A Very Muddy New Year

This weekend I will be spending time with my friends at the most classiest of places….

Yep, that’s right, Red Neck Yacht Club. Located down in Port Charlotte, Red Neck Yacht Club Mud Park is self-proclaimed to be the “World’s Most Exciting Off-Road Park” and I guarantee that if you ask any of the guys, they will tell you that this is, in fact, very true.

Not just because of the awesome mudding:

The off-road trails:

The cool buggy wash:

But because of the skanks girls that flock to this “family friendly” park to show off their…..goods.  

 

I'll give you one guess as to how she got all those beads...



It’s like a free show. Us girls sit together and shake our heads at all of the dumb bimbos that are just starving for food, beer, clothing  attention, and all the guys do is sit there and drool. It’s pretty pathetic. But, no matter how crazy the show can get, we all still have a great time.

This year will be our first time attending their New Years Extravaganza that we hear is a good time. The part that’s funny to me? The fact that it’s not even over New Years… It’s just a weekend event. But, that’s ok. I’d rather go into the New Year showered, in a house with a bed, heat and a meal that was cooked in an actual kitchen, than being smack dab in the middle of a mud pit. Call me crazy. I am, however, excited to see the Beer Can Drop. New York…your ball drop is totally overrated (and it sounds too much like puberty). Beer cans are where it’s at.

So, pray for our safety, my warmth (I’m going to freeze this weekend!) and for our guy’s eyes not to pop out of their faces too far… at least one of them will get slapped upside the head this weekend; I just know it. But, besides all of this redneck-muddy business, I hope you all have an awesome New Years. I may be back before we switch over to 2013, but if not, best wishes and cheers to an awesome up-coming year!

-C Doc

Holiday Mash-up

Did everyone have a blessed Christmas? I know I sure did! I came home Friday to a wonderful surprise, a screen door for our garage! Our garage is pretty much our front porch, we all hang out in it; having this door will keep the mosquitos to a minimum and it'll also keeps these two in check:



Thanks Mom and Dad!

The next day (Saturday) I did some stuff around the house while the boys got all of their four wheelers prepared to ride the next day. In between my cleaning, I checked out some consignment furniture stores for a dresser. I found the perfect one and picked it up for $200 less than what they were asking! Talk about a bargain shopper! I get my mad skills from El Hubbo, the number one cheapo in my life. Now I have to get busy on the rest of the room...

Later that night, we went to Lyndsey and Derek's Ugly Christmas Sweater Party! It was the first party they've had in their gorgeous new home and everyone had such a great time. I designed our outfits using some clearance Christmas crap from the craft store. Warning: Sean's outfit is graphic and may offend you! But if you're anything like our friends, you'll get a kick out of his "Filthy" Sweater:

 

Here's a pick from everyone and their ugliness!

I designed my outfit from a bag that I found at the craft store. I cut the bottom so I could wear it as a dress and embellished it with some crazy flowers, bows and fake lights. I then used the rest of the material to make a headband. It was horribly gaudy and perfect for the "ugly" portion of the party. At the end of the night, we found out that we won! Derek said it was because of our creative skills, sense of humor and pure sexiness. Of course we totally agreed...  I think my favorite part about winning the "Ugliest Christmas Sweaters" was the fact that we didn't even wear actual sweaters!

Booze for the winning prize!

We woke up the next morning with plans to go ride out at our property. Our first task was to get this guy off the back so we could load up... he really leads a hard life.

After riding the Rzr around for a few hours, Sean and I came to the conclusion that this particular toy was worth every. single. penny. We had such a blast! It handled perfectly and could tackle any terrain; plus, we both feel much safer in it. Here are some pictures from our day out at River Ranch with some of our great friends :)

It was so cold out that morning! Luckily, it warmed up during the day. After riding around for a while, we got a little dirty. It was pretty dusty out there due to the lack of rainfall; this was the after effect:




Yikes!

We had such a great time. After getting a much needed shower, we went out to dinner with Sean's grandfather and all of his grandkids and their spouses. Then, it was time to prepare for the Christmas Craziness!

This year, we were so excited to celebrate the engagement for two of our very close friends, Briana and Phil! He proposed on Christmas Eve while walking through Largo Central Park. We couldn't be more excited for them and the future that they have ahead of them!


Check out that bling! Good job Phil!


Christmas Eve was a fun-filled-full-day of eating. Loved it. We started out going to my grandmother's house for our traditional roast dinner and we opened up some gifts. Then, it was off to the Dockerty's for a housefull of spunky Italians. We had ziti, sausage and peppers, salad, bread and everything else you can imagine. Sean and I fell into a food coma, but we had to keep chuggin! We opened up gifts and then got ready for church. Every year, our friends join us for the service that starts at 11pm. We all do our best to keep each other awake, which mostly consists of picking on each other... we also tracked Santa's where-abouts via Twitter. We had plenty of time to make it home before the fat man came; he was in Iceland when the service concluded :)

After the church service (that finally wrapped up at 12:30), we went back to the Dockerty's to do what we do best. Cook and eat. Again. As if we weren't tired before, we were practically falling asleep at the table. But the pancakes, eggs, bacon and toast were deeelish!

