The Annual Perdue Halloween Party Returns... hehehe
Since I've known Paul, he's prided himself on throwing fun filled Halloween Parties. Last year we missed it as we had a lot going on and were actually traveling, but the Annual Halloween Party has been re-instated and I think it was a hit! There were a lot of awesome costumes, from Cleopatra, to Quagmire to Sponge Bob!
This was Paul and my first Halloween as a married couple, so we decided to do something fun! We were Barney and Betty Rubble from the Flintsone's! All of our friends had wanted us to do this costume for years, and we finally gave in. And we even were about to find something that suited Chunk - He was our little Chunkasaurous!
Check out some of our fun pics! This is just the tip of the iceberg, and there are more at the gallery link below... Next time you should consider coming out!
Check out the full gallery here!
The Chunk Pumpkin!
Desi and Tristan came over tonight to help decorate for our Halloween Party tomorrow night - and have dinner with us (Paul cooked up an amazing roast!)! Anyway the decor was not going to be complete without The Chunk Pumpkin! This was my first ever attempt at carving a pumpkin and while it was harder than expected, I am very pleased with the outcome!
Our friends Natalie and Michael Webb sent us a template cause it looks just like our dog Chunk. I was so excited save the stencil for over a month in my inbox waiting for the right time to execute our work of art!
Paul started out by cutting the top (lid) and cleaning out the inside. He started to do the set-up or the stencil, and cut out the nose and first ear and then I took over the rest! You can check out the template above and see some photos of the process below. Chunk even stayed by me while I made his pumpkin portrait! I'm so excited, it turned out awesome!
Such a beautiful Chunk Pumpkin! If you've got any cool pumpkin art, I'd love to see them. And if you have recommendations for what we could do next time, I'd love to try them out!
Happy Halloween and check back soon as we'll be posting more fun pics from the fun weekend ahead!
Oktoberfest 2011, What a Blast!
Every year we go to Helen, GA for Oktoberfest, unfortunately last year we didn't make it out because we were busy planning our wedding, but this year we didn't let it slip and it was totally worth it! We had such a great time. We headed up to Helen with Kristin (Andrus), Curtis, and Natacha.
We were very excited because our VERY pregnant friend Kristin (Kneeland) was all about it and checked with her doctor far in advance as she wasn't letting her pregnancy stop her from doing anything! She's 9 months and a week pregnant and she was out having fun! She is quite the trooper, I can only hope that when I'm in her shoes, I would wear it as well! And if she had the motivation and energy to be there, there was no way we could miss out.
We had to work the Sugar Hill Fall Festival, but decided to dip out early to head up to Helen! I strategically mapped out route to avoid traffic, and we were absolutely successful. It was actually pretty nice because it was a gorgeous scenic ride and we were moving the whole time!
Once we go there, we walked a bit, mostly to get to the restrooms, and then we headed over to Margaritas' (we like to call it Paul's cause that's the place you see from the road), and they sell the big plastic cups that say Paul's on them. We actually had several other friends there to meet up with like Denise and Sean (who just had their little girl Catie)! She was adorable, and not allowed in the bars or course! They even asked, and the response they got was no one under 21! haha
Kristin's husband, Patrick, and Robin also made it out and it was very nice to see them! And we also had a couple other friends, Natalie and Micheal who we hung out with and drank with for a while!
It was such a fun time! Kristin (Andrus) and I even took some time to walk around to a few shops! Had to stop in Hansel and Gretel Fudge Shop. Kristin bought some yummy Pumpkin Pie fudge for her friend Jamin, and we got a taste. It was delicious, and they only do that flavor in October (maybe into November) so if you're up there you should check it out!
And I couldn't leave without stopping by the shop we bought our awesome dog Chunk from. They of course were selling puppies again, and had an Rat Terriers this time. I couldn't resist, I had to hold him, although he was already sold! I wasn't about to buy another dog, he was NO CHUNK!
We headed back to meet up with our group, had a couple more drinks and then headed out. It was totally a blast! I can't wait until next year!
Who Says You Can Only Wear Your Wedding Dress Once!?
I was married almost a year ago, and not more than a month before my wedding, my good friend Yarden was also married. We spent a lot of time together in the process of planning our weddings and after it was all done, we thought "this can't be the last time we wear these awesome dresses and shoes!!!
So we agreed that we would plan a photo shoot where my husband Paul (the photographer) would photograph us throughout Atlanta in our awesome dresses and shoes! We originally thought we would do it in the spring, but time kept passing and we never made an official date! But it worked out because this past July another very good friend of mine, Desi, got married to her long time love Tristan! And so now we had three gorgeous woman and three gorgeous dresses waiting to be stars yet again!
You always hear about groups of brides getting together for a night out on the town, but never have I heard or seen really awesome fun photos, and that's exactly what we've got!
Thanks to Paul (my wonderful husband and AMAZING photographer) and our friend Natalie Webb (who has been cranking out some awesome work since her recent break into the photography world). They both have an amazing eye, and I have to say it was hard to narrow it down to the 30 or so pics I included in this post! So definitely check out the full gallery!
We had such a blast, I would totally do it again! Check out the online gallery here, and definitely email Paul is you're interested in doing a shoot like this, he can even include a limo!
Thank you so much Desi, Yarden, Paul and Natalie, this was awesome!
A Georgian Terrace Maternity Shoot to Remember!
Paul had his first Maternity Shoot yesterday with a previous client. He had worked with Paige for her vow renewal (wedding ceremony) in Peachtree City at the Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, and she loved those pics so much she called him up for her maternity shoot!
