Fall Festivities // Rocky Horror, Hayrides & Pumpkins

This past weekend was full of so many fun fall activities. I don't know how we packed them all into 3 days! 

Friday night was the Rocky Horror  Masquerade Ball at the Alabama Theatre. This was my first year going, so I was a rookie. Thankfully my amazing friend Mary-Kate got us tickets (she was a judge for the costume contest) and she let me know what to expect! To say it was amazing is an understatement. There were people dressed up as everything you could imagine. From Mrs. Doubtfire to  Bob Ross and Ace Ventura to Thor. My sister, Erin, dressed up as Bob Ross. He is famous for being the painter on PBS in the 90's. "Happy Trees" and "Turn those mistakes into birds" became his catch-phrases! 

 Erin entered the costume contest, but sadly did not place in the top three. She was robbed! I thought her costume was one of the best! I dressed up as Black Widow from The Avengers. Only a few people knew who I was. Oh, well. Can't win them all! 

 

The whole Rocky Horror production was amazing. They have the movie playing in the background and the actors act the scenes out. The audience gets VERY into it. Before it starts, you have the option of buying a "prop bag" which has a bunch of stuff you can throw during the performance. For example, when Janet and Brad are at a wedding, the audience throws rice. I feel bad for the people who have to clean the theatre after Rocky Horror, but man was it fun throwing bread, rice, and toilet paper! It was truly a great night and everyone was in the Halloween spirit!

My parents were babysitting the twins this weekend while Ryan and Kristin were at a wedding, so we decided to take them out to Hayden, AL to the Great Pumpkin Patch on Saturday. This has been a tradition for years - probably because we wanted to go to a town with the same name as me! Haha! Charlie, Hardin, Ya-Ya and Rachel met up with us for the day! We ate way too much fried food (even a fried peach pie) and took a hayride to the pumpkin patch. The pumpkins were quite small, but it was a fun time! If you are ever thinking of a place to take the family, the Great Pumpkin Patch is amazing. They have horses, a petting zoo, bounce castles, and inflatable slides! Kids love it. I know Charlie does. 

 

 For the girls 1st birthday, I bought them two little kitty stuffed animals. Turns out they are one of their favorites. They both carried them all weekend. We even almost lost one while walking around the pumpkin patch but Aunt Hayden came to the rescue and found it! 

 

 Saturday night was spent relaxing with the family. Those are some of my favorite days. Spent with the ones I love the most!

 Sunday was pumpkin carving day! I love how my friends embrace my crazy side when it comes to fall and everything that it includes. I love it! Pumpkin carving is one of my favorite things to do. I love scooping out the seeds and keeping them to cook later! I used to always find the most intricate pumpkin design to carve, but as I have gotten older, I am not patient enough for that! I chose to do the Cheshire cat, or my version of it! I think it turned out great! Everyone had a fun time carving pumpkins and watching Hocus Pocus for the millionth time! 

 

 

 

It is the week of Halloween, so I am looking forward to all the movies, parties, and candy this week!

Have a safe and fun Halloween! 

Until next time, 

-H

Family Vacation 2014 // Seagrove

My life in centered around my family. I love them more than life itself and most importantly, I love creating unforgettable memories with them.

Our family has been going to Seaside and Seagrove, Florida for years and years. Some of my most fond memories can be found on the sandy beaches of these little Florida towns. Almost everyone in our family have experienced their own personal and unique memories in Florida, but this past weekend we brought a chunk of our family to the beach house to make those lasting memories together. This trip was a long time coming and we wanted as many family members present. Unfortunately, the stomach bug hit home for a few of us, so the vacation lost Ryan, Kristin, and the twins! We made the most of it with the smaller crowd and I am missing them all already!

Of course we started the day with a golf cart ride!

All week, Erin and I had been checking the weather report religiously. The forecast was calling for a very rainy weekend. We were determined to put our bathing suits on and enjoy the sun, so positive thoughts were kept all week. Luckily, once Friday rolled around, the sun was out and shining bright over Seagrove. Friday was our designated beach day. Jonathan, Rachel, and the kids came down early that morning and Susan, Rob, and Robert made it to the beach by noon!

