It is finally happening!

Ever since we graduated in 2007, our group of friends have talked about scheduling vacations together, to make sure we all stay in touch and to get a good dose of friend time in each year. Well for the first 2 years after graduation, those vacations consisted of weddings and bachelorette parties. 2010 is going to be the first year without a wedding in our group so I was bound and determined to make the vacation happen.

So back in January I started sending emails to start the planning process. After a gazillion emails back and forth and several rounds of voting we FINALLY got our hotel booked and flights bought this week! As of now, Stacia, Kendall, Jeni, Collin, Kelsey and I are heading down to Destin, Florida for a long weekend of laying on the beach and talking each other's heads off. Unfortunately Bekah won't be able to join us because her new addition will be about 1 month old by that time.

With everybody's busy schedules we had to shorten the trip to 4 days and 3 nights but any time with my girls will be great! This vacation will hopefully be the start of a long-lasting tradition. Who knows, maybe one year we will even invite the husbands/boyfriends.

This was the last time we were all together. Stacia's wedding in December 2008. I'd say it's about time for all of us to be in one place! We will miss you Bekah!!

Janet Evanovich, Stephanie Plum and Katherine Heigl

I just found out a piece of news that makes me squeal with excitment. One of my favorite characters from one of my favorite book series written by one of my favorite authors will be coming to the big screen! And what's even more exciting is that a well known actress will be portraying her.

Who is this character you ask? She is Stephanie Plum, a bra saleswoman turned bounty hunter, in the mystery/comical series of numbered books by Janet Evanovich. The first book, One for the Money, will be made into a movie soon, though I can't for the life of me figure out when. As of now, there are 15 books in this series by Evanovich (16th coming out this summer) and I am currenlty on number 13 - Lean Mean Thirteen.

And who will play Stephanie? Dr. Izzie Stevens from Grey's Anantomy (aka Katherine Heigl). I found out this news when I was catching up on my celebrity gossip. I came across an article that said Heigl was leaving Grey's. I wasn't too disappointed about that because her character was starting to bug me on the show anyway...but I digress. The article had a picture of Heigl with her hair colored black. I thought to myself - bad move on your part Katherine, black is not your color. I continued reading down the article and read why she dyed her hair, for a movie of course. I read further and nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw what movie.

Stephanie Plum is a hilarious character that has no idea what she is doing but tries very hard to act like she does. I always thought one of these books could make a good movie and low and behold, somebody else agreed with me. Apparently the movie idea has been on the table since right after the book One for the Money was released.

Now, I must wait patiently for the movie to come out. In the mean time, I might reread the book so I am well prepared. This might be one of those movie I see on opening night. And of course, afterward, I will give you all a movie/book review. It is dorky that I am so excited about this movie?

Dear John

I have another book/movie review for you. The book - Dear John by Nicholas Sparks - is based off a summer romance that faces the challenges of the army, 9/11 and the turbulation of being half a world apart. It was a very romantic book that was an easy read. The characters were innoncent and relatable while the writing was entrancing. Once I finished, I was satisfied in the ending but a little sad that the book was over.

Now for the movie. It was based off the book but while the premise was similar, several major parts were changed. In this case, I once again liked the movie better. Not to mention Channing Tatum was not bad to look at with his shirt off :)

In the movie I was able to feel more of what the characters were feeling. I liked the changes and the adjusted timelines that were made. The movie aslo had a different ending which I liked a whole lot better than the book's ending.

That makes me wonder - do producers/directors always change the endings of movies to make them more likeable? Who knows?

Anyway, if you are a girl and want to see a VERY girly movie or just want a good cry, definitely see Dear John. I really enjoyed it.

My official height

For some reason I have had a lot of people ask me how tall I am lately. This is not an unusual occurence in my life but it got me thinking. How tall am I really? I have always said 5'10 but Ryan "just knows" I am 6 ft. tall. So I had him measure and my official height is...

I know some of you could care less but if you are curious, I am 5 feet, 10 1/2 inches tall. With almost any shoe on I will be over 6 ft tall. With my heels at least 6'2.

When I was growing up, being tall really bothered me. I always felt awkward and embarrased but now, in my mid 20s, I am finally beginning to enjoy my height.

And for those who are also also wondering if I played basketball....no I did not.

The Wedding Season is Upon Us

So far this season I have received five Save the Dates, 1 wedding invitation and a 1 wedding shower invitation. I know this off the top of my head because I can picture them in the exact spot of where they are magnatized on my refrigerator. This time of year, that is all you can see.

I will admit, I love weddings. They are such a fun time and exciting beginning for that special couple. And one of my favorite parts of weddings is picking out a gift for the couple. My philosopy is stick to the registeries. I usually never get a gift that they have not registered for. The couple knows what they want so get them that.

I received the first wedding shower invitation last week. The shower is scheduled for a Easter weekend so I decided to go ahead and get the gift on Sunday. Then, I had a brilliant idea - why don't I go ahead and get ALL the wedding gifts I will need for this year. That way I will have them ready for when the time comes.

