Welcome to the South!

Thank you Aunt Lisa and Uncle Steve for hosting our 'Welcome to the South' dinner!  We are looking forward to introducing our city slicker friends to our sweet family, some home cooking, mother nature, and perhaps a few critters!

Oh, Do say I DO!

Ahhhhh!  We put the invites in the mail.  I designed, Will stamped the golden stamp, Mom addressed... and off they went. The 2 month count down begins.  Don't forget the birdies!!!  We are getting married!

Our first 8th Street house guest!

Sophie Baxter Graham!  We wish to adopt.

Rested feet and happy eyes, NYU campus, lost in Central Park: fountain, trees, boats and naked lady, MET sculptures, mummies and chocolate cake, Guggenheim Frank Lloyd Wright, shopping on 5th Ave, Tiffany's, Prada, photo with half-naked man at AF, Rockafeller, St. Patrick's Cathedral, Radio City, Pizza with Inga and Will, live music in Washington Square Park, J Lo movie at Grays Papaya, Breakfast at Tiffany's, walked the Brooklyn Bridge, breakfast at Yaffa in the East Village, SOHO, China Town, ships at the Sea Port, paintings with Matt and Will, Italian Dinner with the fellas, Wizard of OZ, West Village pancakes at Gray Dog, top of the Empire State Building, Natural Museum of History, walked the West Side Highway, Magnolia cupcakes with Cooper and Cheney, Mama Mia, Time Square at night, more pizza at Famous Rays, hot subways: A, C, E, F, B, D, elevators, a wedding and chocolate cake and cocoa at the Plaza, FAO Schwartz piano and candy, LOVE sculpture, lunch in Bryant park, 42nd Street Library, tired feet and sleepy eyes... I cried and Soph flew away!

Tallahassee'll do you good!

Tuesday to Tuesday in Tallahassee was jam-packed with lunches, coffees, babies, dinners, Bunko, Cole Couture shopping, vino, seafood, beaches, swimming, girlfriends, family, much more vino, YA-YA's, presents, lace, lingerie, cucs and wedding prep work! What a fantastic week filled with non-stop fun. Thank you Linda and the Bunko babes for a fabulous first time. Wonderful to see everyone, swim, eat, drink and gamble!

Dinner at Linda's with the Waltons, Rosenbergs and Varns was delich. (I need to make that prune chicken - so good.) and so lovely to have a slumber with Kelly and Collin. We still know how to stay up till 2 gossipin' and swapping bathing suits. (PS - love the navy. Did laps with mom and it stayed ON!)

This weekend was the most time I've gotten to spend with Carrie, Lindsay and Nikki - and it was oh-so-lovely. Mexican, Seafood, Grapevines, Lasagna, Casserole, Champagne, Prosecco, Spinich Dip, Twin Bed Slumber, and long beach t-walks - I loved it. Very special indeed. Cheney flew in from NYC for the weekend. She, Alyssa, Leah and Kelly joined Saturday for some evening shenanighans and gossiping in rare form. Send me your PICS!!!!

Then came the Vamps with Ryan and Lindsay and a little Face book researching until midnight! Dillion - great to see you and share your bathroom. Monday brought a much needed Red Eye rendezvous then babies babies babies at Holly's. Gosh all the babies are getting HUGE! I was inducted into the YA-YA's!!! What great fun with toilet paper, seafood paella and spiked punch. The YA-YA's know how to throw a party! Cake tasting, rental payments, ceremony meeting with Bill. A delicious lunch with the Graham gals, Val, Mom and Granna... then it was back to NYC. I'm counting the days till we return... Tallahassee'll do you some good!

All You Need Is LOVE!

Getting ready for a performance... Freddy has been practicing playing some Beatles and even bid and won a baby blue accordian. He's ready to start off an evening of stories and music around the camp-fire. Anyone else???

Beach BOMBshells!

Thank you Lindsay for throwing a delightful beach/bach weekend with some of my very favorite gals.  Thank you Carrie and the McNeills for opening your beach house to this rowdy bunch of beauties.  And many thanks to the out-of-towners that are making the hike to St. Teresa for one fantastic weekend!  (Kinda sounds like a toast??)  The invite goes a little something like this:

"Please join us for some fun in the sun before Laura says "I do" to her honey bun!  Saturday, July 18th & Sunday, July 19th.  The McNeill Family Beach House at St. Teresa Beach, FL.  Please bring Laura something lacey, racy, feminine, or fun so her honeymoon shopping is already done!"

