Bridal Shower

I'm sure we all have "those days" where work stresses us to the max & we feel we're going to lose our minds, but then something like this happens... 

My Rocky Mount co-workers joined me in celebrating my upcoming wedding by throwing me a bridal shower after work tonight. It was the cutest thing! Two of my branch managers hosted it, decorating our plain little board room in hot pink everything - balloons, napkins, plates & more. We enjoyed finger sandwiches, fruit & veggies, chips & dip, and of course, cake. Check it out - isn't it cute?!?

I must admit - I have some of the sweetest co-workers. They spoiled me rotten not only with the food, but with the gifts. We received lots of Target gift cards, and many items from our registry, including a large serving bowl & 3-tier pastry stand. Ya'll get ready for some entertaining at the Massimi house!

And of course I was able to bring some cake home. Freddy & my brother, who had dinner together while I was at the bridal shower, dove into what was left of the cake. Freddy pulled the bow tie off the cake - check out this goofball :) Can you believe I'm marrying those guy in 4 days? Woo hoo!!! So excited!!! 

Everyone have a great week!!!

Engaging weekend :)

Freddy & I headed to the OBX this past weekend for engagement photos & a mini getaway. We checked into The White Doe Inn, a bed & breakfast located in Manteo, on Friday night. We stayed in The Turret, one of the 8 rooms in the very beautiful house. See the rounded corner on the 2nd floor of the house? That was our room! We were looking forward to spending time on our private balcony, but it rained Friday night & alllllllll day Saturday. Ugh! 


Saturday morning we enjoyed a wonderful breakfast there at the Inn. The four-course meal started out with fresh fruit, followed by grits, then bacon & pancakes, ending with homemade crepes for "dessert." I've never had dessert with breakfast, but hey, no complaints here.

We were supposed to meet up with our photographer Saturday afternoon for engagement shots, but since it rained all day we rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. Instead, we spent most of Saturday popping in & out of the local shopping centers, and we met up with Freddy's uncle & his fiance for lunch (they were down for the weekend as well). 


Saturday night we headed to Kelly's, our favorite OBX restaurant. Ever heard of sweet potato biscuits?!? They have the best ever!!!!! Our waiter gave us the recipe - here it is if you wanna give it a try...

1 lb. cooked sweet potatoes (steamed or boiled)

1 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup water

2 1/4 cup bisquick (or any biscuit mix)

Cool & peel sweet potatoes. Mix together sweet potatoes, brown sugar, Bisquick mix & water. Combine ingredients thoroughly. The mixture will be moister than regular biscuits. Floor table. Roll biscuit mix to 1/2'' thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2'' cutter. Place on greased sheet pan. Bake in preheated over at 350 degrees for 16-18 minutes. The moist mixture does not allow the biscuits to rise a great deal. A mindful eye should be kept on the biscuits so they do not overcook. Yield 1 1/2 dozen. Serve with fresh butter & enjoy!

Sunday morning we had a similar breakfast with fruit & grits, but the main course this morning was quiche, then a cheesecake-like dessert. After check-out we met up with Rachael, our photographer, for shots in downtown Manteo & on the beach at Nags Head. I won't see the shots for another week or so, but I must admit, I'm not too excited! My naturally curly hair, which I straightened that morning, frizzed up after 10 minutes of being in that very humid beach air. Oh well, it was lots of fun! Below is Marsh's Lighthouse in downtown Manteo, one of our locations...

I absolutely love Manteo - would move there in a heartbeat if I could afford it! It's the perfect small town - you can take a stroll along the waterfront, grab a bite at one of the local restaurant or cafes, or ride your bike down the historical streets. It's so peaceful, which is much needed right now...


I'll post pictures as soon as I get them! And by the way, less than 2 weeks before I get married. Holla!!!!!!!! :) 

I need to vent!

