Much needed break ...

So this weekend marked the ANNUAL Ritz Girls weekend ~ every July, a group of girls heads to a different Ritz Carlton Resort. We stay on Club Level to enjoy all that it offers (4 presentations of food each day, unlimited drinks (of all kinds) and pretty much treat you like royalty) - it's wonderful.

We headed down Friday morning and were there before lunch ended! We decided to grab a quick bite and then head down to the beach. Naples is beautiful - and CLEAN!

This is a view of the resort from the beach .....

This was our bellman, Court ~ he was from Atlanta and ABSOLUTELY adorable. We tipped him extra to grab us some more Bulgari soaps and lotions.

This was as we entered the property - we literally all squealed like school girls!

The beach from our room -- this looks like a postcard, doesn't it? The weather was like this EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! The water was so warm ... it was great.

Shawn - this one is for you. This dude was walking around with all his jewelry on, denim shorts and that dress shirt. I could have died. He was puffing cigars. He kept yelling out to the 'beach waiter' and when he didn't come fast enough, he'd say "YOU'RE KILLING ME" - but in this weird accent -- so needless to say, that was ONE of the quotes of the weekend!

I surprised each girl with a cute little gift bag I made before we left! It had an embroidered towel in it that said "Ritz 2009", a cup from Swoozies that said "OH CABANA BOY, I'll take another!", gum, lotion, ocean scented sachet, and a sample set of body stuff from Arbonne. They LOVED it and I LOVED doing it for them!

Our first night there -- taken on the balcony of our room.

The sunset ....

This was just a SAMPLING of the desserts we had each night. This was vanilla marscapone with these little crunchy chocolate things, topped with what I kept calling a "chocolate boat filled with caramel" and a HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW .... OMG!!! I had 2!

Out final goodbye to the Ritz -- this is the fountain at the entrance and we all had on our "Ritz Chix" shirts ... so cute.
A great time was had by everyone, although we were missing a few girls. I think we have voted and we will be going back here next year. It's not a bad drive and quite frankly, they ENCOURAGED us to have fun. We got in SERIOUS trouble last year in Sarasota ... for being too loud. Like, the Manager of the whole hotel had to come speak with us on MORE than one occasion, but I digress ..... not this year.

Until next year -- viva la Ritz!

C.H.A.O.S

I think I've posted about this before - but I can't remember ....

I suffer from C.H.A.O.S - Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome

I feel like my house is always a flippin' wreck. I am OVER IT. I have decided I WILL conquer this house. Now, did you know it takes 10 days to break a habit? Meaning if you walk in, set your keys, mail, purse, junk, whatever on your entryway sidetable ~ it eventually gets to be a mess, right?

WELL -- if, for 10 DAYS, you do NOT set ANYTHING on that table, meaning MAKE A CONSCIOUS effort to NOT set ANYTHING on the table, ie: put junk mail in trash, hang keys up, put purse in bedroom (that's where I LIKE to keep mine) .. if you do this for 10 days STRAIGHT - you will break the habit of setting things on the table. Seriously - try it.

SO -- my big 'issue' has always been my laundry. I will sort it in the hallway, put it in the wash, move it to the dryer, etc. Once the dryer is done, I'll move it to the BIG COMFY leather chair and keep rolling with the laundry .... until I literally have a pile SO big that I dread having to sit down and fold it. THEN once I fold it, I'll put it in respective piles and then either LEAVE it in the family room, OR I'll take it to the room it goes in and stack it on a dresser, etc ... which then stays there for however many days/weeks it takes for me to get so fed up that I put it away. HALF the time, I forget about the washer and the clothes end up having to be washed TWICE!

SO -- rewind to 2 Sundays ago .... my darling, sweet friend, Shawn, came over to check on Peanut, who had spent the night and Babe wanted to see how the crown molding installation was coming (WHOLE DIFFERENT POST -- LET ME TELL YOU). She walks in and says "I will be back at 2:30 - CLEAN UP your kitchen before I get back" ... so you know what ... I did. I had it not quite spotless, but clean. Was it bad that her hubby says 'Well, you know, opposites attract, maybe that's why y'all are BFF' ... he's right ... ALL my BFFs are clean freaks. BTW, she didn't even bring me a prize for having my kitchen clean -- maybe my prize was having a clean kitchen!

