It's Derby Tiiiime!!!

As you all know by now, it's Derby week... ...And I'll be hosting my Derby Party on Saturday!!


The weather is supposed to be beautiful here this weekend, so I'm really excited about it all -- even though I have a to-do list a mile long that I need to finish before Saturday rolls around.


I've printed a list of the the post positions, so that we can all have fun placing little wagers on the ponies, along with a list of "My Old Kentucky Home" lyrics, so that those non-natives will feel right at home singing along!! (Haha, no pun intended there, I promise!)

I'm going to make Benedictine Dip -- some Baby Hot Browns --
with potato salad --
and baked beans as sides.
The real treat though will be the Derby Pie for dessert--
YUM!!!

And most importantly, this delishious spread has to be served with a nice, refreshing MINT JULEP!!

A super-simple recipe can be found over at Bestie JB's blog. Be sure to look at her Derby updates, too!


Have any of ya'll hosted Derby parties before? What did you fix? I'll be sure to do a post on how it all turned out!



Until next time,

All About A.B.

I am such a lucky girl... My Amazing Boyfriend is the kindest, most thoughtful, smartest, sweetest man I know.

At my friend Ern's Wedding -- the night we made everything official.

AB and I have known each other for approx. 5 years... We met through a mutual friend, NYC, at Logan's Roadhouse over some Roadhouse Teas. I had just gotten off work (I was working as a server all through college) and decided to meet up with NYC for a drink, having no idea AB was there too. Well, you have to really know NYC to understand, but she can TALK... I love this girl to pieces, but she's the friend that when you talk on the phone, you do the listening, while she does the talking.

In the snow that fell Valentine's Day weekend, 2010 (AB hates this pic, but its just a weird angle!!)

Well, when I got to Logan's, AB and I hit it off immediately. We talked about everything under the sun, but mainly about music trivia (its one of my specialties), and AB could go toe-to-toe with me. To beat it all, NYC could not get a word in edge-wise!! AB and I just kept talking, and talking, and talking, and poor NYC was just speechless!! And believe me, this is a rarity!!

Me teaching AB to play "Heart and Soul" -- New Year's Eve trip to Tampa, FL 2010

NYC swears that from that moment, she knew that AB and would end up together in the end. However, it was not so clear to us. We were both dating other people at the time, and remained strictly friends until June of 2009. AB had been living in Jersey, for his internship in the city. He had just moved back South and had talked to NYC on the phone, where he found out that I still lived here too! So he got my number from NYC and decided to give it a shot -- he asked me out to play trivia, which was such a perfect first date if you know me!!

Out at Broadway -- 2010

We talked the entire time (again) -- the conversation just always seemed to come so easily. And we had so much in common, never having to reach for something to share. It was probably about after dating three months that we became serious and exclusive, but after that first real date, I think we both knew this is the person I want to be with.

Keeneland Spring Meet 2010

Now we're getting ready to move in together, and I couldn't be happier... AB makes me so happy, and I'm so glad everyday that he asked me out for the fateful game of trivia!!

Jacksonville, FL 2010

Little Sister even said after the first time she met him, "He's like a male version of YOU!" I don't think she meant that as a compliment, but I took it as one. Our 1 year anniversary is in June, and I can't wait to see what pictures are yet to be taken....

Me as Marie Antoinette and AB as the Tool Academy, Halloween in Chapel Hill, 2009

Monogram Stamps

Has anyone else seen these stamps?! I looove them!! As a lover of all things monogrammed, this was an instant "YES PLEASE!!"

You can get them with just your initial, or your whole address and use them as a return address stamp. I was to get either a full monogram one or just an initial "K" and use them on these:

Lilly Pulitzer note cards from Lifeguard Press! Aren't they adorable!? And imagine any of these stamps, right in the middle...

There are so many places where you can get these stamps, but for the best prices, check out Etsy (of course!!). A few of my favorites, and most reasonable prices can be found at Tickled Pink Paper+Ink, On Your Mark Custom Stamps, Scribbling Club, Sweet Paperie, and LoveToCreateStamps. Check out their shops and see what you think!

Back to School...

So today I took a half-day at work and went back to Coastal's campus to turn in my application and letters of recommendation. Now, the waiting begins. I did find out something weird though -- they make the schedules for you! Just like in high school, they pick which courses and sections you'll take at which times. So strange!! They say they do it that way though because the M.A.T. program is so regimented and time-sensitive.

The weather was really nice today though! A.B. and I went running at the track on campus, training for our 5K. Boy, am I gonna be sore tomorrow!!! I always kinda like that though -- let's me know I got something done!!

I also was very crafty this week! I made two initial frames, one for me, "K", and one for A.B., "D." I'll try to get some pictures up this next week.

I'm also excited to announce that Best Friend has decided to join to blog world!! And she was kind enough to let me design her header for her too!! Please be sure to check out her blog and say hello. Polka Dots, Pearls, and Pink... OH MY!

Until next time,

I WANT...

Vineyard Vines Limelight Dress

Vineyard Vines Margo Skirt

Vineyard Vines Beachhouse Dress

Vineyard Vines Lorelei Skirt

ANNNNNNND...

A CRICUT!!!

