Arrivederci 2009!

As we say farewell to 2009 and get ready to ring in 2010 (a new decade already!) I would like to look back over the past year. Thanks Beth, for the idea!

2009:
1) Went to the US Military Inaugural Ball with my friend, Eric.
2)Met Jon Bon Jovi! (1 Bucket List Item)
3) Saw Billy Joel and Elton John in Atlanta with Bryan.
4) Celebrated Bryan's 27th birthday in Walt Disney World.
5) Saw Springsteen in Denver with my mom.
6) Saw Springsteen in Atlanta with Bryan.
7) Threw a lingerie shower for my friend, Heather in Colorado.
8) Adopted another "child," Marty, my maltese-yorkie mix.
9) Went to Heather's wedding in Colorado.
10) Celebrated one year of dating with Bryan at The Pier.
11) Saw Blondie and Pat Benatar at Mud Island
12) Travelled with Bryan to Colorado to visit my friends and family for a week.
13) Went to the Coors Brewery
14) Spent a week with my parents here in Tennessee
15) Introduced my parents to Bryan's parents
16) Went to a few UT football games (Go Vols!)
17) Spent a weekend in Nashville with Rachel and Lauren and little Kai.
18) Moved back to Memphis. YEA! I love it here!
19) Visited Shannon, Larae and Iris in Michigan.
20) Went to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame with Shannon and the girls (another Bucket List item)
21) Made mine and Bryan's Halloween costumes
22) Went to EmilyBlair and Brett's wedding in Oxford (it was one of the prettiest weddings I've seen)
23) Got a new job at Entercom Radio, which I love!
24) Spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my dad's whole family
25) Used my sewing maching A LOT
26) Held my first annual Cookie Swap party
27) Turned 27 (ugh), but like Bryan, I got to do it in Walt Disney World.
28) Went on a great vacation in Disney with my family and Bryan
29) Had a wonderful, [cold] white Christmas with my family in Colorado.
30) Got to spend time with Jake and Meagan, whom I used to baby-sit (they're now 15 and 13, this didn't help with turing 27)

It has been a wonderful year and I have been so blessed to have gotten to do all the things I've done over the past year. I can't wait to see what 2010 holds.

Happy New Year to all!

Office Shananigans

This is what happens when you're gone the week of Christmas:

ALL ABOUT STEVE!!!

Today I made the unfortunate mistake of telling my boss I have a blog. After hearing this, he proceeded to go on and read all my posts, with commentary. His first question was "Why haven't you blogged about me?" So, hear he is ladies and gentlemen....

STEVE WILLIAMS!!!

Steve is the Director of Strategic Sales and Marketing here at Entercom. He's originally from Missouri (GO CARDS!) where he attended Southeast Missouri State (go Redhawks!) and pledged Lambda Chi Alpha. While in college he also was a Presidential Ambassador and a student advisor to the North Central Accreditation Committee. Before coming to Memphis, he and his family lived in Orlando where Steve worked at Cox Communications, as a general sales manager. While there he earned the "Highest Growth" station award out of 85 Cox Communications stations.

He resides in Germantown with his wife Alison and their 2 kids, Katie and Steve, Jr. Steve even has a celebrity neighbor! Former Memphis Tigers football coach, Tommy West lives next door to the Williams family.

Steve says he's been told he looks like a young Harrison Ford, I say he looks like Crispin Glover as George McFly in Back to the Future. You decide:

P.S. Don't think I'm being mean by any of this. The man makes fun of me daily for playing the clarinet.

She's Crafty

Flatiron/curling iron covers:

Don't you hate when you travel and you need to pack your flatiron and/or curling iron and it's still hot? These cute little covers are insultated so you don't have to worry about throwing the the hot metal in with the rest of your stuff!

I made these for Lauren and Rachel for Christmas. They seemed really happy with them!

I'm so excited to go to Colorado tomorrow. It's snowing!! I will get a white Christmas.

Vacation

I've decided that a week long vacation at Christmas might not be the best idea. I'm struggling to get everything done before the big day. But, with that being said we did have a great time! I promise to post more pictures later but here' a preview:

Happy Birthday, Marty!

Today is little Marty's 1st birthday. I got him when he was 5 months old, so I haven't had him the full year, but the past 7 months have been wonderful!

