Weekend Update [Thanksgiving/ FL-FLState Edition]

I would rather enter the Hunger Games than get dressed

in a suit and heels and walk into the office Monday after Thanksgiving.

Today's energizing cocktail consisted of a sugar free red bull AAAAND

a quick chaser of 5 Hour Energy.

Yes, it's that bad.

Unfortunately in the lovely World of SALES,

everyday is 110% so I shall make this post snappy so I can hurry up

and go close some deals! 

After work on Wednesday, I loaded down the car with

my boyfriend, my dog and every pair of brown boots I owned

(3 pairs of heeled boots, my Ariat cowboy boots and the Uggs to be exact)

and we were Ocala bound by 5:30!

I mentioned in my Thanksgiving post that I love

Thanksgiving Eve because it is literally a mini HS reunion.

Don't get me wrong, Ocala is a small town- but with 7 different

high school and an a cray-cray group of friends, downtown Ocala is poppin. 

Thanksgiving day was GORGEOUS in Ocala.

68 degrees and a great day to throw the football around

with my 8 year old nephew...

in between stuffing my face with GBCass and mashed potatoes.

Woof. 

Friday I actually had quite a bit of work to do

but I did manage to grab lunch with my parents and be on

the road *TALLY BOUND* by 5 to see my bestfriend and 

watch my Gators play on Saturday!

We ate dinner at Bella Bella then started to hop around

to a few local bars. I'm not a huge fan of Tallahassee but

I LOVE their bar crowd- all super laid back and casual. 

SATURDAY WAS GAME DAY!

We tailgated for a few hours and then headed to a bar next

to the stadium to watch the game. 

We cheered. We cried. We talked trash.

Bottom line. Gators won :)
Which is directly related to fact that I have no voice this morning.
[Insert obnoxious Gator chomp HERE]

Sunday was spent recuperating and drivingggggg.

I HATE DRIVING.

Especially after a holiday!

Did everyone just turn into a raging Jeff Gordon all of a sudden??

I'm a huge fan of the car who gets RIGHT ON MY BUMPER

and flashes their lights to move over.

Are you kidding me.

You are getting brake checked, my friend.

Anyway, may you all have a lovely Monday
and I will be re-living my Thanksgiving dinner experience at lunch time
since I brought left overs. Weeeeeeeeeee!

We Just Don't Stop...

I have come to the conclusion that Bryan and I simply

Do. Not. Stop.

We are CONSTANTLY on the go.

And quite frankly, that is the way we like it. 

We have a gorgeous home but only choose to stay in..

..ohh?? Maybe 2 nights a week?

Friday I had a totally cray day at work then

we hit the road for Ocala at almost 5 o'clock on the dot.

Friday night we had the traditional

"night before the tournament"

dinner at Mark's Steakhouse with Chris & Tiff.

Best steak ever.

Thennnn for a night out in Ocala!

Oh, how I love going back home :)

It is near impossible to be walking around the square 

downtown without seeing ten people you went to 

High School with- including but not limited to:

ex-boyfriends, high school football coaches, friends

whom you may or may not have had a falling out with.

Then there's the standard:

"WHEN are y'all getting married???"

Shut. Up.

Ohhh, always an exciting time :/

Then this happened:

We may have had several glasses of champagne at dinner.
I'm not sure. 

6AM on Saturday came REAL quick.

Well, clearly after that last little snippet of pictures...

We were on our way to Golden Ocala by 7 to

kick off the 4th Annual Rob McCoy Foundation Golf Tournament.

To reiterate, Rob was Bryan's best friend who was killed

by a drunk driver back in 2008 at the Florida/Georgia game.

Read the full story here.

We miss Rob everyday and my heart still goes out to his family.

All proceeds from the golf tournament go to scholarships

and the Boys & Girls club of Ocala. 

It's a huge turn out every year and it's so encouraging 

that all of the boys come together  this time of year to make it successful.

For Rob. 

It couldn't have been a prettier day for a golf tournament:

The boys who make it possible :)

How B.A. are the new Under Armour golf polos??

Saturday also ended up being a

fabulous day in college football.

A win for the Gators

(South Carolina has also been overrated since Day One)

AND another win for UCF! :):)

Then Sunday morning we headed to Tampa

to watch my Saints take on the Bucs for a 1 o'clock game!

The entire group we went with was super irritated

that Shannon and I were sporting Saints gear ;)

Bryan and I are clearly a couple divided :/

Are view wasn't too shabby either!
We just grabbed cheap tickets at sat at the pirate ship

bar in the end zone. 

It was the Bucs' throw back game, hence

all of the orange and the old school pirate mascot.

The Saints won after the Bucs caught a TD pass

then STEPPED OUT OF THE END ZONE.

For those uneducated football fans,

in layman's terms,

that pass would be considered NO GOOD. :)

So that about wraps up my weekend!

Oh oh ooohhhhh. And I finally decorated my front yard!