ETA: Shawn was NOT b-yotchy when asking me to clean my kitchen. It was encouraging, more like a challenge. This girl has helped me clean my house more times than she probably has cared to (and so as my other BFF, Amber - do y'all see a pattern here??). She is constantly telling me how cute my house is and that EVERYTHING HAS A PLACE, EVERY PLACE HAS A THING (tell yourself that while you cleaning -- and the place may just be the GARBAGE or GOODWILL). Keeping my house clean is a MAJOR challenge for me ~ so I'm lucky to be surrounded by girlfriends that care enough ABOUT me to help me and encourage me and just not come over b/c they can't handle it. Now don't get me wrong, my house is not a pig sty - I just seem to always have crap everywhere. I dream of the day they can stop in and it is CLEAN ... and it's coming SOON, I just know it. I've conquered the kitchen (been over 10 days) and I WILL conquer the laundry/hallway situation.

Let me tell y'all what .... I have made sure my kitchen was clean every night before I go to bed. Big Daddy helps me SOMETIMES, but mostly it is me. I love love love it. LOVE IT.

Sooooo, THIS past Sunday, I get word that we are going to have a visitor on Thursday. One that I KNOW for a fact is a clean freak (WHAT THE HECK!?!!?) -- so I decide "HA! I'm going to have my house so clean, she'll have to go check the address out front!" I start working on the laundry and decide to really CLEAN the laundry room. You have to walk through the laundry room from the garage, if it's open, and then into the house. I had 'do not dry or I will die' clothes on top of the washer, crap everywhere ... I started cleaning that and making piles. I did one load of laundry - wash, dry, fold, PUT AWAY. Hmmm, that was easy. I work through all the piles, all the while, completely FINISHING the laundry. It didn't take me that long either. SO I then decide that I'm not going to make piles of laundry anymore. I'm going to just do that load - completely, and then start the next one. NOT having the chaos in the hallway was enough for me to realize this is what works FOR ME.

I do not have room for a sorting laundry bin, however, I try to do one load of laundry per day. I put my kids dirty clothes in laundry basket IN the laundry room. I may put a white/darks sorter in my daughter's closet b/c she has the room for that. When I'm doing a load, I just go through the basket and pull out what needs to be washed. It pretty much always stays full though (sad sad sad). This is the hallway now and has been since Sunday. It USED to be lined with piles and piles of dirty clothes.

This is my laundry room ~ I faux finished my cabinets myself - LOVE them - AND I made that chalkboard on the back of the door. It's not a huge area, but it's less for me to keep clean!! I have SO enjoyed walking in every day and not tripping over dirty clothes, etc.

Ahhhh ... so that's my boring blog post for the day. Maybe not so boring to some of you, I'm sure, but this is my life.

Friend Makin' Monday - My Favorite Things

Kasey from All That is Good is still on vacation, so Mamarazzi from Our Dandelion Wishes is hosting FMM today! I've participated in 2 swaps with Mamarazzi and boy, does she know how to do it up! One of her swaps was a "Favorite Things" swap and I had a blast! Please note, I am NOT including my church, Big Daddy, kids, girlfriends, and things like that in this list b/c that is a GIVEN. I'm thinking things to tell you more about ME! SO, in NO particular order, here are my favorite things:

The beach ... LOVE the beach (sorry, this picture is too funny NOT to include, so I lied just a little about not including my kids .... FYI: his shirt is on backwards ... within 2 minutes of getting OUT of the car, he was running and fell face first into wet sand .... got all over his shirt so we just turned it around)!

MAC Lip Glass -- it's my favorite EVER. I love Viva Glam IV.

Chanel Dior Show mascara ...... try it - you'll be glad you did.

Sonic Route 44 -- COKE with Lime! I get one of these every other day or so --- it lasts ALL day long and is SO good! I'm going to try the pina colada slush you all have been talking about -- maybe TODAY!