I CAN'T WAIT to hit the beach, take a swim, have a little vino, try on some lace and have a TON of laughs with you ladies! Ya'll da bomb(shells)!

EXTRY! EXTRY!

Our engagement announcement hit the stands Sunday the 21st.  (Sunday proved to be quite an interesting day.  A rainy dog walk with Cheney, Ash and the ever maturing Cooper, a happy Father's Day for Freddy, an exciting 32nd Birthday for Ryan, a park rescue by dear 6' 6" Officer Palmer for Laura, rain rain rain across the North East, and a delicious Indian dinner and apartment admiring in Brooklyn Heights with sweet Willy!)  Behold, the clipping:

Laura Elise Varn and William Patrick are pleased to announce their engagement. Laura is from Tallahassee, Florida and is the loving daughter of Fred and Gena Varn. Laura's siblings are Ryan, Nathan and Wil. She is the granddaughter of Nancy and the late William Graham and the late Wilfred and Betty Jean Varn. William Patrick is from Bradenton/Sarasota, Florida and wishes his late grandparents George and Amorette Toale could have had the pleasure of meeting his beautiful fiance. Both Laura and William live happily in New York City. A September beach wedding is planned.

WE DID IT!

Will and I accomplished our very first Central Park Race!  We celebrated with delicious muffins and fierce tattoos.

Dom Dom Da Dom!

I got my dress!!!!!  (at exactly 3:15 this afternoon!)

I HEART the panhandle

We had a lovely time in Tallahassee last week -- packed it full, but it was not nearly long enough to see everyone and do everything.  After a terrifying, chair gripping, turbulent flight into TLH, we joined mom, dad and Ryan for a Hopkins lunch and a couple of slices of FGF cake. YUM.  Then we were off to the Cake Shop where we were "helped" by a less-than-friendly cake girl... prompting us to consider Cheney's chef skills??  (she bakes a mean carrot cake ya'll)  Then we were blessed to meet Taylor, Warren, Anna and new baby Addilyn Grace in the hall way at TMH.  Man is Addy cuddly!  We got hugs and hellos from MP and Porgie and then had a really special chat full of many many "I love you's" with sweet Gramps.  We left the hospital famished and headed to William, Josie and Nikki's to crash.  

Ryan and Lindsay brought us delicious dinner, Carrie M. cuddled up on the couch and Chase provided us with a few hours of entertainment!  Will and I introduced the Nuggets vs. Lakers and the Cavs vs. Magic's: LeBron, Dad, Pharaoh, West, Soccer Girl, Jason, Russian, Big Bird, Lip Neck etc. to Will and Josie and spent a few hours yelling at the TV.  (Man! Soccer Girl is useless! -- GO MAGIC!)

Wednesday was wonderful!  Will stayed home and played in the pool, practiced his best cannon ball and did some light reading (1776) while I tried on some dresses with mom and a possie of gals.  Laurie, Carrie, Lindsay and Nikki joined mom and I to yea or nay my choices.  SO great to see ALL of you.  After hitting up Chick-Fil-A with mom and LaLa (and the stick on bra haha), we set out to find my momma a dress!  SUCCESS!  With a little finagling, a helpful lady at Macy's (mom, did you fill out that survey?) and lots of mall powerwalking, mom found a beaut.  I look forward to her unveiling in Sept.  Then we hurriedly searched for our lost car, trying to beat the rain and headed off for Granna's bday surprise.  We met the Strickland family and all the little kids out at McCord park, and mom and dad brought Granna blind-folded to 3 planted flower bushes and a plaque in her honor.  Pizza, kids in the pool, family time and rich chocolate cake followed.

And then we headed to the beach...

Will took FLA pics the entire ride down: a karate van, boiled peanut stands, old houses, and massive 4x4's.  We bought "American Pride" koozies, fireworks, Dorritos and as many sweet tea bottles as we could carry.  We popped in to check out Syd's handy work, then were off to the Rosenbergs "Mansion by the Sea".  Heaven.

Thursday and Friday were chillax days.  I collected shells and walked to the gator.  We visited the Graham's house and measured out the tent and mocked up a ceremony.  We even did a little dancing on our "dance floor".  We set off ALL of our fireworks and fancy sparklers on the beach and did the wedding dance and chant around them.  "This is the wedding dance, oh yeah, oh yeah."  It goes something like that!

William joined in the morning and the fellas took kayaks out over past St. T and did a little fishing as I had a girl day and baked in the sun.  William mowed the yard, Willy napped in the hammock, and I attempted a yogg in 90 degree weather!

Our vaca came to an end way too quickly!  I heart the panhandle.