Paul met Paige at the Georgian Terrace Hotel downtown Atlanta, just in front of the Fox Theater, and the had an amazing shoot! Paige will surely be even more impressed this time around.
Check out some of these gorgeous images, this is just the tip of the iceberg!
You should definitely get in touch with my Paul Paul for our next shoot! He does it all and he does an awesome job!
Check him out... paulperdue.com
Our First Chili Cook-Off... Team #14 Chunk Master's Chili
This past weekend was our first Chili Cook-off EVER! And I don't think it will be the last. Paul and I, as much as we love to cook and try new things, we have (neither of us) made chili before. We started the week with a test run, in which we invited Desi and Tristan, and A.J. and Ann over to critique. Ironically it was a split vote! Desi and Tristan wanted a little less meat, and a little less spice, and A.J. and Ann said they liked the meat consistency and would like a little more spice!
So we were split down the middle, so Paul and I took the liberty of trying a new recipe for the cook-off! We started the day off with a trip to Whole Foods, and stocked up on some fresh organic veggies and meats!
We bought:
- 4.5 lbs of Bison
- 4.5 lbs of Ground Lean Sirloin
- 3 lbs of Italian Pork Sausage
- 1 lb of Chorizo Sausage
- 6 Green Peppers
- 5 Onions (mixture of white and yellow)
- 4 Jalapeno Peppers (we only used two!)
- 9 Cans of Beans (Black Beans, Kidney Beans and Pinto Beans)
- 5 Cans of Crushed Tomatoes
- 4 Cans of Corn
- 1 Can of Tomato Paste
- Two containers of beef broth
- Gluten Free Beer
The process was really pretty easy, we sautéed up the onions and peppers with the meats while adding lots of fresh chopped garlic cloves. Once all the meat, onions and green peppers were in the big pot, we added the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, canned corn and beef broth. We used about two or three bottles of gluten-free beer, and stirred regularly as we added fresh jalapeno and an assortment of other spices from chili powder to cayenne to paprika, cumin and more!
After that you add the beans to simmer with the meat, juices and seasonings! And Paul also added a bit of molasses for some sweetness (more to cut the burn) - but not a lot at all!
This recipe made 5 GALLONS!
Check out some pics of our booth!
The huge pot for lots of chili!
Doesn't that look delicious!?
Our fun booth - We were Chunk Master's Chili (Chunk our dog inspires us so much!)
Chunk really did enjoy the Chili Cook-off, but his favorite thing was Kara's awesome cornbread! He's telling us here that he wants more!
So the results were in, and while we didn't win, nor did we rank, we made a valiant effort and had repeat customers! I have some thoughts about why things may not have gone our way... and about how it wasn't what I would consider a true test of people's choice on Chili... but c'est la vie! I did bring some into work though, cause we had a good bit left over, and it was a hit!
I think we'll definitely try our hand at another Chili Cook-off in the future, but who knows...
Day Three of Mini Vaca: My Cousin Vinnie is Married!
The last evening in the D.C./Annapolis area was for my cousin Vinnie's wedding!
The day started early at Renditions Golf Club in Davidsonville, MD. While it was a dreary cold day, we had a blast! Theresa was all smiles and everyone was super excited for the big day! Paul did a great job, and we've got tons of great images for Vinnie and Theresa to choose from!
Here's a peek...
Theresa had three bridesmen, and they were great! I was surprised how attentive they were!
My cousins, the Sisca brothers, Nick, Vinnie and Damien.
Congratulations Theresa and Vinnie! It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple! We love you guys!
Click here to view the full gallery...
Day Two of Mini Vaca: Perusing Downtown D.C.
Day Two we started the day with my cousin Vinnie's Wedding Rehearsal, but that was a short time before we headed back to D.C. to meet up with friends for dinner, drinks and FUN!
Check out some of our evening festivities! 
We went for Sushi, Hookah and Drinks at Gazuza Lounge in Dupont Circle, and it was amazing! I'm not a hookah person, so I did not partake in that, but I did absolutely enjoy the sushi! The Sabotage Roll was the best! It will set your mouth on fire!!!
Me and Ashley enjoying the atmosphere! Paul was able to get some fun shots!
Then we headed around the other side of Dupont Circle to Eighteenth Street Lounge. A hip bar with good music and lot of interesting people (great for people watching)!
Jeff and his friends, Aliya and Cat... having a good time!
One of the only pics of Paul and I together on the trip! Thank you Ashley! :)
Me and Ash getting our buzz on!
Paul, doing the Jeff pose! haha
We had parted ways with Jeff and his friends at the Eighteenth Street Lounge and decided to meet back up with them. After leaving Dupont, we headed over to U Street for some more bar hopping. We stopped in one of Jeff's favorite stops, Queen Makeda, it was pretty cool, but a little empty for our taste and Jeff and his friends weren't there, so onto the next stop!
From there we reunited with Jeff and his gang at Black Bird's or Black Cats... I'm really not sure! But it was a really cool spot and a nice place to end our D.C. bar tour!
And last, but certainly not least we stopped into the place that Jeff calls JUMBO SLICE, and had like a quarter of this huge pizza per person! It was definitely a good stop after a night of drinking, of course definitely off our diet. Oh well, it definitely hit the spot!
We made it home safe and sound, and actually woke up in plenty of time to head out to MD for the wedding (it started at 2PM and Paul was photographing so we had to be there early)! This was truly a busy weekend, but it's totally awesome to experience D.C. in new ways every time we go!
Click here for the full gallery of pics!
