July Is Over Already

Well I think that went by very fast, it seems like just yesterday we were on the dock in Emerald Isle watching fireworks. That is okay though because that just means we are closer to football season (Go Pirates) and Jamaica. This weekend we are going back to where we grew up Bigger Better Burlington. Our friends Lora and Matt are getting married and Rebecca is in the wedding so we will be busy all weekend. Thursday Rebecca will be heading up to try and help out as best as she can and try not to get in the way. Then they have the normal bridesmaid's luncheon Friday followed by the rehearsal. I will be making my way up there after work on Friday for the rehearsal dinner and hopefully some Burlington fun i.e. going to Biscuitvile, eating at Zach's, cruising Edgewood, hanging out at Raygo, and maybe go to Hams. I know we will have a good time and it will be nice to see some friends. Next weekend we are going to visit my mom and mike down in Florida. We are very excited and can't wait because we will get to see Matt, Jenna, and Landon as well. It has been too long since we have seen them; I think Matt said Landon is already shaving. We have plans to go to Key West which will be very neat since neither of us have been there before. Nice long weekend trip hopefully lots of fun and good times with the family. Well I need to stop wasting time writing on the blog and get back to painting the corn hole boards so my brother will stop bothering me and I will try to get Rebecca to add more picture. Send us some love via comments if you want and we will continue to keep you posted. -Barrett

End of July...

I can't believe we're almost to August! Where did the summer go??? We've had such a busy summer that we've barely noticed it passing us by. Let's see....what have we been up to?

Two weeks ago we went to a wedding in Spartanburg, SC. It was for our friends Jason & Elizabeth (aka, Jeter). It was a beautiful ceremony in an old church in downtown Spartanburg. The reception was just as nice and so much fun! We really had a blast! It was also nice because it was a quick trip....about an hour there and back. That made Buddy happy because he got to stay at home! Jeff & Cindy were awesome and took care of him for the night! Thank you, thank you, thank you again! :-)

Last weekend was so nice! We had NOTHING to do! We ran errands, did a littl house cleaning, and spent some time by the pool. It's so nice to have a day to breathe! We almost forgot what that feels like!

This weekend is pretty mellow too. I'm working today for a few hours (yuck!) and Barrett is hanging out with Jason & Elizabeth...fresh off their honeymoon in the DomRep (popular desination these days!). This afternoon we're heading to Addyson's 1st birthday party. Addyson is Barrett's stepbrothers beautiful baby girl. Then...I think we're heading to a cookout with Jason & Jeter. Tomorrow...we're heading poolside. Gotta get rid of some bathing suit strap tan lines before Lora's wedding next weekend! Then...we're off on a busy few weeks again.

Off to enjoy what's left of our "do nothing" weekend! :-)

End of June into July...

It has been a long time since we have blogged and Rebecca has been too busy so I(Barrett) am taking it into my own hands and updating The Brooks Board. A few weeks ago we had a Fiesta for Matt and Lora. I am sure everyone had a good time even though it was a 100 degrees out. We had plenty of food and fun plus there was a pinata filled with mini bottles, koozies, and candy. The next weekend we went down to Charleston for our friends Austin and Melissa's wedding. We left really early Saturday so that we could get down there and walk around. Lucky for us we had a great hotel (thanks again dad) and we got to check in at 11:00. After that we walked through the market and down to the battery to see the tall ship after that we had a little lunch. The wedding was wonderful right on the water at and old Charleston home and the reception was in The Exchange one of the places the Constitution was signed. Also toward the end of the reception we also got to explore the provost dungeon where pirates were held in old Charles Town. Enough of the history lesson, later that evening we went with a bunch of friends to Wet Willies and had one frozen drink and had to retire for the evening. Last weekend we had a few days off and got to spend them in Emerald Isle with my Grandma, Aunt, Uncle and Cousins. We got down Thursday mid day and went straight to the dock and stayed out in the sun almost the entire time. I did get to go out with my cousins fishing pretty early Friday, but a combination of the night before and the really rough seas I got sick more times than we had bites. We tried everything but ended up calling it and heading back after getting completely skunked, like they say though a bad day at the beach is better than the best day at work. On the 4th of July we packed up the boat and headed to coast guard beach and hung out there most of the day playing boccie ball. That evening we had the 4th of July porch party got to see fireworks from Swansboro, Cherry Point and Emerald Isle all from the dock, it was great. This weekend we are off again this time to Spartanburg for another wedding of our friends Jason and Elizabeth. This might be the biggest wedding I have ever been to I think around 400 people and a few of those will be Charlotte friends so should be another good time. Unfortunately we are leaving buddy again but he will be in good hands. Wish us luck and hopefully for anyone reading these this is my last post. -Barrett

Taking it Easy...

