Last Weekend: Pirates of Lanier Poker Run

Last weekend I was in Bufford, GA for the Pirates of Lanier poker run. Tyson and I left last Tuesday and arrived on Wednesday evening. This was our first time at this event and let me tell you, it was completely over the top. The attention to detail was immaculate. The sponsors and volunteers were so enthusiastic. And the amount of money that was raised for charity was record breaking... $430,000 thousand dollars!

I'll let the photos do the talking!

Paul Sr. from Orange County Choppers was there!

We won the award for Most Patriotic Boat!

It was so much fun! I flew home Sunday morning and was sooo exhausted. That means it was a good trip, right!?

Quick Summer Catch-Up!

Total blog neglect going on right now. Let's fix it!

About a week after Memorial Day we went to Jacksonville for a the Jacksonville River Rally Poker Run. I love this run because 100% of money raised goes to charity and a good friend of mine hosts it. My favorite part is on Saturday afternoon we go to his house and hang out by his pool.

Talk about epic party! There were food and drinks and HELICOPTER RIDES!

One of our friends from Atlanta has this beautiful helicopter and he graciously gave us a ride around the river!

I hate it when my helicopter matches my boat. (Not...)

It was seriously so awesome!!

Right after the poker run we had to fly to Virginia Beach for work. Trade shows are SO BORING. But we did get to go to the beach!

We have been home for about two weeks so I have been working and laking. I prefer laking over working but whatevs...

Maybe it's because of these amazing sunsets.

So that's pretty much what I've been doing for the past month. Oh and eating delicious snow-cones.

Miami and Key West

Hi friends! I just got back from a trip to Miami and Key West and thought I should share some fun moments!

Walking around South Beach. It was very windy so the beach was pretty quiet.

I love Miami because I get to wear all of the outfits that I can't wear at home.

There was a guy at Mango's who had two birdies that I just haaaaad to get a picture with. I love birds!

We rode down to Key West on our friends cruiser. We left at 7am so we got to see the sunrise. This shot is of Miami as we head south.

Some friends of mine work on this yacht called "Mia". Such a beautiful boat.

The weather was perfect! It was warm and sunny with a little breeze. Perfect boating weather!

We don't mess around with our boat drinks!

My favorite part of this trip is when all of the powerboaters go to this deserted island called "Boca Grande". We pack sandwiches and lots of booze beverages and party on the island for three or four hours. It's a blast!

This year over 200 boats came!

The trip was so much fun! I was gone for one week and when I got home I was EXHAUSTED. Have been doing laundry, sleeping, and attempting to catch up on office work since Tuesday.

Oh and one more thing. This little handsome man turned two today! He's fabulous. I mean who else rides a tricycle while eating a biscotti?

Have a great weekend!

What I've Been Doing and a Birthday Recap

I feel like I've neglected you guys. Let's catch up!

At the beginning of August I was recovering from having two dental implants. On top of having surgery, I was nursing one of our two cats back to health. He was not in good shape... he had diabetes and heart disease. I syringe fed him three times a day for nearly eight weeks and checked on him multiple times throughout the course of the day/night but his disease ended up taking over. He passed a blood clot so we had to put him down on August 8th.

August was also a very busy month for us at work. We were working at a remote location so I was driving back-and-forth to our shop multiple times a day to retrieve parts and tools. We also had numerous meetings with our customer and we had to move one of our locations. It was absolute CHAOS.

Then smack dab in the middle of all of this, Tyson decided to go to New York to reclaim his title for the Bermuda Challenge. The weather was clear for them to go on August 21st... this weather window is very tight and they can not go until they get approval from the Coast Guard. August 21st just so happened to be the day that we had to have our friend's boat delivered to Lake of the Ozarks for the Shootout. This would normally be no-big-deal but this boat is not easy to haul. A good friend of mine ended up hauling it for us and everything worked out even though I was sweating bullets the whole 6 hour drive.

But in the end, Tyson and Chris got our record back! Woo hoo!

This kicked off my birthday celebration and the Shootout!

We had a blast at the lake and I can't wait until next year!

Tuesday the 27th was my actual birthday. We had dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant, El Vallarta. It was low key and perfect!

The following weekend was Labor Day. My old boss from the gas dock asked me if I could fill in a few shifts for the holiday weekend. I couldn't say no! I missed the gas dock so much and loved every second of being back. It was so much fun!

And then the next weekend (I feel like a broken record) was Rachel's bachelorette party! Rachel and I were very good friends all throughout middle and high school and we have stayed in touch very well over the last seven years.

Friday night was our Girl's Night. We went to a winery and then to Shady Gators while the guys went to Frankie and Louie's. Later that night we all came together at Rachel's parents house where we set up camp! It was so much fun having everyone packed in to the house with their air mattresses and staying up late like high school again.

Saturday we went out on the boat. (Both guys and girls.)

The whole weekend was so much fun until I got news that some guys we know from Joplin died in a boat accident. I could not believe it. My heart stopped for what felt like the whole day.

The last few weeks have been a little more low-key. We went to Michigan to tour the Skater Powerboats factory which was very neat.

(That place is full of secrets so I couldn't take any other pictures.)

Then last weekend we celebrated Tyson's late father's 70th birthday party.

So that's what I've been doing for the last eight weeks. A lot of ups-and-downs but that's life... and I have to live it. Hopefully I will get back in to the groove with my blogging. I sure miss you all!