Checking In

Wow, it's been a ca-razy few weeks. I've been busy getting set up with the new job and spent last week in Philadelphia for training. The photo above was snapped on the freeway in between the airport and the office - but sadly, that was pretty much all we got to see of the city. (We did manage to order in Philly cheese steaks for lunch one day, though and boy, were they goooood!)

In between training sessions, Cajun and I also found time to road trip down to Texas for a few weeks. Since Jon is away at a training school right now, I decided to squeeze in some family time. (Just one of the MANY perks of working from home, which I am still so grateful for.) It's been fun to spend time with my mom and dad in Beaumont and my sister in Houston. (This weekend, we're planning a trip to Galveston for some water park and beach time, and I cannot wait!)

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and say hello in the midst of all my summer fun and new job to-dos. As things settle down, I promise to be back in this space more, but until then - Happy Summer!

Life Lately, According to Instagram

1. Mexican food cures all after a bad day // 2. Hanging out in parking lots

3. Cajun gets in the bed when I get out // 4. Snocones discovered on Fort Campbell (!!)

5. Lazy Sunday // 6. Afternoon by the Cumberland River

(You can follow along on Instagram if you like - username charisseadams)

Week in the Life - Day 2

Photos from day two of Week in the Life, and.... I think I'm done. Turns out, taking photos of my everyday life is really hard and I don't love it because my days are pretty much all the same (except for the ones that include a warmed up, double chocolate Starbucks brownie - THOSE are special days). So, if you'll forgive me, I'm going to forfeit the rest of the week and return to taking random photos of my cat and my food, thankyouverymuch.

Week in the Life - Day 1

This week started out nicely. Not too much traffic, sunny skies (if still a little chilly), leftovers for lunch, a midday walk, loaded nachos for dinner and a bowl of Lucky Charms for dessert. (Aaaand NONE of these are Instagram photos - aren't you proud of me? #slightlyaddicted)

Happiest Moments

Did you see the editorial Joanna mentioned last Friday about life's happy moments? You can read Abbey's take on it here and the original editorial here. I thought it was so neat, the idea that there could be only a few moments of complete and total happiness that define our lives. Then I got to thinking about what mine would be, and I thought I would share.

Like Abbey, the first moments that came to mind were kind of predictable. Laying poolside with my sister in Vegas (or anywhere), Christmas mornings (especially the year we got AOL - it was all oooh. eeem. geeee!), Easter mornings (when we were really little and woke up to baskets overflowing with goodies), the day I adopted Cajun from the shelter (and the moments of snuggling him in the car before I drove him to his new home in Santa Monica).

Then there were some that surprised me a little. The hour I spent in the airport on my way to Kentucky to visit Jon in January (the feeling of excitement about starting this new life was intoxicating), waking up to a cool morning at our lake house and eating banana bread on the porch in my pajamas (this one brings me so much peace just thinking about it), waiting outside in my bathrobe for the Uhaul to pull up to my Manhattan Beach apartment the day my sister moved to California, the summer after my sophomore year in college when the world revolved around jean skirts and tans and romance, sitting in my parent's kitchen with my mom and sister eating Casa Ole chili con queso and talking (one of my happiest moments had to include chili con queso, right?).

Anyway, those are just a few that came to mind right away. Thinking about them makes me smile. What would you consider your happiest moments?

P.S. - I'm SO EXCITED about the Rivers & Spires festival this weekend in Clarksville, TN. I've been looking forward to it ever since I moved up here. Cotton candy, funnel cake, sausage on a stick - watch out - you are MINE! (I hope your weekend is filled with fun treats, too. Have a good one!)

Roadtrip Snapshots

These snapshots from the road are my absolute favorites. Good people, good cats, good food and good books on tape truly are the perfect recipe for a great roadtrip. (If you've never roadtripped with a cat, I highly recommend it. It adds just the right amount of hilarity and weirdness to it all.)

Now that the weekend is finally here, I'm headed to Houston for some sister time (LOVE that she's only a three hour drive away now). We've got hair appointments and Christmas shopping on the agenda, and Mason will be spending his first solo weekend in Austin, exploring the city a little bit more. Have a great one!

P.S. - That "Watch for Snakes" sign was posted at the entrance to the restrooms at a rest stop somewhere in west Texas. Scary!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Paul Bunyan and the cat twins! I hope your day has been filled with too much candy, a carved pumpkin or two and at least one really good scare!

