A Christmas Sweater

One of my best friends, Mandy, has a sweet little baby boy named Wriston who will be a year old on February 1st, and I can hardly believe that milestone will be here so soon! But, that isn't what this post is about.

This post is about the present I made for him this year, his first Christmas. I gave it to him (though Mandy opened it up for him, obviously) last night at the annual Christmas party that Mandy's family throws at her parents' house each year.

A sweater!

Now, this is the second sweater I've ever made, the first being one for myself. But, this is most definitely the first baby sweater I've ever made. Let's take another look at it, shall we? Maybe from another angle?


I'm pretty proud of it because when my knitting patterns call for things like picking up stitches (in this case, for the underarms of the sleeves and for the hood), I usually take it to my mom for help, but this time, I did the whole thing by myself.

Except for sewing in this little nametag my mom had made for me to include in its neckline. She did that for me. Isn't it so sweet?


Once it was all finished (and photographed), I attached a gift tag I made, which said, "Made for Wriston with love by Lindsay, Merry Christmas 2011" and included washing instructions, and I boxed it up for him.


Wriston was asleep by the time we exchanged gifts last night, so I have yet to see him in it. Hopefully, it will fit okay. I may have to post an update once I see/get a picture of him in it, though.

What do you guys think of it? Not bad for my first baby sweater, eh?

Love my Friends

Tonight, we drove up to Charlotte, NC to visit one of my best friends, Mandy. In recent months, her husband, Stephen (my fellow CPA), rebuilt the deck on the back of their house, and in recent weeks, put in new kitchen cabinets and countertops. PARTY! Although, I'm sad we don't live closer. Mandy and I met when we both worked at a credit union in Charlotte when I was in college, and we became best friends! She has since served as Matron of Honor in our wedding and had her first baby in February of this year. It has been so much fun sharing lives with a girlfriend as our families grow. To me, some friendships are really more like family. My friendship with her is one like that. One that I know will last forever. And don't even get me started on her handsome lil man! He is TOO cute! I cannot believe how much he has grown and that he will soon be a year old! He is such a happy baby! Anyway, we had such a great time tonight just visiting with our buddies low-key. Here is a picture of me with Mandy from last year:

We always love seeing you guys!

Time for a study break!

I have not really been able to blog much lately due to my increased amount of study time. I was off work this past Friday, so I had three full days of study time right before my exam. Jake surprised me with some more orange roses and enough Diet Cokes to last me through the weekend, and he was nice enough to leave me alone most of the time so I could study. We did manage to have Dustin over for some good times on Friday night, and we were able to meet Mandy, Stephen, Nicole, and Jason for dinner last night before they head off on their cruise, but other than that, the weekend was mostly filled with studying. And whining about studying, I'm not gonna lie. But, I am happy to announce that today at 1:17 pm, I finished my first part of the CPA exam (Business Environment and Concepts)! Now, the rest of this week I can focus on helping Jake finish moving his stuff over here and get ready for our beach vacation! But first, we are going to a movie this afternoon! I am trying to decide between the following: The Hangover, Julie & Julia, The Proposal, The Time Traveler's Wife, and The Ugly Truth.

Here's to hoping I passed the exam!

Charleston Weekend!

Two weekends ago, I joined my dear friends Mandy and Crystal for a fun trip to Charleston, where we were able to stay with Mandy's friend, Paige, at her house down there. Thanks, Paige! We enjoyed ourselves TREMENDOUSLY! ...which is to be expected. We always have a good time.

Friday night, we ate at a sushi place, though I had General Tso's chicken, since I am not a sushi fan, and it was delicious! Then, we met up with Nicole's sister, Rachel, and her boyfriend, Tyler, for some drinks at Kickin' Chicken.

Saturday morning, we spent time on Folly beach, and we were able to get some sun! And as you can see from my earlier post, my white legs needed some desperately. Mission accomplished. I also got my picture taken with this awesome parrot! The bird's name was Wacko, and she apparently cannot say "Pretty Bird" even though she is, in fact, a pretty bird.

Then we went to lunch at Taco Boy which was mmm mmm good! I had a chorizo and potato taco and a chicken taco. Sooo yummy! However, the best part of our trip was probably Saturday night... first, a delicious dinner at The Noisy Oyster... I had clam strips and scallops. I. Love. Seafood.

THEN, and here is the BEST best part....................... we made our way over to Henry's and wandered on in, had a drink, and wandered on upstairs for the "live music" at 10 pm. Turns out, we all have a new favorite guitarist/singer.... JAMISUN! This guy was thoroughly entertaining and kept us there all night with his ability to play anything we requested.... with the exception of Taylor Swift. Even though he did play "Tim McGraw" for about 2 seconds. :) Anyway, we had a table right in front of where he was playing, and we sang along with him all night long. We are now facebook friends with him, and he has since let us know that we made him feel like a rockstar. Mission accomplished. Not only could he play all our requests, but we all fell in love with two of his original songs, "Facade" and "Perfect". He mostly plays in Charleston, however, Mandy, Crystal, and I are going to try to get him a show in either Columbia or Charlotte. If we are unsuccessful, we will just have to go see him again in Charleston. Either way, "We're tourin', ladies!!!!"

Sunday, we had lunch at an awesome burger joint down on Folly beach and then headed home.

What a fun weekend - good food, good drinks, great music, and FANTASTIC friends! Can't wait for our next trip!

My favorite line from "Facade":
"Just because she says she loves that song doesn't mean that she wants to sing along..."