kimmie the marathoner

kimmie is no longer just a runner, she is a marathoner!!

the team palmer crew was cheering her on early three miles!! she accomplished her goal of finishing the nashville rock-n-roll marathon under 6 hours in 80 degree heat!!

team palmer is so proud of you kimmie kims!!

you are such an inspiration to me in everything that you do and accomplish in your beautiful life!!

LOVE YOU TO THE MAXX!!

packing for the pro's

yikes, y'all!! my last post was a couple of days ago!! packing has consumed my life and all my time!!

yes, the hubbs and I have started packing. yes, we. have. started. packing. totally cray-cray to think we are only 13 days out from our move date!! needless to say, we wanted to get a head start with our packing so our last precious couple of days in chicago are worry free with no responsibilities!!

my new obsession with this move are my space saver bags. they are a-maz-ing!! i bought one box of 14 space savers at costco. one box is only $23.95 and worth every penny. plus, it is extremely addicting. I thought I was only going to space save our linens, but then i realized why not our winter coats and jackets and vests and scarves!! which is why the hubbs and i made the trek to costco for round two to go back for another box of 14 bags!!

{here is the pre-space saver bag picture of our linens (not jackets, etc)..}

{here is the post-space saver bag picture..}

now y'all tell me, why not space save?! as y'all can tell I have gone a tad bit crazy with the packing and space saving. if you look at the first picture then take a peek at the second picture, you can tell we have seriously started packing EVERYTHING, including the curtains. they are now apart of the awesomeness within the space savers!!

happy birthday, kk!!

today calls for a sweet happy happy birthday to my dearest kk!!

girl-fran, i sure do not know what i would do without you!! you make my sweet home chicago so much sweeter!!

you better be lookin' forward to your special birthday treat tonight at barn&company for your birthday dinner!!

reality check

our big move is quickly becoming reality. our apartment in chicago will soon be rented, our moving arrangements are set in stone and our temporary home is ready for us in little rock!! amazing how life happens when you put your faith in God's working hands and your patience is steadfast.

but that is not why this post is titled reality check.. i have so many emotions towards my departure from this windy city. i love chicago for so many reasons. it was my goal to move to a big city and be independent. check. i invested my time and love into so many dear friendships. check. my perspective on the way to live my life changed by living in a different culture, but still staying true to my values. check. i grew to appreciate where i came from and my family and friends back south. check. most importantly, i fell in love and married the man of my dreams and best friend. done and done. this lovely city holds such a special place in my heart. except for one thing.. the weather..

yes, the weather and i have a love-hate relationship. i love it in the heat of the summer, but i despise it because of the bone-chilling wind and unpredictable weather the other 9 months out of the year. it is one of those things in life that if you truly love a place, you will stay. well, i do truly love chicago, but y'all i sure cannot wait to pack my bags and holler at you later, old man weather!!

my reality check for today was my walk to the grocery store. when all others expect sweet spring weather in late april, i was faced with this crummy weather today..

do y'all see that?! 45, windy and rainy!! gross. then look at the 5-day outlook. high of 58 and low of unbearable 39. seriously?! yes, this is my life, but not for much longer!!

believe me when I say it y'all, I will NEVER miss this fickle side of chicago.. No Sir!!

the morris' are movin'!!

it's official, y'all!! the hubbs and I will be moving may 9 from our sweet home chicago and making our way down to little rock, arkansas!!

just this morning, we sent out our email to all, and I mean all, of our family and friends. the response has been overwhelming supportive. just feeling the excitement in everyone's emails truly makes our hearts happy. I still remember the feeling when I moved to this lovely city back in june 2008. I definitely was excited, but that excitement was only shared with me and me alone. now, trey and I have oodles of happy feelings coming our way and it means the world to us.

Chicago and the friendships we have made will always hold a special place in our hearts. no other city would have allowed us to grow in our personal and professional lives. of course, no other city would have allowed us to meet and fall in love. we will always remember the weekends filled with family and friends visiting our amazing city. we will never forget our wedding weekend where lots of love and laughter was shared among us all. trey and I are beyond blessed to have called chicago home for the past four years. we are thankful each and everyday that we both made the decision to travel outside our comfort zones and move to a place that was totally foreign but provided us with many opportunities. this experience will leave an everlasting imprint on our life and our hearts.

we thank each and everyone one of y'all from the bottom of our hearts. please keep in touch and stay up-to-date with our life by following and checking in with our blog, sweet home south!!

who doesn't like a steal deal

as any southern girl knows, cute dresses and blouses and shoes are a must!! with this season's gorgeous fashion trends of sheer blouses, bright chevron patterns and funky jewelry, how can you resist shopping?!

thanks to my lovely sis-in-law and my pinterest, I am now officially addicted to the cuuutest on-line boutique, tobi!! after spending quite some time on tobi, it is now my guilty pleasure!! not because if I buy one item, I rack up over $100 in my shopping cart, but because everything on tobi is average $30!! earrings and scarves start at $8 and tops and dresses start at $20. that y'all can be quite dangerous!!

here is a collection of my first purchase from tobi.. and I am pretty sure it will not be my last!!

now, how many of yall are chompin' at the bit to get lookin' on tobi?!

{right now tobi is offering free shipping for orders over $150}

spring brings new happenings

no matter where you live, the spring season always brings new happenings. whether that be flowers or babies, spring is the season for new growth and new life.

for those that know me, know I get oh so giddy when springtime falls upon chicago because of the TULIPS!! their beauty and color just hollers "it's spring y"all!!" my must-take picture from this past weekend, besides my sweet roxy girl, were the tulips on state street. oh y'all, aren't they just lovely?!

and on this windy day full of sunshine, this little man was brought into this great big world!! my sweet baker family added this BEAUTIFUL baby boy to their adorable family. his big sisters love him, his parents are oh so proud of him, and he is my little buddy chunky monkey!!

i hope on this april spring monday something has bloomed to make your heart happy and your smile stretch from ear to ear!!