Catching Up

It's been a super long time since I've posted anything. Here is a short Spring & Summer highlight reel:

The Stallos had to say goodbye to our beloved Family dog, the one and only, Rascal. He had given us so many great memories over 16 years. We love and miss him so very much!

 

My parents came to Atlanta for Easter. Here we are with our Church's flower cross; it's always beautiful!

Danny had a work trip in Los Angeles in April and I tagged along to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary. We packed in tons of fun in our three days there; tourist activities in Hollywood, a TV taping at Sony Studios, people-watching in Venice Beach, a stroll down the Santa Monica Pier, and a lovely drive through the hills of Malibu.

Along with 25 of our best friends we went on the 4th Annual Panama City Beach Trip at the end of May. It never fails to be a fabulous time!

 

Within four days of being back from the beach we found a renter, packed up all our belongings, and moved out of our condo!!! A whirlwind of a week to say the least... We couldn't be more happy with our tenant, and are so thankful for the Postell's for letting us crash in their basement for two months! It was fun to have roommates again.

As you know, we enjoy supporting the Alzheimer's Association.  Here we are at their annual kickball fundraiser in June. Each team had a theme, somehow ours ended up being Justin Bieber.

St. Simons was our next beach destination. One of my Pi Phi girls, Julia, was getting married and the whole crew enjoyed a fabulous weekend in June! Her and Reagan's wedding was absolutely amazing. Sidenote: Our husbands are rarely in the pictures, because they're busy lining up to take them...but in truth, they all were there cheering on the fun, even if there is little documentation.

The very next weekend, we celebrated another Pi Phi, Brooke's 30th at Lake Lanier. After two consecutive parties with this crew, we went through withdrawals not seeing each other as often...so we had to plan more...!

 

Like tubing the Chattahoochee shortly thereafter for Kat's bday... 

 

 Dayton's family has a cabin in Maggie Valley, NC, which we have visited annually over the years. A small group of us took a last minute trip in July. We drove up to Asheville for a tour of breweries too. Here we are with "Maggie" of Maggie Valley in front of the legendary Joey's Pancake House.

On July 19 we closed on our first home together. We had a lot of fun shopping for houses in Marietta throughout the spring, and are so thrilled how God's plan unveiled for us to get this one! It's been a busy few weeks moving, unpacking, and repairing. I'm sure you'll see some future posts as we get to the stage where we want people to see the inside :)

The first week in August, my mom's family gathered, 27 people in all, for an extended weekend in Colorado. We did a lot of fishing, played a lot of cards, and enjoyed great family time! An unfortunate virus came too, which spread like wildfire...23 of us ended up sick halfway through the weekend. I guess you can say we are a sharing family.

Since everyone in the South is counting down the days to college football kickoff, Fall is already in the air. It was nice to reflect on a wonderful season of life. We hope you all enjoyed your summers too!

Danny's Birthday

Yesterday Danny entered his final year before the big 3-0! We had a great weekend celebrating such a special guy with various events.

Friday our friends gathered for dinner at our hole-in-the-wall favorite, Taxco, to celebrate Danny and our friend, Mark's birthdays. Afterwards we enjoyed cake and ice cream at our house.Sunday after church we had a really great day downtown! Tried out a new restaurant, Park Bar, walked around Centennial Olympic Park, and then went to the basketball game to see Kentucky dominate Baylor, which gave them entrance to the Final 4. (Thanks for the tickets, Jax!) For dinner we met Danny's family at Wing Factory. Everyone ate their hearts out there, and then again back to the house for more cake and ice cream! Of course.Last night we relaxed at home. I made Danny's favorite, Vodka Rigatoni (with a fab new recipe!) and he opened his gift.We are both excited to see what this next year has in store! Great things, for sure.