After finally going to bed at about two in the morning, we woke up early on Christmas Day and headed to my parent's house. We spent our day eating more food, opening more gifts and spending time with our awesome families and friends. Sean and I have so much to be thankful for and many things to look forward to; a New Years trip, spending time with great people, Zac Brown Band Concert in a few months (eeek!) and some fabulous weddings! This year was so great and I know we're in for an exciting one to come. Hope you all had a blessed holiday!

-C Doc





The reason (and rant) for the season

As we’re headed into the holidays, I’m reminded of what really counts… spending time with the ones you love, giving thanks to those people that matter most and stuffing your face full of food after opening some gifts that you probably don’t need but will hoard in your house anyway. Yep, that’s what it’s all about. That, and our dear lord Jesus. Since it is His birthday and all…

Every year I do things the smart way (or so I think). I start my shopping early and go to a place that offers free gift wrapping. I’m a big fan of killing two birds with one stone. It’s my jam. This year I think I did pretty well with the gift shopping, but, as my luck would have it, I still have some left to do. Dangit. Wish me luck braving the crowds; people can get crazy this time of the year, not only with their mad-dash to get the last deals, but with their driving. Living by the mall is both a blessing and a curse, and since I don’t have a death wish, I refuse to go near it. I hate the traffic and the parking and some of the people, to be honest. I don’t mean to sound like a Scrooge, but I think some of these people forget about the real reason for the season.

The food.

I mean, let’s be honest. What other holiday, besides Thanksgiving, can you literally veg out allllll day? I start my morning by going to my parent’s house and eating all of the candy in my stocking along with the other awesome casseroles and dishes my mom prepares for that morning. Then, a few hours after that, its dinner time. I gorge myself like the gluttonous pig that I am and I love every second of it. Overeating to the point of misery is a tradition and I intend to keep it that way for quite some time. But the food subject also brings me back to where it came from.

The grocery store.

Why do people wait until the last minute to buy the essentials for Christmas dinner? Does it really sneak up on them? As if they haven’t had their tree up for three weeks? Honestly people, it’s not that hard. Make a list, check it twice, grab the stuffing and grab the rice. Did you go back and sing that line? But really, you have Christmas dinner every year, you know what you need. Stock up on it. Be prepared. The lines, the frustration, the carts, the hunt for the perfect turkey/ham, it’s all crazy. It’s definitely on the list of places to stay away from…  but when you’re on your way home, you get back in the spirit from seeing all of:

The lights.

It’s one of my favorite parts. Usually every year my friends and I squish in the car and go around to look at all of the Christmas décor that people stick, nail and wrap around their houses. This year we haven’t had the chance to go; I think it’s because we all have our own houses and a bunch of stuff going on… bummer. Growing up is overrated. This year, however, I was surprised and thrilled to see lights on our house, put up by the best husband ever!

He did such a great job :) I have to say though, this beautiful and thoughtful (and seriously ghetto) display in Gulfport has to be my favorite. It encompasses the real reason for the season.

Little 8lb 6oz baby Jesus. Let us pray.

Please tell me that you all understand the reference. If not, stop reading this right now and go watch Talladega Nights. Please.

In all seriousness though, there wouldn’t be Christmas if it weren’t for Christ. This brings me to another tradition that my little Dockerty family takes part in:

Church.

It’s the one thing that makes it feel like Christmas. Seeing the church adorned in all of the beautiful poinsettias and candles, everyone's smile and warm greetings, but most of all, seeing this pretty face (and her dad) on stage filling our ears with beautiful singing.

I’m beyond blessed to be in such an awesome family. My other favorite part about going to church with these folks is hearing all of the wine-driven conversation while we’re supposed to be quiet. And the slaps you hear when one person is trying to wake another, when all they’re really doing is praying. Bowing your head to pray could totally look as if you’re taking a happy nappy… its justifiable. Simple mistake.

What I’m really trying to say is, stay cool people. Have a good holiday. Tell the ones you love exactly how much you love them and take these couple days to relax and remember what matters most. I’ll be back next week with some pictures (and stories) of us taking the Rzr out on Sunday and my families Christmas festivities. Until then, Merry Christmas, ya filthy animal!

-C Doc



Boys and their toys....

Well, it’s home!