New Blog

I have a new blog. Don't worry, I'm still going to keep us with this one. I wanted to do a blog devoted entirely to fashion, trends, etc. Check it out, tell me what you think!
Fashion Plate

Getting ready to go to Walt Disney World on Saturday with Bryan and my family to celebrate my birthday. Can't wait!

Thanksgiving

I'm a little late with this post, but I was waiting for my mom to e-mail me the pics. This year was a first for us: My dad's whole family convened at my parents' house in Colorado. Normally we spend Thanksgiving just the 4 of us. This year, however, we actually got all of us together. People came from all over. Here is the cast list for Thanksgiving 2009:

Me (duh) Memphis, TN

Sandy Heckman (my dad) Windsor, CO

Willma Heckman (my mom)Windsor, CO

Kyle Heckman (my little brother) Greeley, CO

Grandma (dad's mom) Quincy, IL

Chuck (dad's stepdad) Quincy, IL

Aunt Cindy (dad's sister) Salt Lake City, UT

Uncle Arlyn (Aunt Cindy's husband) Salt Lake City, UT

Aunt Tammy (dad's sister) North Hampton, MA
Uncle Thad (dad's brother) Carbondale, IL

Aunt Patty (Thad's wife) Carbondale, IL

Asa (Thad and Patty's son) Carbondale, IL

Sierra (Thad and Patty's daughter) Carbondale, IL

Sadly, there were a few people missing. Aunt Cindy and Uncle Arlyn's daughters and their familes couldn't make it. But there's always next year!

Here are some highlights:

Me with the second batch of pumpkin pie. The first one turned green. Note: Do not use Kroger brand pumpkin, always stick with Libby's.

Making the pie. This is a secret family recipe belonging to my great-aunt Willma (Mom's namesake). So, I cannot share. However, if you want a good recipe my friend, Leslie made one during her pie week. I'm sure it's delish.

Kyle and I doing the "Tonto" dance. What can we say? We're both hams and we like to have fun. You should've seen us swing dancing. It's a very weird feeling when you're little brother gets big enough to pick you and and throw you in the air. (Let me make it clear that this was to the tune of "In the Mood," while we were dancing. He wasn't beating me up.) Aunt Patty and Sierra are cracking up over us.

Asa, Sierra, me, Aunt Patty, Kyle and Uncle Arlyn eating our yummy dinner. The grandkids and in-laws sat in the kitchen so Grandma could eat with all her kids in the dining room, since it's so are she has them all together.

From left-right, front row:Uncle Thad, Grandma, my Dad second row: Aunt Cindy, Aunt Tammy

Grandma and (almost) all her grandkids.

It was a great holiday, and I hope we make it an annual thing!

D.I.Y not?

I am still in the process of decorating my townhome. I don't have it near to what I want it to be ( Ikeep thinking of more and more things to do). I really hate my coffee table. It's Queen Anne, "early garage sale" style. I've had it since college and it's seen better days. So, as I was looking for a new one. I ran across this idea:

So, that gave me an idea. I have my grandmother's hopechest. It's always been at the foot of my bed. But, I got to thinking it hold all the extra throwns and blankets I use when I'm on the couch. So, shouldn't it be downstairs? Again, I'm not near done decorating. But, I thought it looked at home in the living room.

Thoughts and opinions please.

New Job!

Yes, I have abandoned my blog. Not to make excuses, but I have good reason. 1: I got a job! Yea! I am now an account executive for Entercom Radio. In other words, I work for FM100 and ESPN FM. 2: I have been very ill which caused me to miss two days during my first week. Great timing, huh? Anyway, I love my new job. I am still training, but from what I've experienced so far it's awesome. The company is so organized with their training. I have a weekly agenda, and I know what I need to get done. This is great because I don't sit around and wait for someone to tell me what to do next. Anyway, I will blog more later. Back to work!

