Do you live in a new town and have not had a chance to experience the city or have you lived in the same place your whole life and you have not taken the opportunity to site see? Last summer, my family hosted my future relatives in our home town in Louisiana for our wedding. I wanted the new family to experience our culture so I decided to go on a swamp tour in the Atchafalaya basin. I grew up on the waters but never had an official tour. It was wonderful learning about the trees, wildlife, and history. My new family also loved it.

A year later, Jarrod and I were celebrating our first anniversary. We wanted to have a romantic getaway in Charleston, SC, but the timing wasn't right. Instead, Jarrod surprised me by taking me to Gianmarco's, a wonderful Italian restaurant in Homewood. The July night in Alabama was unseasonably cool. We finished dinner before the sun settled and were not ready to go home. We looked up and saw the statue of Vulcan and I asked Jarrod to take me. Jarrod had not been since he was a kid and I had never visited. It was a wonderful experience with breathtaking views. We even crashed a wedding reception.

Cooking is my favorite pastime

I have to give credit where credit is due. Elizabeth's blog was emailed to me from a relative in Louisiana. Jarrod says I have been obsessed since. She actually inspired my blog so I knew I needed to try a recipe and post a link to her site so everyone can enjoy it as much as I have. The Linguine Bolognese dish was amazing. You will make everyone happy if you make this. If you are cooking for two, you will have leftovers for a week! Here is a link to Elizabeth's blog: http://elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com/2009/04/new-yorkleans.html

Decorating the dining area

It is so easy to change the look of a dining room from every day to a formal dinner party. Being a newlywed, I look for reasons to use the gorgeous china and dinnerware our family and friends gave to us. My mom visited Birmingham a few months after the wedding and brought my remaining china. I came home and my mom had set my tablet and I thought it was beautiful. It completely transformed the eat in kitchen to a more formal/traditional dining area.

Inaugural post

This is my fist blog ever. My opinion has always been that no one cares what I have to write about. However, recently I checked out "blogging" and decided it was a great way for me to be creative. I thought I gave up my creative side when I became a Biology/Chemistry/Pharmacy student. However, I realized that my cooking, decorating, organizing skills, and telling personal stories are my creative outlets so why not share with friends and family. I only hope I can make my Louisiana grammar teachers proud (probably won't).