I can't *WAIT* to have sweet little trick or treaters this year!!

Last year was a little depressing, I decorated per usual,

only to have 3 rude little boys pound on my door  in wife

beaters, holding out their pillow cases.

No candy for you. You look like this everyday.

HAVE A FAB MONDAY!

Re-Cap on the Breast Cancer fundraiser party coming soon!!

Weekend, where did you go?

Does anyone else also feel that our weekends 

should consist of 3 days rather than 2?
All in for a 4-day work week say AYYYEEE?! 

I was planning on a Friday post but I may or may not have had

a mini melt down session due to streeessssss OOPSS.

But anyway welcome back Monday 

anddddd a quick Weekend Update recap with Sami!

Thursday (because I'm still at the point

in my life where the weekend technically starts on Thursday)

we went to the 1st pre-season Magic game.

I am less than thrilled for this season.

I blame you, Dwight Howard.

I am also a little annoyed that I paid $90 for your pink jersey

that was fun for all of ONE season. 

Friday night consisted of cleaning and a well-overdue

night in watching movies. Going out was not an option after the Friday that I had :/

Saturday! Tailgating! Surprised??

I'm running out of game day outfits so I literally bought a little black
UCF dress last minute. I plan on recreating it.

I think yes. 

Sunday was another boat day. Probably the last for a while. 
I curse Florida for lacking an actual FALL or WINTER- but I must say
I don't hate still being able to jump in the water in mid-October :)

And of course we brought Jake.

He was well-behaved until Morgan & the boys started catchin fish.
Then it was back to him attempting to launch himself overboard. 
This is when we took advantage of the fact that he has handles. 

Little Bubbbyyyy! :) 
He looks a little sad, yess?? 

Before you go! I had to share these awesome little cookies
from Bridget over at Bake at 350!

Bride of Frankenstein how cuuuuttteeee are theseeee??!
She is extremely talented and has an amazing skill set for cookie details. 

On another fun October note, my Bunco Fundraiser is this Thursday!
That means I only have 3 days to figure out how to actually play.
hashtag callgrandma.

Wednesday October 24th I'll be starting an obnoxious
"Countdown to Halloween" baking session. 
There are just way too many things on Pinterest that I neeeeed to try!

Oh, October

Ohhhh October is right.

We are oooficially into our second week in October and I'm not

feeling any less anxious :/ 

My girlfran Ash over at Life After the Aisle dedicated a post

to "countdowns," which I thought was cute so 

let's take a look at what is on my plate for October!

Yes, that says Lynyrd Skynyrd on the 26th.

Needless to say there's a ton going on here.

It's semi-exhausting just looking at it!

Also if you're curious as to why this blog is titled
"Corin Bakes"
because all I have been blogging about lately is Fall festivities
and weekend escapades- hang tight, friends!
I have been ripping my hair out super busy and
my time in the kitchen, or lack there of, has been slim.
*BUT*
look how much baking I will be doing over the course of October!
My breast cancer fundraiser event?? BAKING!
Work Pinterest party?? BAKING!
And I promise I will dedicate an entire post to Pumpkin Spice :)
So like I said- hang tight! I promise I will have more treats and recipes posts!

In the meannnn timmmeeee-
(is it annoying that I constantly drag out letters? I think so.)
it's time for the Weekend Update link up!

Friday we saw Taken 2, which was awesome.
I'm sorry but, Liam Neeson is a badass.
I wanted to see Frankenweenie :/
but Bryan refused. Saturday we headed back to Lake Weir
to watch the Gator game! We met up with my best friend
AND HER NEW BOYFRIEND- which just so happens
to be Bryan's bestfriend
at her brother's lake house. After cruising on the lake for a bit
we ended up at Ron Zook's lake house (long story..)
to watch the end of the game. Watching the Gators
win over LSU at Ron Zook's was a rather exciting story to tell, I would say!
Fun Fact: He drinks Natural Light.
Oh and horray for a SEMINOLE LOSS.
They have been overrated since Day One.
Gators are now ranked #4 BOOM.
Sunday Bry & Chris went fishin
so Tiffany & I went to brunch and shopped.
*Please note: Bryan does look like he's movin in for a smooch
in that last picture- but he is ACTUALLY trying to hide
his shaved face. 
He did that Friday afternoon and I don't want to talk about it.
I love a little facial hair and he went man-scaping crazy.
Ugghhhhh. :/

Anyway, gggoo link up & have a fab Monday! 

Friday Letters

Hiiiiii YAYYYY FRIDAY EEEEEEEEEE!

Particularly excited about this weekend

(and my first Friday Letters link up with Ashley...)

and I maayy or may not have had 2 SF Red Bulls today WOOPS =/
Not even going to lie- I was draggin butt this morning after 
a  Thursday 5:30 tailgate session 
(I feel like all I blog about is tailgating..
I swear I do other things in life.)

and a late night game watchin my boys whoop up on East Carolina.