So I grabbed all of the Bed, Bath and Beyond 20% coupons I had and headed out on a mission. Starting 2 years ago, I have been saving every one of those coupons I could find. You can use as many coupons as you want in one transaction. They are great. It is a great marketing tool. Because of that, it is always my first stop for wedding shopping.

I walked in to BBB and said I need 6 registries please. The guys said "Whoa. Ok let me take you to a different room. This might take a while." I just giggled.

Well I just assumed that EVERYBODY registers at BBB. The place is awesome. I was wrong. But I was able to get 4 out of 6 gifts there. When we finished looking for all of the registeries (it took 15 minutes, no lie) the associate asked me if I was "familiar" with the registery lists at BBB. I giggled again and said "Yes, thank you." I mean come on, if a girl is asking for 6 I am pretty sure she has done this before.

After an hour and a half later and 8 coupons I had 4 gifts down and 2 to go. I had to make a few calls to figure out where the other 2 were registered (thanks Bekah and Mom) and off to Walmart and Target I went.

After my long day of wedding gift shopping I have to say I was quite proud of myself and it felt great to have all the gifts purchased and out of the way (unless Ryan has a wedding come up that we don't know about). Now, my guest bedroom is overrun with wedding gifts and white tissue paper. Ryan was a little puzzled. It was funny to see him squirm a bit.

So for those brides that have invited me to their wedding, have no fear - I will come bearing great gifts.

How Did I Not Know?

Ryan sent me a link to this story this morning...

http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/03/11/woman.football.coach/

I was so excited to see that women are starting to be respected in the world of football. Not only is a woman going to be a HEAD football coach at a high school but she is also African American. You Go Girl!

This story reminds me of the Goldie Hawn movie Wildcats. Goldie is a football coach at a school with no money and a failing football program. Goldie of course converts all of her doubters, turns the team around and saves the high school all within a 90-minute movie. Of course that is why I love it.

I did some research on the school that Natalie Randolph will be coaching at to find out how big it was. Each grade has about 150 students. So I would compare it to a school the size of Farmington. I wonder if a school the size of a 7A school in Arkansas would ever hire a woman to coach a male sport?

The part about Natalie's story I was most impressed about was that there she was a part of a PROFESSIONAL Women's Football League. How on earth did I not know that such a leage existed???? So again, I did some reasearch and looked it up. It is called the Independent Women's Football League.

The League is divided into Tier 1 and Tier II. Tier one has 22 teams and Tier II has 26 teams and it looks like they each play about five games. So this League actually has some legs to stand on. I am still baffled that I have never heard about it. Granted, there are not as many girls interested in football as me, but surely, somewhere along the way you think I would have heard about it somewhere.

It is now my mission to go to one of these games in the next year. Kansas City and Dallas both have teams. They play from April - June.

So now I am thinking I should get back into my old Power Puff shape and try out for a team. What do you think?

Junior League Cookbooks

As a member of the Junior League of Northwest Arkansas, I have a great opportunity to help my community. Our League's mission is helping those affected by domestic abuse. Two ways in which we do that is by the sale of our Add Another Place Setting cookbook and our orginial event- Touch-A-Truck (more to come on this event in another post).

Creating regional cookbooks is a tradition of Junior Leagues across the country. Ours, Add Another Place Setting, is especially unique because it includes recipes from League members as well as Helen Walton and Pat Walker.

Starting now, and through the month of April, the cookbooks will be on sale for a discounted prices of $25.

With Mother's Day and graduations coming up, this would be the perfect gift for a special woman in your life. It is also an easy way to get a jump start on Christmas shopping. The books are hardbound and look great on coffee tables or on display in your kitchen. The cookbook is also divided into sections such as Whole Hog Tailgating, Ladies Luncheon, Commencement and more.
If you would like to purchase a cookbook, send me an email at MSAdams85@gmail.com and I will get you set up. This will be the only opportunity for you to purchase a book a this low price, without tax.

Oh and did I mention that the League members are in a contest to sell the most? Haha. Help me out people!

Also, if you are interested in joining Junior League, send me a note. We are turning in names for new members starting now!

Thanks for your support.

Bliss! Cupcakes

I have found a new obsession: Bliss! Cupcake Cafe.

It is a wonderful, quaint little shop that sells only cupcakes. It is a perfect shop for Fayetteville. The cupcakes are normal size (not gigantic like Sprinkles) but they have different varieties every day.

So far I have tried:

• Oreo Cookie
• Red Velvet Razorback
• Raspmatazz
• Strawberry Creme
• Caramelicious
• Confetti Funfettie - MY FAV!!

I am trying to get a different flavor - they have more than 30 - each time I go. I am a white cake and white frosting kind of girl so the Confetti Funfetti is my favorite so far. I am looking forward to tasting Cloud Nine (angel food with fresh cream and fresh fruit on top) and Nutty Caramel (caramel cake with cashews and caramel frosting).

The only thing I don't like about them is that they stole my plan :) I have wanted to open a bakery that sells only cupcakes for a while. Ryan says after our kids are grown I should definitely do it. So for now, I am taking notes.

The 2 cupcakes pictured are Confetti Funfetti and Red Velvet Razorback - from the Bliss! website