There it sits… 74hp of crazy. We went for a ride when I got home from work; I was soon bummed out by the fact that we weren’t able to go over 20mph for 5 hours of ride time… Dangit! We need to give the engine time to get broken in. I guess that’s ok though since we can’t really go fast in our neighborhood. A small part of me wants to put it on jack stands and put a brick on the gas pedal just so we can go balls-to-the-wall without having to wait for what will probably seem like an eternity. I think I’ll mention that to Sean later… But, in the meantime, we’ll be taking short jaunts through our neighborhood and day dreaming of the next time we can take it out to River Ranch. I believe (reeeeally hoping) we’re planning a small trip this Sunday. We’ll see!

-C Doc

Happy Husband, Happy Wife

Soon after the honeymoon, El Hubbo finished the backsplash! Finally. Haha, he’s such a hard worker, but dangit, all I wanted was for that wretched backsplash to be done… and alas, here it is:

The pictures were taken at night so the lighting was bad, but you get the idea… once the paint gets touched up in the kitchen I’ll take a picture of everything, but for now, all I have is close ups. I love how the stainless steel listello really emphasises the awesome accessories that we got for the wedding.

I really think that Sean is living by the notion: happy wife, happy life.

But in return, I know that a happy husband makes for a happy wife :)

This past Friday, we went riding at our property in Lake Wales (you should definitely check out the hilarious video on Sarah’s blog!). After getting stuck [numerous times] and having multiple problems with the golf cart, Sean and I just went to “look” at other toys… and we he may have signed some papers... So, without further ado, here is the new toy:

 Look at that smile!

It’s a 2013 Polaris Rzr S 800 LE. We pick it up tonight and we couldn’t be more excited about it! With the success that Sean is having with both of his businesses, he’s more than deserving of this beast. He’s never had anything brand new, so this is definitely a treat (it's so new that it didn't even have any gas or oil in it, there wasn't even a battery in it! So crazy...). He’s also never financed anything before (other than the house), so that’s another accomplishment. I’m so happy for him and the success that he is finding. Now, if he would only sell some of his other toys…

By the way, I never had that yard sale that I was talking about last week. I figured with the crappy overcast weather and the fact that Christmas was so close, I would wait until the New Year. That’ll give me more time to prep and more time to really comb through our house to weed out the unnecessary items that we’ve accumulated. Until then, I’ll be cleaning and getting ready for the holidays! I worked on our ugly Christmas Sweaters last night for the two parties we have this weekend, soooo excited! Pictures to come :)

-C Doc

Lit up Lawn

Here’s the landscaping all lit up!

It really finishes off the house, doesn’t it? I love it.

El Hubbo even surprised me by putting in little flowers! Although he planted them, he cant take all of the credit for them. They were left over from a landscape job that he did this past weekend… but they look great, none-the-less!

Also, since the 3M Command Strips don’t seem to be working on our front door, we hung the wreath in the palms. You don’t see it as well from the road, but that gosh darn wreath fell off of our front door 5 times this past weekend. I tried everything I could to get it to stick to the glass, but it was just not happening…

Soon, I’ll have some pictures of an update we did in our kitchen! And since all of the wedding madness is over (and I have time to kill) I decided that I’m going to redo our bedroom. I’m currently on the hunt for new furniture, wish me luck!

-C Doc

#1 Hubbo

One day last week I came home to the greatest sight… Sean (who I will now refer to as El Hubbo) landscaped the other half of our yard! Greatest husband ever? In my eyes, yes. He wins. For multiple reasons, but for now we’ll just discuss this one.

We had plans for a while to one day “git r done”, but this day came much sooner than I expected, and for that, I am thankful! It’s absolutely beautiful!

 You can thank the dogs for the mess of mulch in front... We had a serious game of frisbee.

Special thanks to Ricky, my dad and Kevin J for helping with the job.

You deserved all the cold beer in our fridge :)

We even adorned our new façade with Christmas lights. The best part? El Hubbo surprised me by buying them. Who is this new man?!? Love it! I wish I had a picture of our newest addition at night, but unfortunately I don’t… Fail on my part. I’ll post some pictures tomorrow. Promise. Hopefully.

I do have a picture of our lovely wreath that Sean’s parents got us! It smells amazing :)

This past Friday we went ice skating for Jesica’s birthday. Although I have a fear of falling and busting my butt, I didn’t do too bad! I stuck to the wall for most of the beginning, but after about a half hour, I got the hang of it and was darting slowly skating around without the aid of the wall! Sean kept insisting that I hold his hand and pick up the pace; I was almost on board until he completely biffed and fell. And I mean full on laid out. Back on the ground. Feet in the air. Donezo. Needless to say, I didn’t hold his hand for the rest of the night… It was definitely a good time, though. It’s nice to do something different every once in a while. Here’s what’s supposed to be a lovely picture of Briana and Phil, Jes decided it was a little too formal. Atta girl Jes.