My daughter did a fundraiser with Scentsy and these are NOW my favorite "candles" - they really do smell up the entire house and smell SO good! I recommend Cucumber Lime and Skinny Dippin' ... those both smell WONDERFUL!

Swiffer Dusting Spray -- I know, I know ... but oh my GOODNESS, it works on EVERYTHING!

MEK jeans .... I used to be a Miss Me girl and I still am .... and MEK is made by the same people. They just fit SO good!! Miss Me are my favorite for "trendy" jeans ..... with bling.

Y'all knew this would be on here --- CHICK FIL A. I love CHICK-FIL-A!! I could eat it every day for every meal! I could never get tired of their fries! YUM!!!

LOVE Country Music and specifically THIS GUY {GRIN} ... I actually just got my tickets for Brad Paisley/Dierks Bentley/Jimmy Wayne concert ON MY BIRTHDAY - WOO HOO!!!

My steam mop ....... I LOVE this thing! It works so great and uses NO chemicals. I do put a couple drops of essential oil in with the water and leaves a nice minty smell in the room for a few days. Ever since I tripped over my mop bucket and spilled DIRTY WATER everywhere ... I have so enjoyed my steam mop!

That's all for me! Head on over to Mamarazzi's blog and check out others participating in FMM.

Have a great Monday!

Friend Makin' Monday .... on Tuesday

So I'm a day late ... and probably a dollar short, but I'm going to press on with Friend Makin' Monday. Kelli at Outside My Kitchen Window is hosting this week's FMM for Kasey! This week's topic is:

Tell us about your BFF...where did you meet, was it BFF at first sight, how long have you been friends, etc. What makes him/her your BFF...what is it about this person that makes him/her so special to you?

I am a lucky, lucky girl. I have so many close girlfriends -- they are all such inspiration to me. Each one is special to me in their very own way! Here we go:

~*Shannon*~

Shannon and I met almost a little over 3 yrs ago when she was living across the street from me. Actually, I had several people say to me "OH, you must be Shannon Gordon's sister" and I would be like "WHAT?!?! She must be SMOKIN'" ..it was the weiredest thing. AND then I found out we lived literally driveway to driveway. She is a trip and definitely my go-to girl for 'workin on my fitness', shopping (we are professional bargain finders), venting and just throwing out situations to her and hearing her advice. She is my "OHMIGOD, there are helicopters flying overhead" phone partner ... She also, if you remember, tiled my backsplash for me and has helped paint many a rooms in Casa de Brock. I treasure her friendship so very much. We go to a different Ritz Carlton every year for a weekend in July to celebrate her birthday, as well as our friend Stacey's birthday. It's SOOO much fun.

Shannon and me on my birthday last year. She took me to MAC and got my makeup done for me (we were going out that night) plus I got to get LOTS of makeup! SO MUCH FUN!

This is the rest of the crew that goes on our annual RITZ GIRLS weekend! These girls are so special to me and tolerate that I am just not "GOURMET" -- they all love that stuff. I love to eat it. That's about it.

Stacey, Susan, Shannon, Renee and ME! OH MY ..I look like I've had too much WINE! YIKES!! This was such a fun night ....

~*SHAWN*~
What can I say. This girl came into my life just when God knew I needed her. We had met several times before but never really connected ...it was perfect, perfect timing. We planned 3 MAJOR events TOGETHER and didn't kill each other. She makes me laugh over the dumbest stuff. We even vacationed together and didn't argue NOT ONCE. Seriously - NOT ONCE. She is a riot and often times I will call her, get her voicemail b/c she is calling me. It's crazy. She knows when a Route 44 Coke w/Lime will put a smile on my face quicker than a new outfit (well, ALMOST) .... she motivates me to CLEAN (actually, all my girlfriends do -- what am I saying about myself that all my BFFs are clean freaks??!?!!). She can joke about, saaaaay, an umbrella being in my bathroom floor and I don't get mad ... I just laugh b/c I know it's true. It is. We talk EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I absolutely adore her and could not imagine her in my life. My hubby loves her hubby too and my children love her children. It's a great match.

She's also the kind of girl that will jump in a Dominican phone booth with you and take a picture like this .... and not think twice about it.

