A Nighttime Bike Ride

Though it was actually a year ago tonight we were newly-wed, Chad and I have speent the last 5 days celebrating hardcore. We are so blessed to have access to Aunt B's beach house in Seaside and feel so thankful to get to spend time in this quaint little beach town. I have grown to love the various shops in Seaside over the past few years and literally can't get enough biking, shopping and eating while I'm down there escaping from the real world.

In typical Fuson fashion, Chad and I spent most of our trip eating our way down 30A. From lunches at the Wine Bar to our last night at Cfe 30A, I can honestly say, I had some of the best food I've ever eaten. I'll try not to get carried away, but I have to tell you that I discovered a "feta and cream cheese BLT" at the Wine Bar, and I am now obsessed. I also tried and loved oysters for the first time at Hurricane Oyster Bar and tasted the best crab cakes ever at Bud & Alleys. To burn off at least some of these delicious meals, we spent our days in the ocean and our nights riding bikes.

One night, on our way down to the pool, we rode by one of the many picture-perfect little Seaside families when we heard the most-hilarious mother/son conversation. Please try to imagine the squeel-ish shrill of the adorable 4 to 5-year-old little boy yelling this from the porch as his mother rode off on a bike leaving him with his brothers and sisters...

"MOMmmmmm! Should we go on a nightime bike ride?!?!"

His mother quickly shouted over her shoulder as she attempted to escape...

"No honey. I'm going to get your daddy something to drink."

Completely unphased, the little hyper-active baby model replied...

"MOMmmmmmm! Should I go with you?!?!"

By this point, Lance Armstrong couldnt have caught mom. Hilarious.

Don't ask me why, but repeating this got Chad and I tickled all week and also made us feel priviledged that yes, we could go on nighttime bike rides whenever we wanted.

Now for the pictures:

My computer is dying, but I might post more this week. Right now, though, I'm going to watch all 45 minutes of our wedding video. The first of many anniversary traditions. (I'm hoping the other ones all revolve around more beach trips :)

Being married to your best friend is the best thing ever.

One Down...

Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do birthdays. Nope, I do birthWEEKS. Months even. So naturally, when the mister and I began to near our first anniversary, a week's worth of celebrations was in order. What can I say? I like to celebrate!

I am literally bursting with excitement. I can't sit still. Tonight we will pack up the car with bags, bathing suits and our wedding cake topper to head to Seaside for a few days. Appropriately referred to as the Honeymoon part 2, this little getaway could not come at a more perfect time.

I once heard the saying "Gratitude is the attitude of a successful life." I could not agree with this statement any more and especially appreciate it in the context of marriage. I pray that over the next 60 years I continue to thank the Lord daily for the blessing of my sweet husband. It is truly overwhelming to love someone this much. I'm still obsessed.

A quick recap of June 26, 2010... a very happy day...

http://player.vimeo.com/video/18220208?title=0&byline=0&portrait=0&color=ffffff

And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

Lake Rat

Chad calls me this, I like to think lovingly, at least once a week. He's right. I am a lake rat. Truthfully, I'm trying to devise a plan to be one of those women who "summers" at the family vacation home. Sure, I might take a drive or two down to Seaside for a break from the bugs, but I could certainly see myself packing up the kids one day to "summer in Smithville." Ha.

Here are a few pictures of the first few weekends of summer. Unfortunately, my camera is dunzo, so expect nothing but camera-phone shots for a while. I'm tired of writing, so enjoy :)

And by the way, my new curtains came in! Yay!

Here's to the best summer ever!

Styles of Smithvegas

Last weekend, the mister and I were able to spend a few nights in Smithville, TN, a town maintaining the truest taste of Americanna. With only a Dairy Queen, Bumpers Drive-thru and a handful of mom-and-pop shops, this place still exudes the refreshing ambiance of small-town America. I may be a "big-city girl" these days, but as a Murfressboro girl, I'll always have  place inmy heart for the small towns of TN. Sure, Walmart and Handle Bars II are about the only places open after 9 pm in Smithvegas, but that's fine because the annual, world-renown Fiddler's Jamboree on 4th of July weekend provides enough excitement to last these folks most of the year. I can't wait!

Last Friday, whilst driving through "downtown" Smithville, which means "by the Walmart," I spotted something truly eye-catching  amongst the sea of beat-up trucks and broken-down sea doos that line the endless used-car lots along the main drag. Immediately mesmerized, I made Chad turn around and take me back. "Turn around! Turn around, now!" By the time we pulled in the lot, I could not wait to get out and take a closer look of this little treasure... my dream car.

This 1972, fully-restored Ford Bronco now has my heart. The thought of me driving this around the husband's farm one day, top taken off, wind in my hair... sounds like a great time! Unfortunately, fully-restored means that the pricetag is fully out of the our price range. Oh well.The funny thing is that as much as I loved it, Chad loved it even more. He kept talking for days about how he wanted to buy it for me so badly. To which I would reply, "stop saying that! It's mean. Quit being such a tease." In reality though, I think it's cute that he wants me to have it :) Maybe one of us will find an extra 15k lying around somewhere soon. I looked under the couch this morning... to no avail. Until then, I'll just keep this little beauty parked in Smithvegas and hopefully visit from time to time.