The next night, El Hubbo and I took our furkids out to watch the Treasure Island Boat Parade.

There were a lot of boats that participated this year. It was fun to get out of the house and spend some time with our babies. It’s sorta ridiculous how much we love our dogs. We even wished that they were able to come on our honeymoon with us…weirdos. But we just have so much fun with them :)

Besides our excursions this past weekend, we also broke out the smoker once again. After Sean rigged it a little more, it was ready to cook some good grub. Do you like our smoke flume?

 It’s custom, we'll be taking orders for them next year.

That pretty much wraps up our weekend… This week I’ll be prepping for a yard sale that I’ll be conducting to get rid of some of the crap we’ve accumulated over the past year. It’s insane the amount of stuff we have; it’s my goal to be a minimalist and live simply, but with the copious quantities of junk we never use, I figured we’d be better off having a yard sale to make some money. As they say, one man’s junk is another man’s treasure! Wish me luck with getting Sean to part with some of his junk.

-C Doc

Lights, Crabs, Socks and Snowmen

Just because the honeymoon was over, doesn’t mean the fun ended! Sean and I had the whole week off after our wedding; so, we decided to use our time wisely and get stuff done around the house and spend time with our awesome friends. 

For starters, I decorated the house for the holidays! I love this time of year and I couldn’t wait to get all of the Christmas décor up. Sean surprised me a week prior by putting lights on the house. I came home from doing last minute errands for the wedding to find him, Phil and Derek running around on the roof putting up our new LED lights. They did so good! It was the greatest surprise too, considering Sean is such a Scrooge…  Yeah, I said it.

Nice job boys! Do you like the added touch on the boat? Haha

I was in charge of the interior portion of our Dockerty Domain. I only have this one picture, but the tree is the most important part, right? Besides, that tree took a lot work to complete since I made most of the ornaments on it… Definitely a labor of love.

Notice the wrapped presents underneath? I completed almost all of my holiday shopping at one store in a matter of two hours. What was that one store you ask? Bealls. Because they offer free gift wrapping. I HATE wrapping gifts. With a passion. So I went and let the ladies in customer service go at it. Pretty sure they hated me when they were done wrapping my shopping cart full of stuff, but I’m also pretty sure I have wrapped gifts under my treeeee! Hehehe :)

Later on in the week, a few of our friends came over for a crab boil! I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing it was. I’ve been telling everyone that Derek gave us crabs for our wedding gift, just to see their faces. Most of them look a bit befuddled. But it’s true; he got us an insane amount of claws, and you better believe that we devoured almost all of them.

We had alllll of those stone crab claws, shrimp, corn, hushpuppies, ribs, cornbread, potato salad and mac n’ cheese. We were all pleasantly plump after that doozie of a meal. If you let me, I could probably go on and on about how good it all was, but for the sake of time and the fact that I might bore you to death, I’ll move on.    ....but it was really good. Ok. Done.

The next day, December 1^st, I planned a party. A Pinterest Party! Yippee!

There are a lot of amazing females in my life and a majority of them are obsessed with this beloved website. To the point of ridiculousness. Seriously. So I decided to celebrate the one thing that consumes the greater part of most of our free time, Pinterest. I had this Pinteresting idea a few weeks ago and created the event. I told my lovely ladies to bring a dish that they found on Pinterest that they’ve either tried or have been wanting to try. I also told them that I would supply all of the materials for a holiday craft. I was so excited, not only to have all of my besties come over, but to eat some great food and make some cute stuff to get us all in the Christmas spirit.

For the dish, I made Bubble Up Pizza! It was insanely easy. You just take two cans of Grands Buttermilk biscuits and chop them into quarters. You then mix in a jar of tomato sauce and 16oz of cheese (I used 8oz of mozzarella and an 8oz bag of a mozzarella and parmesan mix), and you can mix in whatever toppings you want (I just used pepperoni). After everything is mixed really well, put the concoction into a greased baking dish and plop it in a 375* oven for about 25-30 minutes and watch as it bubbles up! It was so good and fluffy; I would definitely make it again!

After we stuffed our bellies with some delicious dishes, it was on to the crafty portion of the night! Sock Snomen were on the agenda!  

Cute, right? Love them.

Here are some pictures of us creating them. I would go step by step on how to make them, but that would take forever… So sit back and enjoy these; check out this website if you’d like to get the directions!

^^ So classy ^^

^^ We made a mess ^^

^^ My Snowbabies :) ^^ 

 Sarah even made a little sock cap for my Cody boy!

So, that was the extent of our whole honeymoon week. Now that life has gone back to “normal”, I’ll fill you in with the updates that we’ve done to the house! Have a fab weekend guys!

-C Doc