~*Pam (hot blonde) and Alisa (other hot blonde)*~
If you read Shawn's post, I can completely agree with what she says about Pam and Alisa. Pam is hilarious, takes no crap, and has stories that you would never believe came out of that pretty face. Alisa looks like she just stepped out of a magazine ... always. She is hilarious as well - but I don't think she realizes she is as funny as she is! I love these girls and ALWAYS enjoy spending time with them!

~*AMBER*~

I have known Amber since I was 11. So we've been friends going on 23 years! We met in middle school and only lived in that area for another 2 yrs before we moved to Georgia. We stayed friends over the years and definitely had our years where we went our separate ways, but always always stayed in touch. She knows me inside and out. Her parents are like MY parents. I have such a great love for her and her entire family. I was most excited about moving back to Florida and being able to spend more time with her! Little did I know the Lord had bigger plans and we are now living just 30 minutes away from each other. We talk daily. Our daughters are just 6 weeks apart and I pray they grow up to be BFF like we are!

Finally -- my BESTEST friend EVER ... my twin sis ... ~*JENN*~

I think she is the reason I am mildly co-dependent. I have NEVER been alone. We have shared so much as sisters, but she's also one I can call and completely FREAK OUT on and she won't hang up on me. She also knows my buttons too .... we have been able to visit each other quite often this year and I am so thankful for that. We had our first girls trip in May this year and we have now decided that it will be an annual thing. This year was Memphis and I'm thinking CHARLESTON next year! I love her so very much and couldn't imagine not talking to her EVERY. SINGLE. DAY (yes, I spend a lot of time on the phone or iChat) and I'm lucky to have her as a sister!

I know, I know - you are probably thinking "DANG, this girl has a lot of BFF" -- I really do. I have just a handful of close girlfriends that I absolutely could not imagine in my life. Period. Kim is one that has such amazing talent, but I have NOT ONE PICTURE with her -- NONE! Even when we visited each other in April - I did not think to get a picture - probably b/c she was chasing around all her children! HA! Kim is my only friend I have left from my TN days that I talk to on a regular basis. She is true blue and doesn't hold anything back. I appreciate and love her for that. I can call her at 11:00 PM and that joker will answer -- ALWAYS! Granted, I could call any one of these girls at 11:00 PM and they'd all answer, but Kim may be the only one that's actually AWAKE!!

Ok, now go write all your girlfriends a note telling them how much they mean to you - PRONTO!

Delilah and her "Retrieving"

Here is a video of our 5 mth old Golden Retriever, Delilah and her new found FUN! She found Wild Child's float from last year and has 'claimed' it as her own. She plays with it EVERY DAY! It is hilarious. You can hear my pool pump in the background .... sounds like it's about to go, doesn't it! EEK!

.....annnnnd why do we feel it necessary to talk baby to our dogs!?

Tagged ....

I was tagged by Shawn over at Seriously with this photo tag.

Go to your 6th folder

Post your 6th picture ~ tell story or explain picture

Tag 5 people

This picture is from the Rascal Flatts concert from August 16, 2008. This is Alisa (a great friend of Shawn and me), ME, and Shawn. We had a fantastic time and we had GREAT seats! Rascal Flatts is one of my favorite bands. They actually used to OPEN for my husband -- seriously. Y'all probably don't believe me, but I promise I'm not lyin' ... everybody has to start somewhere and they started out when my husband was in his heyday!

It was HOT and yes, we all chose to wear JEANS b/c well, look how white I am, holy smokes, no way I was showing my legs! Those drinks, I think were like $80000 -- and I'm thinking I need to go back and get more botox because I like how smooth my skin is ... I never really noticed it before! Huh .....

Have a GREAT and SAFE 4th of July!

Oh - I'm going to do an open tag if anyone wants to play along!

A Totally Drool-Worthy GIVEAWAY!

Tara - over at Jimmy Choos and Tennis Shoes - is hosting an AWESOME giveaway!

Her Mom has started a business called Scarlett Boutique and she has the most awesome handmade/personalized gifts! Perfect for teachers, moms, sisters, ANYONE!!

Head over to Tara's blog to check out her giveaway!