On the drive up to Charlotte for Christmas, Jasper asked me what my most memorable Christmas was. It was actually hard to think of anything specific. I’ve had a lot of great Christmas’s, but nothing boldly stuck out. Now however, I think the 2010 Christmas will go down as one of my favorites.

The day after we got to Charlotte, Christmas Eve Eve I believe, we traveled to Asheville to meet up with Jaspers Family. Of all places we chose the Cracker Barrel to meet up and it was destined to be. After we ate we exchanged gifts right over the table while all the nearby patrons eyed our presents. To top it off, as soon as we were finished Santa himself sat down right next to us and ordered a glass of milk. Classic. So we forced him to take a picture with us by the fire. It’ll be hard to forget that.

For my family, we had the usual extremely slow but jovial Christmas Day with great food and lots of laughs. By the night, it got even better, and turned into one of the only white Christmas’s I can remember. At least in recent memory. The next day me and my dad made a giant snowman that made all the neighbors jealous. I also hit a young neighbor, Nicolas in the face with a snowball, which I immediately felt sorry for. What can I say, I have great aim.

All in all, it was an amazing time spent with amazing people. Thanks for making it so amazing people.

CHI-Town, The Second City, The Windy City. Home of the Sox, the Cubs, good pizza, good hot dogs, shady politics, the Sears Tower, Navy Pier, some president and much more.

In September we were very fortunate to be able to visit Chicago and much of Jasper’s Moms family. Faith, Jasper’s mom, had, I think, her 5th year high school reunion and invited us to come along for the trip. I personally had never been to Chicago and Jasper had not been in a while, so we jumped at the chance and generous offer.

Although we were only there a short time, we crammed in a lot of sight seeing and family visiting. A short list in order would be something like: Mamaw Diane and Papaw Roger, Navy Pier, Italian Expo, Ferris Wheel, Sears Tower, Museum of Science and Industry, Segway tour, Millennium Park, Granny Joan and Family, The Field Museum, Lunch on the River and Lynette and Family. Pretty good for 2 days.

We had a great time seeing so much of the city and friends and family. Thanks to those people who made it all possible. You know who you are.

To see more snap shots taken from my iphone you can Click Here.

As evidenced by the picture below, Vegas hits you as soon as you get off the plane. On our trip to the Grand Canyon to hike across we flew in and out of Las Vegas and stayed a a day at the beginning and a few days at the end. Our first hotel reservation, made by my mother-in-law no less, was at the Hooters Hotel and Casino. To anyone visiting Vegas, I really don’t recommend staying there. Stains on the floor, outdated rooms. I guess the slot machines and the owls are supposed to make up for it, but they really don’t.

When we got back from the Grand Canyon we stayed at New York, New York which was much nicer. I reserved a spa suite to surprise Jasper so that was pretty cool especially after hiking across the Grand Canyon. We toured all of the famous buildings. We watched the water show. We checked out a couple of slot machines to make sure they were working properly. They were. We also saw a Cirque show called Ka which was extremely impressive. And of course we ate really well.

There truly isn’t anything else like Vegas.

Also known as the giant oven. I must admit that when Jasper’s Dad first talked about the possibility of hiking across the Grand Canyon, I really didn’t know what I’d be getting myself into. But we decided to set out in early June just as the first heat wave made its way to Arizona. Shortly before we left I discovered that temperatures inside the canyon could range up to 25 degrees hotter than temperatures on the rim. So if it’s in the 90′s on the rim it’s 115 in the Canyon and the temperatures are usually measured in the shade.

Day 1 We hiked from the south rim down to the river. We left just as the sun was rising and made it to the bottom slightly before 11. The temperatures got in the 130′s in the sun. We spent most of our time soaking in a nearby creek. Day 2 was a moderate hike towards the north rim. We stopped and spent most of the day at an amazing oasis in the middle of the dessert climate complete with it’s own waterfall. It was probably one of the coolest places I’ve ever hiked to. Before sunset we continued the short distance to our campsite. Day 3 was the climb out of the canyon. Due to miscalculations we found out it was much further than we had anticipated. That combined with a steep incline, the hot sun, and the smell of mules made for quite an arduous exit. Me and Jasper were definitely glad that we did it, seeing some of the most amazing landscape and accomplishing quite a feat, but we didn’t have to much desire to return anytime soon.

See a ton of pictures that we took on our Flickr page.

So while Jasper is busy wedding planning (No, we don’t have a date yet!) I thought I’d upload some good pictures of the engagement ring and tell everyone a little bit about it. The story actually starts about 4 months ago when I went to New York for business. When I found out that I was going, I started looking for places in NYC that specialized in antique engagement rings which is what Jasper expressed she wanted. (I had already looked other places with nothing remarkable standing out) I found a few possible places to start out and I was able to extend my “business trip” through the weekend.

*Side Note* The day before I started shopping in New York, I actually met up with Janette (Jasper’s Sister) and Dave. It’s a good thing I didn’t tell her about it then or the whole world might have known beforehand. And she actually got mad at me for not meeting up with her later in the weekend, but I was busy.