I saw an infomercial for this YEARS ago, and I have wanted one ever since!! Thing is, I have one, I can make vinyl letter cut-outs, and make...

THIIIIS!! (credit goes to Imperfectly Beautiful -- KUDOS!) What a brilliant idea!! Especially now that I'm faced with turning a bachelor pad into a domestic dwelling for the Amazing Boyfriend and I!! But here's the really spooky thing... The above pictured monogram is A.B.'s initials!! I'm going to take that as a sign of good things to come for us! :)

So Much To Do...

I apologize for the span in posts -- I've just been so busy lately!! My birthday was on Saturaday (post to follow soon), and this weekend, I'm heading up to Greensboro to meet up with my parents. A.B. is also heading out-of-town, so we've been trying to coordinate our schedules.

On that note, A.B. mentioned the other night that he thought it would be fun for us to run a 5K race together. Now, running a 5K is something that I've wanted to do for a while. I used to be an avid runner -- running at least a mile or two every day. But I've fallen out of that pattern over the past year or so. So when he mentioned this, I was a little nervous. Not only for the fact that I'll need to get back into shape to complete it, but because of some emotional baggage when it comes to exercise and a signifigant other. Not quite ready to post the details of *all that*, but let's just say, I've got a few hang-ups about it.

Long story short, I agreed that we should/would do a 5K in the next few months. The one we've found that we're going to do in June is in Greenville, The Candlelight Run.

My sister and I actually talked about doing this very run last summer, but we both had different things going on and just never got around to signing up for it. A.B. and I went to the Nike outlet last night and invested in some new running shoes. I ended up with these:
I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted on the progress... And I'm gonna do my best to finish up my birthday post tonight -- I promise!

Birthday #26

So, Saturday was my birthday...

It started off with Amazing Boyfriend taking me out to breakfast, and then coming back home where he then vaccuumed and shampooed all the carpets while I was outside with Great Dane Maddie, enjoying the beautiful day! Maddie then decided she wanted to go for a swim, so she jumped in the pond behind the house. Once she was good and dirty, I suppose she felt like she had done enough damage, so she came back up into the yard and laid in the sun.

I then of course needed to give the Madster a bath, to get off all that lovely smelling mud, and then I went to go and get a pedicure with one of my best friends, CC.

This girl is one of the sweetest, most genuine people that you will ever meet. We went to college together, graduated together, and now we even work together. Good thing we like each other, huh? Well, she was being sneaky and ended up paying for my pedicure too! SO nice!

Next up on the bday agenda was dinner, and I had to pick the spot. This is where it gets tricky. I love good food, but I love all kinds of good food, so I'm never the one to make a decision on where to eat. But low and behold, I narrowed it down to a great Italian place at Market Common.

If you've been to Myrlte Beach, and not visited the Market Common district, you're missing out! There's so much to do there -- shops (nice shops, mind you!), places to eat, movie theater, book store, parks, dog parks, solons, spas... It's awesome! I think the reason I like it so much is because the atmosphere down there is totally different to that of the rest of Myrtle. It's so much better! And not as "redneck riviera", if ya know what I mean!! But dinner was lovely, and one of my friends even brought me flowers!!

So then, with our bellies full, we headed home. Amazing Boyfriend proceeded to tell me about my other bday presents, which included tickets for us to go and see Tom Petty in Charlotte next month--

ANNNNNNNND... He brought back some of his grandmother's jewelry for me!! The 3 pieces I got are gorgeous!! He also mentioned that we should move in together... WHAT?! Yes!!!! So that will be happening over the next few months too!!

Overall, I had a fabulous 26th birthday... I am a very lucky girl, and my life is so blessed to be filled with so many amazing people.

Until next time,

There's a First Time for Everything!

So after about a month of lurking in the shadows, reading several other blogs anonymously, I've been inspired to start one of my own! I love the fact that you can feel like you know someone, just by reading their words, looking at their pictures, admiring their super-cute shoes -- and then stumbling across something that makes you think about your own life... I love it!

I envision KBB (Kentucky Blue Belle) as my sounding board: what I'm thinking, what I'm feeling, even what I'm planning on wearing! Prepare yourselves now for lots of pictures of shoes and handbags!! We all have a weakness!

I'm also looking forward to experimenting more with Graphic Design. I did alot of desktop publishing in high school, and I really enjoyed it! However, since my college years, I haven't done too much. My first go back at it is the KBB header! I think it turned out great, if I do say so myself!

But now, I must put the laptop down, and pick the laundry up (UGH, I hate laundry -- my most despised element of housework). Let me leave you with a picture of my furry child, the only child that Amazing Boyfriend and I would like to have for a while! :) Heeeeeeere's Maddie Poochina!

She's a Great Dane, almost 1.5 years old now (only about 9 months or so in this pic), and spoiled rotten! I adopted her when she was 9 weeks old, as she and her litter-mates has been rescued from a horrible breeder, where they were being neglected and abused, left sick and hungry. Now, Maddie is happy and healthy! She's my mini-horse who thinks she's a lap-dog!! If you've never met a Dane, they truly are gentle giants. I'd love to hear about your pets! When/where did you get them/them find you?


Until next time,