Flashback: All the things we didn't tell you about.

Jon and I have felt like we've been in a time warp since buying the house. Ever feel like that? The past few months have been a whirlwind of so many happenings. We've definitely been learning that being an adult by yourself is a whole lot easier than being an adult with another adult who is just trying to be an adult. Ha. Did I confuse you yet? ;)


I wanted to give a quick recap of the past few months on all of wonderful events that took place. We've enjoyed so many good times with friends and family and cannot wait for more to come!

In October, Chris & Michelle got married! Jon served as Chris's best man for the event. {Sorry guys, but he was the best looking groomsman. ;) } What's so great about it is that they moved up in this area after they got hitched! Michelle works at Camp Greenville as an education coordinator, putting them about an hour up the mountain. We love seeing them more often and having them so close!

We had a few fun things happen in December. Jon was TD Bank's mascot in the TR Christmas Parade. Just see the pictures below and you'll see how fun this was for me to watch! Our friends Kelly and Jason came to the parade to see this funny affair. We went to to lunch together afterwards. They are such a fun couple to be with!

Also in December, we had our first "get-together" at the new place. It all started because Kevin and Justin were going to come up for a visit from Columbia. We thought, okay, we'll just do dinner at our place. Well, why not invite Chris and Michelle since they're up here, too? Oh, and Angela will be in Asheville, so we'll invite her to come down. Oh, and hey, Julianna will be in town that weekend. The little get-together dinner turned into quite a fun night. I made baked ziti. Angela brought the salad and several desserts. Others brought games. So, it ended up being a game night AND on top of that we threw some candles on a cake that Angela brought and sang "Happy Birthday" to Chris since his birthday was just around the corner. We loved having friends over in our little house that was quickly becoming a home!

Another December happening was our Christmas Pot Luck dinner with our small group. We played a little game of Dirty Santa/White Elephant. Every one brought good food and hilarious gifts. I think the best gift was an old car battery that didn't work!! Haha. Another good one was a gas mask. We laughed so hard that night and enjoyed spending time together celebrating life. Oh, the other awesome thing was that Kimberly was in town from Colorado! She was able to come hang out, too. It was so great to catch up with her.

 

In January, we had the pleasure of meeting Marion Piper Gilliam! At the end of November, Zach and Sarah brought a precious baby girl into the world. Welcome Marion Piper! You are quite the cutest!

Another big deal in January was our first trip to Ikea in Charlotte, NC. Now some of you may be thinking to yourselves, "really, a big deal?". Well, it's important because we bought a couch... Our first big purchase for our new home. If you haven't ever been to Ikea, I would encourage you to go check it out. Beware though... you will spend A LOT of time in that place. We spent an entire day in Ikea.. an entire day... in one store!! Ha. The best part is the great laugh that came out of it. The couch came in 4 boxes. We were thinking, "okay, four boxes can fit in the Hilander.. piece of cake"... they brought out the boxes. Ha! They were HUGE!! We were determined to at least try it out to avoid the delivery fee. We managed to cram 3 boxes inside the car. A nice couple from Spartanburg helped us load the box on top of the car and we strapped it down tightly (with straps from Ikea that I had to go run in and buy when we decided to do this). The couple offered to ride behind us on 85  and they said they would flash their lights at us if anything started moving around. We thought that was very sweet... way to represent SC well! My parents came over that night to help us put all the pieces together. What an adventure! We laughed so hard after it was all said and done. 

our red couch now belongs to Zach and Sarah!

February started off with a birthday celebration for my parents. We loved having them over and treating them to dinner and birthday cake!

Jon and I hosted a few friends over to watch the Super Bowl with us. Everyone brought something yummy to share which made for an incredible spread of goodies. I made BBQ for the first time in our crock pot (only the second time I've used that thing). It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself! :)

Jon and I had an itch to go on a little day trip somewhere. We decided on the World of Coke in Atlanta. What an adventure! We took a little stroll through downtown Atlanta and made our way to Underground Atlanta. We wanted to see what it was all about. Let's just say, we went, we saw, and will probably never go back. Ha. They did have graffiti art scenes for couples to stand in front of and have their picture taken... one for Valentine's Day, Michael Jackson, a city scene of Atlanta, etc. We thought it was pretty amusing to say the least.

The World of Coke was an interesting little spot. We enjoyed learning the history of Coca Cola and enjoyed the silly hunt to find where the secret formula was hidden. Sampling all of the different types of Coca Cola from all over the country was fun. We both enjoy the Coke made here in the United States over the other countries. Maybe our taste buds are too accustomed. ;) Speaking of taste buds, we enjoyed eating at The Varsity before heading back home. Yummy!

It was fun little adventure the weekend before Valentine's Day. We agreed that we'll have to visit this city again when it's warmer!