Georgia/Florida Weekend Begins!

Even though we aren't in college anymore, we began our activities for the Georgia-Florida weekend on Thursday evening! We had perfect weather to take the boat to the Rah Bar on Jekyll Island. Here are a few pictures from the boat!

Ryals and Lauren

Kelsey and John

Me and Johnathan

 The sunset last night was absolutely gorgeous! The pictures don't do it justice.

We enjoyed the live music at the Rah Bar!

{Recipes} - Warm Artichoke and Green Onion Dip

Hello Friends!  I hope everyone had a fabulous weekend! I am loving the beautiful weather we have had the past few days, and I can't wait til the weekend gets here when we might actually get some Fall weather down here! 

So, I can't believe I haven't shared this with you before, but this recipe is definitely my go to recipe for parties and get togethers. It comes from the Bride and Groom cookbook from Williams Sonoma, which also has other great recipe ideas too.  This is so quick and easy, and seriously every time I make it, I get a request for the recipe!   A lot of the ingredients you may already have on hand, but if not, its not expensive to make!

Ingredients:

2 (14 oz.) cans water-packed artichoke hearts, well drained, chopped

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise

1 1/2 cups finely grated high-quality Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sliced green onion

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme OR 3/4 teaspoons dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, plus more as needed

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Combine artichoke hearts, mayonnaise, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/3 cup of green onion, the garlic, thyme, kosher salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl.  Mix and adjust the salt and pepper to taste.

3. Transfer mixture to 8-inch square glass baking dish and sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese overtop.

4. Cover and bake until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Increase the heat to broil and cook until the top is bubbly and golden brown, another 2 to 3 minutes.

6. Remove from the oven and garnish with the remaining green onion just before serving.

7. Enjoy with warm bagel or pita chips, French bread slices or crackers!

Do-Ahead: The dip can be assembled one day ahead but not cooked.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake.

Darius Rucker Concert

On Wednesday night we went with a group of our friends to the Darius Rucker concert! It was a lot of fun, especially because the concert took place at the Lodge on Sea Island! This week they are hosting the McGladrey Golf Tournament, so he came and made a special appearance!

The concert was a blast, even though it poured down rain! It was still so much fun and everyone just embraced the weather and had fun even though we were soaking wet! Darius played a lot of his new songs (we are on a first name basis), but he broke out some old Hootie and the Blowfish, too!  Here are a few pictures from the night:

After the rain and soaking wet, but still having a great time!

My dear friends Ashley and Brooks!

Fall Girl's Weekend

This past weekend all of my girlfriends and I got together for our annual girl's weekend! We traveled to Gainesville, GA to Maggie and Dave's house for the weekend. We had so much fun ziplining, decorating pumpkins, eating way too much food, and catching up with one another! Here are a few pics from our time together ~

 All of us in our ziplining gear

On top of the course (oh hello cool helmets!)

 Our annual impromptu posed picture!

 Dinner at Sidebar 120 - very good Mexican restaurant!

 Renee - is that a parrot holding an ashtray? 

Oh, and I had to share this picture. Over the weekend my family's dog, Cody, was really sick, but I am glad to report that he is back in good health and doing well! How cute is he?!

Football, Soccer and a Bike Ride

Hello friends! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! I was excited that I finally had a weekend at home since we have been traveling almost every weekend in September. 

On Friday night, we went with our nephews to the Glynn Academy Football game! Jack (on the left) sported his new high school hat and sunglasses - he kept asking everyone if he looked like he was in high school! T.G. and his friend had so much fun and laughed the whole time!

 Saturday morning we headed to Jekyll Island to see Jack play in his soccer game. He has been dominating the past few weeks, so we had to go support him! He scored three goals - go Jack!

Saturday evening we were back to the football field to see my school, Frederica Academy, play its first ever home football game! There were close to 1000 people in attendance, and everyone was so excited! We ended up winning 24-0 - Go Knights!

On Sunday, we got up early and went to church, then went to eat breakfast at Palmer's in the Village. They had the best blueberry oatmeal pancakes I had ever eaten! After that, we went home with the intention to get a lot of things done around the house, but it was just too pretty outside to be stuck inside! We hopped on our bikes and went on a bike ride around the island for about 2 hours. It was so nice. 

Sorry for the random picture below, but its the only one I snapped yesterday. One nice thing about riding your bikes is that you really have time to check things out rather than being in the car. I saw this house for sale and I absolutely love the style of stacked stone and shingles. It is for sale, but I know its out of our price range considering the other side faces the beach! Maybe one day ... 

I can't wait til this weekend when I'll be with my best friends for our annual Fall Girls Weekend!