More photos from our Halloween weekend coming up tomorrow...

Weekend Photo Love: 10/8

I kind of think this past weekend was the perfect fall weekend. The weather was amazing, the tailgating was good, there was plenty of snuggling on the couch and I even broke out my cozy boot slippers. (Too bad we didn't win the football game - that would've just been the cherry on the top.)

Week in Pictures

A few photos from the week, which included a brand new baby(!!), too many Salted Caramel Mochas (I have an addiction), cute bow ties (and cute husbands), cozy sweaters (with chi chi balls!) and one or two cat wake-up calls (my favorite kind, actually).

Even though it was a good week, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't so ready for a couple days of football, fall decorating, pumpkin Nutella bread, the season premiere of Dexter (eeek!) and a few glasses of wine. How about you?

Here's to Friday - make it a fun one!

Weekend Photo Love: 9/24

This weekend was nice and low key, full of movies (Moneyball!), lazy Starbucks breakfasts (I'm in love with the new Salted Caramel Mocha), sweater shopping, windowsill sitting (this one was mostly Cajun), a 30th birthday party and a little apartment clean-up (and nail polish clean-out).

It was nice to have Mason all to myself (there was no WSU football game this weekend - hooray), and to soak up all of the little things that are making it feel a lot like fall around here. Hard to believe there are only 5 days left in the count down to boot-wearing weather (and October)!

Follow Me!

If my blog posts are just not enough for you these days, never fear - Instagram and Twitter are here! Follow charisseadams on Instagram to see all of my photos (mostly of Cajun and food), and follow @charisseadams on Twitter to catch all of my tweets (mostly about what I'm watching and what I'm eating). (Have we covered the fact that I heart food? Because I so do.)

Also, if you're on Instagram or Twitter, leave your deets in the comments, and I'll follow you back. That way we can all be best online buds. Awwww. Makes me warm and fuzzy just thinking about it....

Weekend Photo Love: 9/17

Our weekend in San Diego was a good one. (I so love that city!) Even though the Cougs lost, we still had fun hanging out in the Gaslamp Quarter. On Saturday night after the game, we went out for steaks at The Gaslamp Strip Club (clever, huh?) - a restaurant where you grill your own steaks. It was super fun, and I have to say, our steak was pretty amazing - even if we were the ones grilling it!

On Sunday morning after we checked out of our hotel, we went out for brunch and a long walk through downtown. (Mason's not much for walking with no destination in mind, but I'm working on him.) Once we got back to Santa Monica, we were super tired, so we got cozy on the couch with Cajun for naps and a Storage Wars marathon (our new favorite show). All in all, a great weekend!

And in case you're wondering, my Friday night shopping spree was pretty much a-mazing! I take back everything I ever said about not wanting fall to be here yet. Bring on the cold weather - I've got cute sweaters to wear!

Weekend Photo Love: 9/10

I'm sure it's no surprise to all of you that I had a BLAST with my sister this past weekend. True to form, we ate too much, danced too much and talked WAY too much. (There's a whole lot to catch up on when you live a million miles apart.)

Highlights of the weekend include: fondue/movie night (Talihina Sky: The Story of Kings of Leon is so good!), peanut butter and jelly waffles at Bru's, so many Cajun snuggles (and silly new nicknames), line dancing, mani/pedis, macarons in every color and yummy soul food from Baby Blues.

While I was so sad to see her leave, I really am so happy that she was able to come for a couple of days. Already counting the months until our next weekend of sisterly fun...

P.S. - The blog header got a little fall make-over yesterday. Whatdoyathink?

Weekend Photo Love: 9/3

Where, oh where, did last week go? I have no idea - no idea, I'm telling you. But here we are, in another week, and Labor Day has come and gone. You know what that means - no more summatime. (Boooooo!) I'm torn between wanting to cry myself a pool to layout by and wanting to jump for joy right into my favorite pair of riding boots, but we all know I'm a fickle soul, which means one Pumpkin Spice Latte, one whiff of a cranberry candle and I'll be all about fall, I'm sure.

And speaking of Labor Day weekend, it certainly was a good one. We watched football, ate entirely too many pizzas and burgers, played with Cajun and saw some live bluegrass at a fun new bar - but the very best part? We went to the fair!! (If you know me, you know I loooove the fair.) Check back tomorrow for all of our fun fair photos, and until then, how about watching yourself some good TV? This and this both premiere tonight - exciting! (One more reason to love the fall...)