pie made and I wasn't too embarrassed to give it away this morning.  The chocolate pie was a little more difficult since the crust was definitely too warm when I finished working with it.  I still managed to produce something that was eaten at work, but I didn't flute the edges or do anything else pretty with it.  I have to admit, I did a little happy dance when I peeked at it in the oven.  It may not be perfect, but it looks quite good for a first attempt if I do say so myself!  Grams would be proud of me for trying to replicate her recipe!

I'm not going to quit my day job to become a food photographer anytime soon!

My kitchen was an absolute disaster when it was all said and done last night.  I tried to clean as I went, but I still had a completely full dishwasher and then more dishes to wash by hand.  I think I used every one of this set of bowls from Williams-Sonoma--the best kitchen purchase I've made in a long time!!

All in all, it was a good weekend.  I wish it lasted for another day or two, but that's just not in my control!  Now that I've made pie crust (#1 on my summer projects list) it's time to tackle yeast rolls (#2 on the summer project list).  I've had trouble with these in the past, but maybe I'll have better luck this time!

Birthday Present

I received the last "big" kitchen appliance I was without for my birthday--a food processor!  A perfect 25th Birthday gift, in my opinion.  Thanks again, Uncle Mark!!

After getting over the initial intimidation factor when I opened the box and there were pieces I didn't recognize, I decided what I would make first with my new "toy"...

pizza dough

(Thanks to Bonnie for the recipe!)

I followed the receipe pretty closely, but I substituted bread flour for the wheat flour (It's not that I don't like wheat, but I can't eat it.)  I think it would probably be fine with only all-purpose flour as well.  I think this is a "use what you have" receipe!

After a little problem with the handle on the food processor bowl pointed away from me rather than towards me, I couldn't get over how easy it was to make pizza dough.  I think this is going to be my new favorite kitchen appliance.

I was plesantly surprised when my dough began to rise since I have been known to have a problem with killing yeast.  Thankfully, my dough rose nicely and I divided it and put in in the fridge to rest overnight.

When I got home last night, I set my ball of dough out to come to room temperature and then preheated my oven and pizza stone.  I tried rolling out my dough one of my silpats because I thought it would be easier to transfer to the oven, but I was mistaken.  I'm going to have to work on that.

It needed more sauce, so I put it on the side!  Also, I was sitting down and ready to eat before I remembered I needed to take a picture.  At 8PM, I didn't care about putting much effort in to the picture!

My pizza turned out very well for a first attempt.  I have since decided that I needed more sauce and cheese, but I was working from experience with homemade pizzas on tortillas where you definitely can have too much sauce.  I also think my storebought sauce needs more flavor.  I have some spices from Ricatoni's that I think I'm going to sprinkle on the pizza tonight since I really don't want to go to the grocery again tonight!

I'm making another pizza tonight after Body Pump, so we'll see if I can improve take #2.  I'll keep you posted!

Happy Birthday to ME!!

I started off my day far too early--I convinced myself that I'd slept through my alarm and was going to be late to work. The thing is, it was only 4AM. Thankfully, I checked my phone before getting in the shower an went back to sleep!

One of the girls I work with brought brownies and another brought *almost* Culpepper's donuts. If I say they are almost Culpepper's, that means they are good. I think Shipley's is a good substitute since I'll never get another Culpepper's donut--I still blame Krispy Kreme, but that's another story for another time.

Mother and Daddy came up to Nashville for lunch. We went to a restaurant near Vanderbilt called Chuy's with a few of my coworkers. I definitely ate too much and was throughly embarrassed when the waitress sang to me in front of a bunch of random Belmont (we think) students.

I was so full that I didn't get much done this afternoon, but I'll catch up later this week. I was definitely ready to head home to see sweet Emma. I'm so glad she's back home!

I had dinner a while ago and now I'm cleaning house and watching shows on my DVR. Sounds fun, huh? I couldn't stand the mess from my trip to Florence, so had to unpack an finish putting things away.

I've had such sweet messages from friends today who have made me feel so special! I'm so lucky that I have such great people in my life!!

So far, day 1 of year 25 has been pretty good! Here's to the best year yet!

Goodbye Early 20s

I just realized that I won't be in my early 20s when I wake up tomorrow. I'd thought about the whole quarter-century thing, but I hadn't thought about this!

I've seen several pictures from Facebook of girls moving into their new dorm rooms and I can't help but remember that 7 years ago tonight, I was getting ready to move into my dorm room in Broun Hall. Crazy how time flies, right?!?

I wonder where I'll be in 7 more years?

25 Things...

I saw this article on someone's Facebook.  I don't usually ready the Huffington Post, but this definitely resonated with me even if I don't agree with every part of the article.

There are definitely things that I know now that I wish my 17 year old self would have known before leaving for Auburn.  I was feeling bad about everything that was a part of my "five year plan" at some point and what I had hoped to accomplish by this time in my life, but I had to sit back and look at what I have accomplished.  I have two college degrees, I've passed one of the hardest professional exams that exists, I've started my career, I've moved to a new city all by myself, I've bought a house and I have friends that make my life so much richer.  It sounds like alot, I really do know it is alot, but I'm still not where I wanted to be in my "perfect" world on the eve of 25.

As Number 25 says, "There's so much you don't know yet."  I wonder how I will feel in five years when I'm on the cusp of...gasp...30?

Homeward Bound

I've been counting down the hours until I can hop on I 65-South for another trip to Florence. This time, I'm celebrating a big milestone with my family...my 25th Birthday.

I'm definitely NOT getting a cake like this!!

I don't have much planned for the weekend, but I'm determined to make the most of it since I have to work for the first time EVER on my birthday.  I managed to make it all the way through school with only a 1/2 day in school since I spent the morning getting my driver's license.  Oh, well...gotta put on my big girl panties and get over not seeing Mother and Daddy on my day.

I'm so glad to visit with Grandaddy again this weekend.  He won't remember that it's my birthday, but he's never made a big deal about birthdays in the past, so I won't be upset that he doesn't remember this year.  Birthdays were always Grams' time to spoil us--she took care of making each of our favorite cakes/pies and also made our favorite meals for our Saturday family lunch.

I've got a hair appointment in the morning--I may or may not have done a little begging to get an appointment at the last minute!  I'll feel so much better when I don't have horrible roots anymore!

I'm taking the ingredients and my pan home to make caramel brownies per Mother's request and I'm hoping to make a caramel cake if I can convince someone to help me make it.  I always made it with Grams and I don't think I'm coordinated enough to stir two pots at once without burning the sugar in one of the pans.

I'll go to church on Sunday and then I guess I'll have to head back to Nashville.  I'd like to stay all night and drive back in time for work, but that just won't work since Emma is FINALLY coming back to stay with me.  I think she, Mother and Daddy are going to have some serious withdrawal issues!

Time to hit the road!  I'll be back early next week with a recap of the weekend and my actual birthday on Monday!  Have a great weekend!