But back to the letters! Ok let's do thissssss..

Dear Friday, Hello  friend. We meet again. Smooch. 

Dear Cop at the Front of my Neighborhood, after seeing End of Watch,
 I must say you are NOT a bad ass. You should be ashamed of

yourself for sitting at a perfectly friendly (and gated) community waiting

for residents to go 1 mph over the posted speed limit of 25.

Go fight crime you moron.

Dear Jason Aldean, Perhaps I am several days behind but 
I AM STILL SPEECHLESS. 
Hearing about one of your fave country singers cheating on 
his HS sweetheart is a tad depressing...
and just un-American quite frankly. It appears that you were ready
to ride more than just that Chevy, eh? 

Dear Online Shopping, you are ruining my lifffeeeee. 
And productivity.
I am talking to you, Groop Dealz.

Dear PrankDial.com, thank you for making my Thursday evening

amusing. Even though Mom didn't appreciate it. I did. :)

Dear Bank Account, I know if you had a face- you would be making

and unhappy one at the moment. I apologize for

the abuse and the recent unnecessary purchases. 

It will be over soon.

via Annie-Eats.com

Dear Pumpkin Spice Cupcake ingredients, I know you are just

sitting in my pantry waiting patiently. Don't worry- I will make you soon.

I shhweaaarrr.
Dear Boyfriend, thank you for taking me shopping and out to a fabulous
dinner this past Wednesday, despite the fact that it was National Boyfriend Day. 
You, my dear, are self-less. And for that I love you. =)

Don't forget to link up!

See you bright & early Monday!

More Tailgating & a BEAUTIFUL Lake Baby Shower!

Hello Sugars! =)

Hope everyone else's weekend was FAB- miiiine waaass.

I'm in Ocala for meetings today and although it's a cram packed day-
it's still good to be home. 
I still had time to stop at Starbucks and by 8AM this morning, I had seen it all.
Let me elaborate...
First I witnessed a normal looking man
(and when I say normal I actually mean not homeless)
be woken up by a police officer and then given a trespass warning
BECAUSE HE FELL ASLEEP.
Next! I eavesdropped overheard the person to my left
calling in regards to an apartment listed for rent to check on the animal policy.
They had 8 cats. Gross.
Thennnnnn (I'm not done yet...) I'm quite positive
the couple to my right has a "daily affirmation" routine.
They were both in their 40's and must have just gotten married.
For about 20 minutes I had to listen to
"I love you because...." Okay we get it.

So lemme me just throw a few pictures out there to wrap the weekend up:

1. 7:30 AM: Bryan, being a team player per usual.

2. 8:00 AM: Tailgate set up and I'm ready for some breakfast, please and thank you.

3. 8:30 AM: It appears that the boys are also ready for breakfast.

4. 8:45 AM: Couple Mimosas in & keeping it classy :):)

Also, did I mention I hate noon games?
It was hotter than ALL HELL and the boys were forced to
double fist while walking into the game:

We played Missouri (newly an SEC team) and it was a little

embarassing how empty the game was.

Perhaps the heat index and 110 degree weather had something to do with that?

Despite the ridiculous temperate- Love Love LOVE this Man! ;)

Note to self: Refrain from wearing bib necklaces
while sitting in the sun. Sincerely, your Tan-Lined Chest

Sunday I headed back to Ocala for April's Baby Shower!

And... You know you're in Ocala when you pass this:

(April has done my hair since I was in high school and my Mom

still gets her hair done at her salon)

Mom & I bought a play mat and I made this little beaut, which I anticipate being hung

on baby Sayde Grace's door:

Oh and then I got a little carried away with the wrapping. :)

So April's shower was hosted at Sandy's house, a family friend,

who lives on beautiful Lake Weir.

Are you ready to be blown away by pink cuteness?

Oookkaayy then!

1. ADORABLE garden flag and you all know how much I love tissue balls.

2. Cannolis!!!! I need to learn how to make these stat before I disappointing my

nationality :/

3. Loved this little dessert setup.

4. The "Betty Cake" Cake :) Most delicious cakes in the World

but Mom refuses to go back after ordering my UCF cake for graduation- which

came out Brown and Orange rather than Black and Gold.

Ohhhhh yes that happened.

1. It's not a party unless you have mason jars and Etsy straws. No, really.

2. Cutest favor idea! Bath & Body Works Mini Handy Sanis

3. Outside table setup on the beautiful back porch.

4. Diaper cakes are always a hit at a Baby Shower... but

there's just something about GIRL diaper cakes. :) Adorable..

Wrapped up the shower with our toes in the sand...

Then I spent the rest of the afternoon with my favorite Baby :)
My sweet, little niece Claire

Read Claire's story Here

Before we left my brother and sister-in-law's house,
Ashley had Claire model her Halloween costume on for us.
I won't share a pic of her full costume yet, but here's a sneak
peek of the little peanut:

Enjoy y'all's week!