I am soooooo sick & tired of people acting like my wedding is strange & unusual, and giving me a sorta confused look when I describe what we're doing. Yes, I'm only having 3 guests at my wedding. No, we're not having bridesmaids or groomsmen. No, Freddy isn't wearing a suit or tux. No, we're not having a reception with a big ol' wedding cake & dancing. Does this make my wedding any less special than someone else's? Do Freddy & I love each other any less? Absolutely not! The other day when I was getting my alterations, all the seamstresses were asking what my colors were, what my bridesmaids dresses looked like, etc. & when I said I wasn't doing all that they looked at me like I had a third eye! When my seamstress was pinning my dress for a hem she started to get the pins & whatnot she'd need for a bustle. Nope, don't need one! She started questioning why we weren't having a reception or dancing, and even commented, "Are you doing ANYTHING special?!?" I'm freakin' getting married!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Isn't that special?!? I'm sorry, I don't mean to be a complete butthead...I'm just frustrated. Even my co-workers do it! I guess if I was having 300 people at my wedding with 15 bridesmaid & 15 groomsmen, bright colors, a golden tent, a 5 course meal, and a band people would think it was "special." Ok, I'm finished venting now! 

Leaving in 2 weeks for Disney, and our VERY special wedding :)

Another step closer...

I had my alterations appointment with David's Bridal today. All they gotta do is hem it (I'm such a shortie) and take in the shoulders because they're falling off. Getting married in less than 3 weeks :) Yay!!!!!!!!!

September 11th

And yes, another post I'm a day behind on...

I was in 10th grade at Hunt High School on September 11, 2001. I'd just walked into 2nd period, which was World History. My teacher, who usually greeted each of us as we walked in, was glued to the television. The headlines read "plane hits World Trade Center." We all thought it was a mistake, the plane was just flying too low & it was simply an accident. Then the worst thing I could have ever imagined happened - we sat there & watched the second tower get hit. I was in 10th grade, I was so confused & couldn't wrap my brain around what was happening - no one could! We all sat there in silence for what felt like hours. Our principal came over the intercom & asked us to all remain in our current classroom, not to change periods until we could figure out what was going on. 

Finally they let us all out for lunch. That was the quietest lunch period in Hunt High School history, I'm sure! At that point we knew it was an attack on the US & we didn't know what was going to happen next. 

Even at such a young age, I remember being so incredibly proud to be an American. People came together to help, support, and offer guidance to anyone in need. No one complained, no one was selfish - we were all friends, no matter the sex, race, etc. It's sad it took something so horrible to make us all realize the good in people...

Yesterday as Freddy watched football allllllllll day, I popped in every once in a while to catch the commercials. Did anyone see the Anheuser Busch Clydesdales commercial? Oh my goodness, I cried like a baby!!!!!!

Do one thing today - be nice to someone for absolutely no reason! Hold the door for an elderly woman, say hello to a total stranger, give that waitress an extra dollar. Be proud to be an American because you may not be able to do all those things in another country.

We're so quick to complain & worry about all those little things. I'm guilty of it myself! But just stop for a minute & realize all the wonderful things around you, and smile :)

Have a great day!

Bachelorette Party

Yes, I know - my Bachelorette Party was Saturday night! I haven't had a second before now to blog about it. But finally, here it is!!


Some of my besties joined me Saturday to celebrate one of my last night's as a single lady. We started our night at Erin's place for Wine & Cheese. It was so cute! Erin had a number of different wines to sample, and paired different types of cheese with each. I discovered I really like goat cheese (never would have thought) and havarti. Delicious! 


Nicci hired a driver for the night, LeRoy. We're responsible adults :) He picked us up from Erin's & we headed to The Cheesecake Factory. The wait was waaayyyy too long so we tried Red Monkey next door. It's a new restaurant right beside The Cheesecake Factory & I've been wanting to try it ever since it opened. I had the Shrimp Pesto on whole wheat penne pasta...delicious, but a huge portion! I couldn't even eat a quarter of it. And the Metropolitan martini wasn't bad either :)


Afterwards we hit downtown Raleigh, starting at Cashmere. Cashmere is a really nice bar known mainly for their huge list of martinis. Here's a picture of Erin & I - I'm enjoying a SPINtini!

We were ready to dance, and there wasn't much dancing going on there so we headed to Still Life. They waived our cover charge because we were celebrating. Woo hoo! We danced the night away. But as always, all good things must come to an end & before we knew it, it was time for Cinderella to leave the ball. LeRoy picked us up & we headed back to Erin's, but first we had to make a few pit stops. We stopped at Snoopy's, a hot dog joint downtown, for Nicci & Erin. And I got LeRoy to stop at McDonald's for me so I got him some nuggets - great thank you gift, don't you think? Lol

Once we got back, we all crashed!!!!! I can't last as long as I used to :) But it was a great night with great friends, dancing, & drinks. Thanks so much everyone! And for those that weren't able to join us, I missed you tons. You were there with me in spirit! :)

Help!!!

