Under the boardwalk, down by the sea...

...on a blanket with my baby, is where I'll be.

I am so excited for this weekend. Although I am not into Valentine's Day in the sense that I go all out buying a gift for WEG and expect roses and/or a gift for him, I do like to do something where it's just the two of us.

This year we are going to Fripp Island! We had thought about going to Charleston to stay with his sister & her boyfriend and go to the Southeastern Wildlife Expo, but Monday he asked me if I wanted to do something just us instead.

We narrowed it down to the mountains or Fripp, and decided on Fripp because 1) we have been wanting to go with all of our friends but couldn't find a date that worked and 2) it's a free place to stay since his family owns a house down there...on second row, so right at the beach!!

I know it probably won't be warm enough to do anything more than maybe walk on the beach, but it will be nice to get away, with no obligations or things to do. We can sleep late and do whatever we want, basically! I'm sure WEG will cook a great dinner on Saturday night and we'll be able to just enjoy each other's company.

If you've never been to Fripp or even heard of it, it's a small island in Beaufort County that has been made into a resort. There's no commercialization whatsoever. The island has a few shops and a marina and restaurants, but it's all private. Nobody that isn't staying there can come on the island. There are deer that roam all over the island and they will come up to you if you have food. You're not really supposed to feed them, but we do (shame on us, I know).

We went this summer with our friends, and I will post a few of the pictures below- of the deer, etc. I can't wait! Now I'm off to make my list of what to take for the weekend- yes, I'm severely Type A and can't function without a list for EVERYTHING!

I feel so loved!

100 followers- wow! Back in October when I started this blog, I never would have thought I'd make it to 100. Thank you all for caring enough to read my random ramblings every day. I enjoy each and every one of your blogs!

And speaking of 100, I am over halfway to 100 posts. Not much longer and I'll be hosting a giveaway for that milestone- I just hope it's half as good as the rest of your giveaways...I'll have to put some thought into it, so maybe I'll start thinking now.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday!! I don't have much to blog about today!

Congratulations, HP!

I just wanted to send a great big CONGRATULATIONS!!! to my friend, Holly. She just got a HUGE promotion at work. She worked her butt off for this, and nobody deserves it more than she does! Way to go, Holls- love ya!! :-)

Happy birthday, Dad!

Today I wanted to wish a happy birthday to my dad, one of the kindest, most Christian men who has ever lived..and I don't just say this because he is my dad.

The words of Alan Jackson's song, Small Town Southern Man, fit my father very well.

Born the middle son of a farmer

and a small town southern man

Like his daddy's daddy before him

brought up working on the land

Fell in love with a small town woman

And they married up and settled down

Natural way of life if you're lucky for a small town southern man

And he bowed his head to Jesus

And he stood for Uncle Sam

And he only loved one woman

(He) was always proud of what he had

He said his greatest contribution

Is the ones you leave behind

Raised on the ways and gentle kindness

Of a small town Southern man

Raised in a little town all his life, my dad only left briefly to attend and graduate from the University of South Carolina, then returned home to work on the family farm. Many of you probably know how tough farming is in the South, and if you're not farming cotton, then you never know how lucrative your crops will be from one season to the next. So, farming wasn't enough to support his small family and my dad had to get out of farming. But I'll never forget the days as a child when I used to ride out to the farm with my Poppy to take my dad lunch or an afternoon snack. The first thing I ever drove was a combine, proudly sitting on my dad's lap.

Things have changed over the years and daddy doesn't farm anymore, but he's still that same small town southern man. If the man I marry one day is half the man my father is, I'll be happy. It only takes a trip to church on Sunday to see how respected my dad is in the community. He's chair of the deacons at church, goes on every church mission trip to West Virginia and Louisiana, takes part in bible studies at church, Loaves of Love where they feed needy families in the town, and teaches English as a Second Language on Sunday evenings. He's been a member of the Masons and Lions Club in the town and has served as mayor and on the town council.

My dad really cares about people and it shows in everything he does. If I can one day make the sort of contributions to a community that he makes, I will consider my life well-lived. My dad has taught me many things throughout my lifetime, and I hope I will be able to pass those things along to someone else one day.

I love you, Daddy- I hope you have a great day!!

Polka Dotted Owl's Giveaway

If you haven't already been over to the Polka Dotted Owl's blog- head over there now to check out her giveaway.
The theme is love and if you go over and tell her why you're either in love or not in love with love, you can get yourself entered in the contest to win the following:

1. A monogrammed purse/tote.
2. One year free subscription to Lucky Mag.
3. Bath & Body (your choice of scent): (1) lotion, (1)shower gel, (1)butter cream lotion, and (1)spray.
4. Sephora: Schweppes Sparkling Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm 15 SPF.
5. Sephora: Bare Escentual: Buxom Babes Lip Polish Duo Featuring Destiny and Amber.
6. Sephora: Korres Mastiha and Natural Clay Mask/ Dermatologically tested and mineral oil free.
7. Color of your choice: (2) O.P.I nail polishes.
8. And other lil' yummie suprises:)

What a great giveaway- hurry over!!

It just makes cents (and dollars)

With all the talk lately about the economy and finances being foremost in many of our minds, I am writing today to see if you can help. I am looking into a savings account- I know, I know...I should have had one of these before this point in my life, but I don't.

I was careless with money in college and accumulated quite a bit of credit card debt, which I have been whittling down, slowly but surely. I have decided, though, that I need a savings account so that money I save can at least be earning interest...even if it's a small amount.

I have just started a budget spreadsheet for myself and I feel like I will have a good amount left over each month to put into savings to gain interest and eventually completely pay off the credit card and my student loan. On top of that, I'd like to put my tax refund check in savings now, so that I can use it towards several weddings I have coming up.

On that note, I am completely clueless when it comes to these matters....so, once again, I am looking to you ladies for advice (what in the world did I do before I had a blog??).

Do you have a savings account, and if so, is it through your bank or through another, higher interest source?? My bank is BB&T and I have researched their savings plan which seems to be pretty good. However, I have found other banks on the internet that have a much higher interest rate...I'm just skeptical whether my money would be safe. Any advice or knowledge you have about this would be great!! Y'all never let me down :-)

Illegally blonde..where are you?

I clicked on your old link- nonblondeditz.blogspot.com- earlier and it sent me to some website about cash for loans. What is your new blog address so that I can add it?
Or if anybody knows where Illegally Blonde of Could've Been Blonde is, please let me know!!