Seaside and Seagrove in the summer can be unbearable. The heat, the lack of a cool breeze, and the enormous crowd. This weekend the water was crystal clear, there were just enough clouds to provide ample shade, and the crowds have dwindled down as summer has now begun to turn into fall.

Feeding the birds turned into The Birds 

We decided to venture into Seaside on Friday night to try out the food trucks for dinner. Half of us decided to try the newer Vietnamese place. We ordered curry and rice with chicken. It was tasty but HOT. Not temperature hot, but burn your throat and make your nose and eyes water hot. Of course the kids and my Dad were all about getting ice cream after dinner. We usually go to Dawson's to grab a frozen yogurt, but we picked Heavenly and grabbed some creamy gelato and sorbet! Always a great ending to dinner!

Pretty sure everyone crashed early and went into a food coma on Friday night. The weather on Saturday was predicted to be stormy all day, so we went to sleep praying for sun. Especially since we had a family beach photo shoot set up with a professional photographer that evening. The rain was not going to be an option in our eyes.

Saturday morning rolled around and guess what, NO chance of rain. We celebrated with running on the beach with Winnie. She had a blast along with Charlie and Hardin. Hint hint Jonathan and Rachel - they need a dog!

We spent the morning walking and shopping around Seaside. The farmers market was set up and we tried all sorts of samples of pickled okra to freshly baked danishes. A trip to Seaside is not complete without a Bloody Mary and Gouda cheese grits from Great Southern Cafe. You don't know cheese grits until you have tried them at Great Southern! And of course I had to take a picture of the farmers market pumpkins. Fall is in the air, even at the beach! 

After a nice brunch, we headed back to the house and got ready for a cloudy day on the beach. Some of the best reading days are when the weather is overcast and slightly breezy. I even caught a cat nap on the beach. Susan caught some great candid shots of the cousins on the beach! 

That evening, we got dressed and ready for the first annual family beach picture. I wish that more of the family could have been there to participate, but I am thankful for everyone that was present! We all dressed in pinks and greens, which looked amazing against the white sand. Even the dogs had cute little color coordinating bandannas. Yes, we are obsessed with our pets. I can't wait to see how the professional pictures turn out. Some are going to be quite silly and cheesy. (Picture Erin and I holding hands while walking down the beach)

All day we had been talking and drooling over the soon to be cooked dinner and how we couldn't wait to eat. Why? Because Rob and Susan were cooking a shrimp boil. One of my FAVORITE meals. The shrimp, corn, red potatoes, and sausage! Yum! Wish I had some now just thinking about it. 

Saturday night was our last night all together as a family, so we wanted to spend as much time together as we could. We decided to play charades. Yup, a whole bunch of adults and two kids playing movie title charades. It was intense and so much fun. Erin and I were on the same team so we used our twin powers. But ultimately, we lost! I couldn't quite figure out how to act out Wuthering Heights and Dad couldn't get Jumanji right. And don't even mention Rob trying to act out Box Trolls. 

Crabbing was next on the list. This was always one of my favorite things as a child, and even now. I love it! Bringing Hardin and Charlie along was like reliving my childhood. The running after sand crabs. The screams of excitement as you caught a fleeting crab. The squeals of terror when the crab bucket is dumped out and all the crabs scurry around in the dark sand below you. It always brings back such great memories.

We stayed up past midnight on Saturday night. Even my dad. Which never happens. It was one of those nights you don't want to miss out on. Soak up as many memories as you can.

Sunday morning was accompanied by rain. Almost fitting since we were all saying goodbye, well at least until Thanksgiving. We ended the weekend with a wonderful home-cooked breakfast of bacon, scrambled cheese eggs, toast, and of course mimosas!

I hated saying goodbye to family, but an epic Thanksgiving awaits us!

Until next time, 

-H