Kasey & Adrian

Parting ways for the weekend, Danny and I enjoyed the company of friends, old and new, celebrating Kasey and Adrian's stag parties. The men headed to a big farm in Chattanooga, TN while the girls went to Dahlonega in the North GA mountains.Other than a picture of the palm-sized hail that continually pelted Danny's car Friday night, the boys did not bring home any documentation to share. No surprise. I do know they were completely wiped out by the nearly 48 hours of competitive games Adrian had meticulously planned for the group. Split into to teams, it was the ultimate competitive weekend. Taking a toll on their minds, bodies, and livers, they all made it home without injury. :)

The girls spent the day outside on Friday too; hiking, hot-tubbing, and getting to know each other. Half the group were her childhood friends and bridal party, others of us know Kasey from kickball, and everyone quickly gelled and made friends. I drove up after work and joined in on the fun. While praying for our husbands and families as The South was hit with terrible storms and tornadoes, we prepared an awesome pasta dinner, then headed to the bathroom for shelter! Sure made for some great memories!Saturday morning we got Kasey ready for her big day out. Our bus driver Trudy took us to three vineyards for lunch and wine tastings. After a quick wardrobe change and a little lingerie shower we ventured downtown for dinner at The Corkscrew and late night fun at Shenanigans.
Kasey & Adrian will be married in two weeks on St. Patty's Day with a reception that will doubtlessly be a party to remember! They are such a fun couple, Danny & I are honored to be a part of their celebrations.

POST WEDDING UPDATE:
March 17, 2012
Kasey and Adrian's wedding was a complete blast! I wish I had more photos to share, but we were all too busy having fun!!! They set up a casino in the Indian Hills Country Club. Roulette, Black Jack, Craps, Poker...it was all there! Guests played with "The Wests" custom made dollar bills. At the end of the night you could cash in your chips for raffle tickets, in return it gave you the opportunity at some fun prizes. Adrian and Kasey's families are awesome. We wish The Wests all the best in the world! Right now they're on the beaches of Jamaica celebrating being newlyweds!

Orlando

Last week I had the great pleasure to attend the International Home Builders Show in Orlando with my favorite mentor, my dad! Growing up, he frequently took us girls along on a business trips, alternating between Steph and I during the summers when we were out of school. It was a great time to spend one-on-one time with Dad, and we were usually treated to some kind of perk like room service or a fun activity. Great memories!

This dad-daughter business trip only added to the list of good times, especially since we now share careers in similar fields. We walked what we figured to be about eight miles a day, wandering through booths displaying new products and trends in home building. I learned quite a lot! Most importantly we got in three days of quality bonding time. I feel so lucky to have someone with whom to share my DIY interests and also to have a dad who has done so much to invest in my future, professionally and personally. I'm ready to go back (especially since it was nearly 80 degrees in sunny Florida and currently 40 in the not-so-Hotlanta)!

We have a nephew!

Uncle Danny and Aunt Jess welcome Luke Anthony Wandra, our first nephew! He arrived a minute before two o'clock this morning, coming in at 7 lbs 9 oz and 20 inches. Dawn and baby are doing well. Luke already resembles his Daddy with a little dimple in his chin.

Happy New Year!

As I'm sure it happened for everyone else, the end of the year sure flew by quickly! Now it is already mid-January and we have finally recovered enough to reflect on the holiday....

We had a great time in Connecticut for Christmas, lots of time with my family relaxing, which is what we wanted most. Walks with Rascal, Christmas day movie, homemade pizza for Christmas dinner...those are all our Stallo traditions. We got in a night of bowling and great grub in Hartford, Redneck shooting practice in the backyard, lots of games and dancing on the parents' new Kinect, and treated to a really great massage. It is still strange going "home" to a house I did not grow up in, but it really is family that makes holidays special; I was sad to leave them.
I'm now one year older too. My desk at the office looked like a florist shop, beautiful flower bouquets and gifts from Karpaty. Danny & I had a nice quiet dinner, just the two of us on December 30th; some girlfriends surprised me with a little celebration one evening, and we enjoyed a festive dinner with a couple close friends the following week. I can't believe how "old" I am getting, but am so thankful to have the amazing friends and family I do, which make life so wonderful.

New Year's Eve was spent at a Lake House in North Georgia. We watched Auburn dominate in their bowl game and enjoyed the company of a small group of friends. Danny and a couple guys jumped in the water for a Polar Bear Swim. Twice...Brrrr!Lastly, Happy New Year to our friends and family! We hope 2012 is off to a great start for you all. Danny and I are charged for a great year. We set some goals and are excited for what is in store!