This morning as I was trying to grab an extra 20 minutes of sleep before starting my day, a very noisy cricket outside of my bedroom window decided it was time for me to get up! He just would not shut up. Yes, I've decided it's a male cricket :) Sooooo, I got up - couldn't take it anymore. Well, I'm back in bed trying to catch some much needed zzzzzz's & he's back. He has been screaming for over an hour now! I mean, seriously - it's nonstop. He just won't quit! I bang, bang, bang on the window & he stops for like a second, but then starts back up again. And guess what?!? Now he has a friend. Another cricket that doesn't make such a constant noise, but chirps in once & a while. If anyone has any suggestions on how to get rid of this sucker, please let me know!!!!!

Weekend Escape

Freddy & I took a long weekend & headed down to Florida for wedding preparations, and of course some Disney World fun :)

We left NC Thursday night after work & drove a little over halfway, stopping in GA for a good night's sleep. We jumped back on the road first thing Friday morning & headed for the downtown Orlando Clerk of Courts to obtain our marriage license. Boy - that was an experience! First of all, getting into the building is like getting on a plane - you have to wait in line, empty your pockets & put your belongings into a scanner, then walk through a metal detector. They wouldn't allow me to take my tiny bottle of lotion or hairspray in - told me I needed to take it back to my car. Well, we were downtown (super busy) & we had to park what felt like a million blocks away. Therefore, they kept my lotion & hairspray :( But I understand, they're just trying to be cautious! 

When we finally got through security, we headed to the 3rd floor (this place was huge) to the marriage license & passport office. That was entertaining! We met 2 children named Chocolate & Cocoa (no joke) who were there to get passports with their mother, along with a number of rather interesting weddings. Anyway, we have our marriage license now. Yippee!!

Then we headed to Disney's Wilderness Lodge Villas for a 2-night stay, got there shortly after lunch. The villas are so quiet & peaceful, plus the Magic Kingdom is just a boat ride away (or bus if you prefer that route). So far it's our favorite DVC resort! We were able to check-in right away, which is always nice, so we grabbed lunch in the onsight cafe then headed to the room for a little rest.

We had dinner that evening at Narcoossee's, which is located at the Grand Floridian resort. The restaurant sits right on the Seven Seas Lagoon, and our table had a perfect view of the Magic Kingdom. It's a shame our reservation was at 5:30pm instead of 9 or 10pm when the fireworks are shot off! Oh well, it was still beautiful. Oh, and I forgot to mention - we met our Reverend right before dinner to go over final details for the wedding. 

After dinner we hopped on the monorail en route to Epcot. Epcot's Extra Magic Hours went from 9pm-12am for Disney resort guests. We were able to ride all the attractions, except Mission Space...I'm not brave enough to conquer that one! We waited for Soarin' the longest, and that was only about 30 minutes - not bad at all. 

Saturday morning was Extra Magic Hours at Hollywood Studios. We were able to ride Rockin' Rollercoaster & Tower of Terror twice each, plus The Great Movie Ride & Toy Story Mania. We also caught the Beauty & the Beast show. A very exciting day at Hollywood Studios, topped off with a Chocolate Butterfinger cupcake. OMG, Freddy & I shared the cupcake & could barely finish our halves. It was very good, but extremely rich! 

After a quick nap that afternoon, we headed for Magic Kingdom Saturday evening. All that running around can be exhausting! We rode Pirates, Big Thunder Mtn, Haunted Mansion, Space Mtn, Carousel of Progress, and caught the Monsters Inc Laugh Floor show - they used one of my jokes!! :) Then we topped off the evening with the Electrical Parade & Wishes fireworks. Absolutely my favorite fireworks show at Disney!

We hit the road Sunday morning for good ol' NC, but stopped to see Freddy's sister in St. Augustine, FL first. Got home around 10:30pm, and believe it or not had enough energy to wash a load of laundry from our trip. 

After a restful night's sleep, we're back to normal - whatever that is :) Working on some things around our new house. Grateful for Labor Day! 

Such a great weekend - lots of fun & many memorable moments! Can't wait to get back down there in October to say I DO :) Yay!!!!!!!