5.31.2013

five on friday


my mom actually introduced me to carolina charm blog.  my mom is a bit new to the world of blogs, so i was a bit skeptical at first. . . but i decided to listen to her and take a peek (moms always know best). needless to say, i have become an avid follower of christina!  she's just like me. . . florida gator alumni, wine lover, and north carolina resident.  what's not to love?  she and a few other bloggers are hosting a five on friday link-up party every friday, and i decided to join in on the fun.  here are five things i'm loving this week:

1.  #abeautifulmess app.  if you don't have this app on your phone, go download it now.  it's so much fun doodling on photos, and applying different filters and borders.  it takes your photos from blah to beautiful!

2.  ^^ this is the best thing to happen to my manicures since the invention of essie nail polish.  my sweet future mother-in-law gifted me a uv dryer for gel nail polish last christmas.  i finally got to use it when i purchased this seche ultra-v topcoat a month or so ago, and i haven't stopped using it since.  i apply it over regular/non-gel polish and my manicures last at least four times longer, and it gives an awesome shine.  i love this stuff.

  3.  mojito jello shots as seen on a beautiful mess.  i will be making these regularly this summer.  very regularly.

 4.  earlier this week a dear childhood friend of mine, sara, passed away after a battle with cancer.  she was one of the strongest, sweetest, and funniest people i have ever had the pleasure of knowing.  i couldn't say enough good things about her.  i will forever remember her gorgeous smile, and laughing until my stomach hurt at her spot-on impersonation of singing macy grey's 1999 hit "i try".  she's just beautiful and amazing.  so, with sara in mind . . i'm loving life this week.  we are only here for such a short time, and every second we have should be lived to the fullest.  rest peacefully, beautiful sara.

 5.  bobbi brown's beach perfume.  this scent really does smell just like the beach (sunscreen really.  which, growing up in florida, is a very nostalgic smell).  a few spritzes of this, and my senses are instantly transported to an island oasis (with the added benefit of not getting sand in every crevice known to man).  







5.29.2013

random acts from my iphoto library


a few months after cory and i started dating, we went on our first camping trip.  we set up a campfire and drank a few beers, and by that time night began to set in.  the bathroom facilities were a little far away from our campsite, so being the gentleman he is, cory insisted on walking me to the bathroom.  i reached for the flashlight, and we discovered the batteries were dead.  cory then said "hey, hold on . . . i have something!"  he pulled a yellow lighter out of his pocket, clicked a little button, and a light in the form of a yellow simley face appeared before us.  i couldn't stop laughing!!  i thought to myself, why does this guy have a lighter with a smiley faced flashlight. . . .what possessed him to buy this?  i fell more in love with him at that moment.  i adore his silliness!  we still use it to this day when we go camping, can you believe it hasn't burned out yet?
no pictures, please.

5.27.2013

weekly roundup

this week has made me realize how lucky we are to both have such great families.  it stinks that our immediate relatives live so darn far away. . . but we certainly are blessed to have happy, healthy loved ones who are always close in our hearts and minds.  
the beginning of this week was busy and hectic, but we definitely made up for all the hard work with a fun-filled weekend.  i hope everyone had a wonderful memorial day weekend, while taking a little time to remember those who selflessly protect our freedom each and everyday.

despite my best unintentional efforts to kill this plant (via lack of water and re-potting into a much too small pot). . . it has proven to be a survivor.  i thought it was a goner, but it suddenly perked up and bloomed the most beautiful coral colored flower.  it has made me smile every day this week, each time i walked past my back porch. thanks, plant.


we kicked off the weekend with some great friends at the kenny chesney concert in raleigh.  i'm not the biggest country music fan, but kenny always puts on a good show.  plus. . . i'm a fan of anything that involves tailgating.



5.22.2013

random acts from my iphoto library

soooo. . . . i don't really know if i should be sharing these photos on my blog, but they are too funny not to post.  we have had several bachelorette parties among my co-workers over the past few years.  and by far, the highlight of every bachelorette party is the large inflatable "male member" who, as you can see, makes an appearance for every party.  it makes me very excited for my future bachelorette party!!  as you can see, he's a show stopper and he pretty much deserves his own invitation at this point.  :-)




5.19.2013

weekly roundup

this week has been refreshingly slow-paced.  there has been a lot of catching up to do, after our action-packed vacation to jamaica.  here's a few bits of our week:

i got to hang out with this super-sweet cutie and her mama, for a much needed bff date.

despite a week full of long work days for my love, we squeezed in a date night mid-week.  i really appreciate those nights, not only because we get to spend some alone time together. . .  but it's also refreshing to wear something other than scrubs and/or pajamas on a weekday.

celebrating katie k's birthday at arnies, probably the highlight of my weekend!  she's such a great person with an amazing group of friends!
margarita jello shots for the birthday girl!  she probably makes me laugh more than anybody on the planet.
it was a fun night!  happy birthday katie k!!

the second highlight of my weekend. . . cory and i finally got around to seeing the great gatsby.  it was such a great movie, but i did spend the rest of the day in a funk (i won't say anymore, in order to avoid a spoiler alert.)  and can i just say, leonardo dicaprio and carey mulligan can do no wrong.

i can't wait for this week.  i have kenny chesney and nascar to look forward to, y'all.

5.16.2013

jamaica: part 2

my favorite photos from the last half of our amazing vacation to the dreamland of jamaica.

we had breakfast on the beach every morning.  no big deal.  :)

this is what every afternoon looked like for us, it's a hard life.

we tried to incorporate as much red stripe into as many photos as possible.

another great thing about jamaica. . . cubans!!

i probably spent just as much time in this swing on our balcony, as i did at the beach.

YOLO (that's for my ultrasound girls)

omg.  lobster pizza.

we went on a really fun catamaran cruise.  they took us snorkeling along a coral reef, cliff diving at the cliffs, and we sailed back to land during a beautiful sunset.

 

i felt like we were jay-z and beyonce/jfk and jackie-o.  it was a very fancy way to spend the day.

on our last night, we saw a live reggae band as we sat by a bonfire in the sand.

. . . and talk about a homecoming!!!  our amazing roomate brian (who is also partially responsible for setting me up with cory) had this waiting for us as we walked through the door.  it put a smile on our faces after a very long depressing day at the airport.  thanks, brian (attention ladies, he's single!!)

until next time jamaica.  honeymoon, maybe ;-)


5.15.2013

random acts from my iphoto library


believe it or not, this is me and katie.  circa (insert cold month here) 2009???  we had both just been dumped literally on the same weekend.  so, i invited her over to to my place to drink some wine and pamper ourselves with some aloe vera face treatments.  thank goodness for girlfriends to get you through times like those.  and wine. 

5.13.2013

jamaica: part 1

we were beyond happy to leave cold, rainy north carolina. . . .

. . . and arrive in paradise!
 
 we were met at the airport with a red stripe, well done rocky's taxi service!

"wastin' away again in margaritaville."

we spent our days and nights at the beautiful kuyaba hotel.

breakfast was so delicious.  actually, all the food there was so delicious.

which leads me to this photo.  let me introduce you to the best jerk chicken in jamaica, which can be found at bourbon beach.  yes, i ate chicken.  every. single. day.

 "fresh fruuuuuiiiiiiiitttt!"

oh, yeah. . .and my favorite part of the vacation, the sunset dinner proposal!!!!

our favorite bartender was kind enough to gift us with some yummy engagement shots :)