Fun Halloween Weekend in Oxford

This weekend we were in Oxford for the wedding of our friends Emily James and Brett Brown. Otherwise known as the James/Brown wedding. We all had a lot of fun with that one! The rehearsal dinner was at the Downtown Grille on the square and was wonderful despite the rain. God smiled on us and blessed the couple on Saturday with a goregeous, sunny day. The ceremony was beautiful. The recetion was at the Castle Hills Resort. It was amazing. We had a great time. Thursday, we went to a costume party in downtown Memphis. Even though Bryan didn't win the costume contest (boo!) we had a good time. We even went out on the square in Oxford Saturday night after the wedding so he could sport his costume on actual Halloween. What a great weekend! I love autumn! Rehearsal dinner (I love this picture!) The bouquet (I love how she had peacock feathers in all her flowers) Collin "slipping" the garter on my leg

Candy station at the reception for us to "trick or treat"

Bryan giving his very sweet (and a little humorous) toast One of the wonderful outdoor heaters me with the beautiful bride

Marty McFly Me trying to make my best Zuul face

The new "like"

There are two phrases I've heard way too often lately and I can't stand them. "Or whatver" and "I know, right?" Ugh! People use "or whatever" as a filler all the time now. I think it's the "like" that was used way too often in the nineties. The phrase, "I know, right?" makes me want to run down the street screaming and pull all my hair out. I believe these two phrases need to be taken out of the English language. Am I blowing this out of proportion, or am I right in thinking it sounds a little uneducated? Opinions, please.

Secret Memphis Treasure

This weekend when Bryan and I were at a Halloween party, we were told about an estate sale we should go check out. So, Sunday we went to the Annesdale house right at the corner where Lamar and Central meet. What a gem! The house is goregeous and you'd never know it was there. The house is going up for sale, I hope whoever buys it does something really cool. It would make a great B & B or a great wedding venue. There was an article written about it in The Memphis Flyer on Friday.

Front of the house

Side view

Driveway

Potential Seamstress?

As I have yet to land a job (I do have a third interview with Entercom Communications today, cross your fingers!) I have kept myself busy with lots of projects. I know people always say if they didn't work they'd go crazy with boredom. Well, I don't know who these people are because everyday I have tons of stuff on the to-do list and never get it all done. Cooking, baking and sewing have become regular items on the to-do list. I especially like sewing. This is what I've made so far:

quilted fall pot holder

quilted pot holder in the making

vests for Larae and Iris' halloween costumes

(they're going as Flying Monkeys from The Wizard of Oz) see future post

I made my dress and sewed on the patches on Bryan's. We went as Zuul and Venkman from

Ghostbusters. I think I made the dress pretty similar.

Bryan is crafty, too! He made his proton pack for his costume from scratch.

It even lights up. He did an amazing job, I'm so proud of him! Everyone keeps

telling him he should make props at a studio. Someone at the party we went to

thought he rented it, what a compliment!

They're identical!!

One More for the Bucket List

Last week, I was in Michigan visiting my best friend (actually she's more like a big sister). We had so much fun playing with her girls Larae (8) and Iris (6), they're so cute! We carved pumpkins, watched movies, colored (in case you didn't know I don't need kids around for an excuse to color) but Monday we did one of my Bucket List items. We took the girls out of school (which they thought was so cool) and drove to Cleveland and went to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. It was amazing. If you love any form of rock (classic, oldies, etc) and memorbilia you need to go. Of course the main reason I wanted to go is that there is a temporary Bruce Springsteen exhibit. It was amazing. There were 2 whole floors of Bruce "stuff." It was all from him private collection, there was even a scrapbook from his 19th birthday. Everything was original, old notebooks with lyrics, clothes, instruments, everything you can think of. Unfortunately, you can't take pictures but I did sneak a few on my phone. Afterwards, we took the girls to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. I figured it was the only place to eat after experiencing the hall of fame.

Larae playing soccer. The blonde in purple in the middle.

Iris playing goalie.

Larae and Iris with the pumpkins they carved.

Mine's the monster in the middle.

The Bruce exhibit. And I now realize this sweater isn't

very flattering.

The outfit from the Born in the USA album.

She's my cherry pie

Last night I decided to make a cherry pie for dessert. I'd never made one before and when I had to do the crust I got creative. It turned out really good and delicious!


Filling: sweet black cherries, sugar and flour

Crust: leaf cookie cutters

Voila! The finished product

Put on my blue suede shoes...

After 3 jobs falling through in Knoxville, and no other prospects I have made a decision: I am moving back to Memphis! I figured this is the best time to do it and after over a year of Bryan and I commuting back and forth it's time to make a move, literally. There are so many things I love about Memphis so I decided to list a few:
1) The trees in bloom in the spring on Belvedere in Central Gardens.
2) Grissanti's in Embassy Suites
3) The Collierville Square
4) The Zoo
5) The Enchanted Forest
6) Shelby Farms (especially these swings that Kyle and I discovered when we were little that have handles to "pump" the swing for you)
7) Getting a drink at the Peabody and then going up to the roof and seeing the whole city
8) BBQ (need I say more?)
9) The shopping (there are so many great little local shops in Memphis)
10) The fact that there are more songs with Memphis mentioned in them than any other city.

There are over 850 songs with Memphis mentioned in them. I noticed there are a lot of duplicates because many artists have covered the same song. You can see them all listed here.
(Memphis Lives in Me by Bon Jovi is GREAT.)

I have loved my time in Knoxville and it is a great city but I am so excited to go back to the homeland! I know my friends who aren't from Memphis might not quite understand my enthusiasm, but I know all my fellow Memphians will join me in my excitement.

Fried green battery

Whatever you do, DO NOT charge your cell phone on a cheap car charger from Target. I found out too late that this can fry your battery. As a result of this, I had to get a new phone because they don't make my phone (or the battery for it) anymore. Of course my upgrade is not until December, but Jay at Verizon helped me get a very nice one for not too much. I hope everyone learns from my mistake!

Fall has fell

Ok, I realize that fall is technically not here yet. But, it's pretty darn close. I've seen a few trees with leaves that have turned a lovely shade of red and I went to the first UT game of the season yesterday. Also, since it is now September I have broken out the boots. It's fall, y'all. This makes me so excited! It is my absolute favorite season. So bring on the orange, the pumpkins, the leaves, the sweaters, and most importantly the football. I am ready!
What are everyone's favorite things about fall? Or do you call it autumn?

Safe travel

I have the opportunity to go to either Israel in February on a tour that Mike Huckabee is doing, or to Colombia with Compassion International in June to visit Melanny, the little girl I sponsor. I realize safety is an issue. Any thoughts about which is safer? Just so you know, they are both guided tours. I wouldn't just be wandering around by myself.

I'm a Hungry Girl

So, after a month of travelling/visiting Bryan/just plain being lazy and enjoying summer, I have completely abandoned working out and of course while on vacation I eat more and never healthy. Now that summer is coming to a close and I'm back in a routine, I decided it was time to get back to cooking and making healthier choices. I went to Barnes and Noble and found the best cookbook. The Hungry Girl cookbook is AMAZING! It has great recipe ideas for simple things that we all like to eat anyway, adjusted so they're healthier. The best part is all the recipes make just 1 or 2 servings. So far, I've made lox and cream cheese tortilla roll up (yummy for breakfast!), chicken tortilla soup, mini pizzas and banana fritters with sweet cream cheese icing. Yes, I know all this sounds too good to be true but they include all the nutrition facts for what you're making. The key is all the recipes are made with ingredients that have extra fiber, less fat and less sugar. Go check it out!

Marty

Let me preface this post with an apology to my friends who read my blog, Facebook, MySpace and whom I send e-mails to. You've probably already heard this.

Ok, I've become one of "those" dog owners. I have entered Marty in a contest to win a million dollars. The Cutest Dog Competition is an online contest where people can vote once, daily and the winner of that week (there are 4 weekly contests) wins $500. The final winner gets a million. I figured, why not? Seriously, people. You all know that Marty is the cutest dog you've ever seen. I know I'm slightly biased but he is so doggone cute! (pun intended). I did speak to Libby about this, and she is totally ok with it. She supports her brother and said it's really not her thing anyway. Gosh! I really have become one of "those" haven't I?! Anyway, there's a link on the sidebar where you can vote for Marty or you can go here.

Please vote! And please tell you friends to vote and have their friends and their friends and so on.

Love this!

Just found this great website, Modcloth.com Lots of cute, unique clothes with a vintage look. Thet also have some authentic vintage clothes. Just bought this sweater vest:
When I was in LA, Lisa and I went to Loehmann's in Pasadena. I got this BB Dakota dress:

Too bad I'm not an Auburn on Gator fan (perish the thought!) it'd be perfect for a game. I don't think sandals do it much justice. I think pumps are much better (I always prefer heels, they make my legs look longer and I have better posture). So, I paired it with these:

Any thoughts?