Last weekend was full and fun-filled...and completely exhausting! Barrett was in Emerald Isle with the boys. I know they had lots of fun...pictures are worth a thousand words! I was in Myrtle Beach for Lora's Bachelorette Weekend. We were able to go out and see the Craig Woolard Band, who will be playing at her wedding. They were so fun and will be so awesome to see again in August! Other than the weather not cooperating so well, it was a nice weekend for us both. This weekend...we're taking it easy! We decided to back out of the wedding we were supposed to go to in Benson, NC. Our budget and brains are reaching exhaustion for this month, so we decided it would probably be best to lay low...Well, except for the fact that Barrett decided to go to a Bachelor Party in Myrtle Beach, so I guess Buddy and I will be laying low! We need to rest, regroup, and get ready for next weekend. We're throwing a Fiesta for Matt & Lora at our house! Should be lots of fun! Margaritas and pinatas always make for a good time! :-)

Adventures in Grocery Shopping

So, I've been trying to figure out this whole coupon using thing for a while now. It blows my mind how some people can go to the grocery store, buy $400 worth of items, and walk out having only spent $3.14. I just couldn't figure it out! I had clipped coupons from the Sunday paper, brought them with me to the store, and saved $20 or so, but still paid $150! I couldn't wrap my head around it! But then...at work a few days ago, one of the nurses gave a mini-lesson on the tricks of the trade. It really is like a game! There are secret codes and special days of the week...it's very involved! So, last night Barrett and I went to Harris Teeter to see if we could use my new skills to our advantage...I didn't have very high expectations, but my goal was to save at least as much as I spent. So, how did we do?? We met the goal! We spent $81 and saved $84! So, half price! I was pretty happy for our first time out! We probably could have done better...we bought some things that we didn't have coupons for (like buy 1 get 1 free london broil, which also isn't half bad) so that was extra money we spent. We'll do better next time...Practice makes perfect! :-)

One weekend down...15 or so to go!

We made it through our first big adventure of the summer! A quick little trip to the Greenville area, and we had a great time!

I spent the weekend out on the Pamlico River (not the Tar like I thought before) and had a wonderful time with the girls from work. We spent the whole day Saturday out on the boat. It was finally sunny...I've been waiting for a sunshine filled day for weeks now! So we soaked up a little sun and good company, and enjoyed some much needed relaxation.

Barrett got to spend some time with Matt, Jenna, and Landon. They went to the ECU baseball regionals and watched us lose miserably on Saturday to South Carolina. But, ECU rallied and ended up winning two games yesterday which puts us into an elimination game today against SC again...keep your fingers crossed! Go Pirates! :-)

Buddy had a blast, too. He got to spend some time with his cousin Beau. He also swam in a pool that wasn't his...see insert. :-) Barrett took Buddy and Beau to Jenna's mom's house to spend some time in the back yard while they headed to the baseball game. Barrett said as soon as he opened the fence, Buddy headed straight for the pool. It looks like Beau's saying, "Gosh, Buddy. I really want to get in there, but I'm not so sure we're supposed to!" Eventually, Beau joined the party. Hey...it was hot...they're labs...it's what they do! He then proceeded to sleep the entire day away on Sunday.

Next weekend we're heading in opposite directions. Barrett's headed for a boys' weekend at Emerald Isle with his brother and cousins. Sounds like nothing but trouble to me! :-) I'll be at my best friend Lora's bachelorette party in Myrtle Beach. I can't wait to get my toes in the sand for the first time this summer! We're all keeping our fingers crossed for more sunshine!

And We're Off!

Here goes nothing... Starting this weekend we are going, non-stop, full force until sometime in September. It's going to be one of those summers that flies by way too fast. It will be full of fun and friends, and we're excited about all that is going on, but we're going to be so exhausted! :-) This weekend we're heading into Eastern North Carolina. We'll be staying in Greenville with Matt, Jenna, and Landon Friday night. Barrett will stay there for the weekend, but I'm heading down the road a bit to stay with friends for a birthday celebration on the Tar River. It'll be nice to have a girls weekend, and Barrett will have a great time visiting with the family. Buddy gets to come with us (THANK YOU MATT & JENNA)...so we're really happy we don't have to board him...he gets sad. :-( So, we'll head four hours down the road and four hours back to start the summer season off right. Keep your fingers crossed for sunshine!