The first place I went to didn’t have much of a selection, but they were very helpful in recommending a few other places to try out. So that’s what I did. The first couple of recommendations, were just kind of weird. They had nice rings, but they just weren’t professional, and I felt like I’d walk out not actually knowing what I got. But then I struck gold (or platinum) with one of the other recommendations. Doyle and Doyle (Check it out: http://www.doyledoyle.com/ ) They had/have an amazing selection of antique jewelry specializing in engagement rings. And for some reason, having to get buzzed in the door just made me feel better about the place. I immediately found about 3 rings I really liked, and after a couple trips back to the store and with some NY friends opinions I settled on the most expensive one. And I’m glad I did.

So onto the ring. It’s an authentic antique ring from the late 1920′s or early 1930′s with somewhat of an Art Deco style to it. It has one larger diamond in the middle and that’s surrounded on all sides by 16 other smaller diamonds. A humble 17 total. All of the detailed engraving that spans the entire ring is hand done, which is noticeable with very slight differences from one side to the next. And its been insured with State Farm since the day I got it…. knowing Jasper.

Hope you enjoy!

Bert here. When I was getting ready to upload some more important pictures I ran across a few random pictures from my June trip to Baton Rouge. The first couple are of a climbing gym we found in LaFayette about an hour away. We love to climb. And we saw a rainbow on the way back so of course Jasper had to take a picture. Something to do with some girl named Stef. And the last few pictures are from The Melting Pot. Jasper had never been to a fondue restaurant so when I found out there was a Melting Pot in BR, I had to take her. It was really good. First we had the cheese course, then a course with a platter of meat, and finally, the highly anticipated desert. Nothing like bananas, strawberries, rice crispy treats, marshmallows, pound cake, chocolate cake and cheesecake with a cherry on top to dip into warm melted solid milk chocolate And we still managed to play putt-putt afterwards. I won.

So I don’t know about you all, but I was getting a little tired of seeing Bert’s gross finger every time I viewed the site. (No offense babe. Love you!) So I decided it was time for an update! Last month, Bert and I were actually able to spend Valentine’s Day together. Yay! I flew into Savannah for a couple of days, which was way too short of a trip but great nonetheless. I even went with Bert to the doctor so he could get his stitches out. On Thursday, Bert took me out to dinner to Il Pasticcio, which I can easily say is one of our favorite restaurants in Savannah. He also gave me the sweetest card and a rose. Then on Friday, Bert and I actually drove up to Tennessee for a wedding. My sister’s best friend, Devan, and her fiance, Adam were getting married. Janette was the maid of honor and my mom did the photography. It was a really small, simple wedding but very sweet. After the wedding we then went over to Jason and Jackee’s house (my brother and sister-in-law) and got to visit with them and my nephew, Jayce. This trip was the first time Bert had ever been to my hometown and to see where I grew up, so I was really glad he was able to come. Here are some pictures from our trip:

Me and Bert at the wedding reception

Bert, me, and my nephew Jayce at my brother’s house

Me and Bert being silly in front of the infamous picture taking tree at my parents’ house

On Thursday of this upcoming week, I am actually flying into Savannah for another wedding! This trip will actually be a little longer than my last one. I will be there from Thursday night until Monday night. I am sooo ready and excited! Bert and I have a few more trips planned over the next few months, including a trip to the Gulf Shores and another trip back to Savannah for me. For a long distance couple, we have actually been doing a great job seeing each other as often as we have. This stretch has actually been the longest for us: roughly 6 weeks. However, I am pretty sure I speak for both of us when I say this, but I think we are both ready to be living in the same time zone. Long-distance is hard on the heart and soul and although this experience has been great for us in so many ways, I am definitely hoping that it will not last too much longer.

Stay tuned for more updates! I will try to be better about updating more often…

So I was trimming the hedges with an electric hedger. It was dark. I was pretty much finished. Little slip here, little trim there. My left ring finger got caught between some of the teeth while it was slowing down. It didn’t hurt to bad, but I immediately knew it was something i couldn’t just put a band-aid on. What really hurt was getting a needle stuck several times in the tip of my finger to numb it for the stiches. The doctor in the E.R., who I had to wait an hour and a half to see, got everthing put back together and looking fine. Don’t you think so? These are pics from the day after. Enjoy!

*So I guess I should clarify (even though I know my hands don’t look feminine) I, Bert am the one that cut my finger. Even though it would be more likely that Jasper did it.

So for those of you may not know, today is Bert’s birthday!! Yay!

Bert has been and continues to be an amazing blessing in my life. His love and support mean more to me than he will ever know. He is constantly encouraging me as we endure our long-distance relationship and the ups and downs that go along with that. His faith in me and in us is incredible, and I have the highest respect for him. I just wish I could spend today with him.

Happy Birthday Bert. I love you.

p.s. Feel free to leave your own personal birthday messages and wishes too!

So Friday at work, Bert sends me a text message and asks me if I would want to meet him in Birmingham the next day for a Foo Fighters concert. Of course, my response was, “Yes, please!” We both left on Friday…I left after work and Bert drove down Bob, Forby, and Mike. Bob and Mike stayed at a friend’s place while Forby, Bert, and I stayed with Bert’s aunt and uncle. It is about a 6 hour drive for both of us. It was a great, spontaneous weekend and I am sooo glad it happened. When we woke up on Saturday morning, it was snowing! It didn’t last long but it made a nice dusting on the ground. And of course, the concert was so much fun! Despite the fact that Bert and I got our tickets the day before the concert, we ended up getting better seats than everyone else! Bert got us great seats right next to the stage! So, even though it was a short trip, it was definitely worth it. Here are a few pictures from our weekend: