THE GOOD LIFE

Guys. Life is great. I've spent the past 10 days in pure happiness, starting with a trip to Ole Miss. Patrick and I went to Oxford for Double Decker weekend (huge art festival with outdoor concerts all day Saturday) and even though the forecast said 80% chance of rain throughout the day, it held off until 11pm, just in time for our walk home from the bars. As always, it's great to be in Oxford. Definitely have developed a special place in my heart for it! Last week brought both our birthdays - I am May 1 and he is May 2! I spent the day celebrating with co-workers at a fun lunch, then out with my best friends at Puckett's Grocery. This weekend was the long-awaited Kentucky Derby and although it rained and was miserably cold, we made the most of it, thanks to an excellent stroke of luck and getting access to the Jockey Club.

 A wonderful weekend in Oxford for Double Decker.

 Birthday flowers from my co-workers

 Puckett's Grocery for a birthday dinner - such a fun scene.

Me and my main squeeze celebrating our back-to-back birthdays.

 Best friends.

 Derby weekend!

 Our view from the Jockey Club

 Great host, even better friend :)

Hope you all are having a great start of the week!

Weekend Review - Home Again

There really is nothing like going home and seeing the friends and families you grew up with. This past weekend, I was home for a wedding, but it was so wonderful to be in Champaign, even if it felt like hardly any time at all. While my time was incredibly limited, I still managed to pack in a lot. On Saturday morning I woke up early to spend time with my mom, tour her garden, and eat waffles with the family. We went to our favorite girls' soccer game and watched both of them score goals. I saw my two friends get married, and in between the ceremony and reception, stopped by the Hobbs' for a Derby party to visit with more family and friends. By 6:00 we were back to the country club for an evening of - no joke - non stop dancing to Maggie Speaks. Sunday brought church and brunch on the club with the family - so wonderful. It was such a lovely and perfect weekend, and reminded me of how lucky I am to have such a great hometown to go back to. I'm not sure when my next visit will be, but hopefully it is before Thanksgiving! That's just a little too long to go without some Champaign loving :)

Our two soccer stars

Mint Juleps in honor of the Derby

My horse bets

Best friends dancing to Maggie Speaks... Christy couldn't look more beautiful!