Vacay

So I've been back from our annual vacation to the beach for 3 weeks. Thanks to the Olympics (which will be it's own post later) and a couple hospital visits/labor scares, I'm just now thinking about this post.

This is my 29th year heading to the Carolina beaches and it was as relaxing and fun as it always is. We did our typical outings to the golf courses, restaurants and shops. We aren't huge go.out.every.night vacay people. More of like 9-5 beachers then come back out on the beach after dinner;)

Below are a few pics that I got which are TERRIBLE. I really need to get better photog skills....

girlfriend loves some chick-fil-a yogurt

allie & i at dinner 

my new golf shoes

that's us wayyy down by the water...not the pile to the right

humans aren't the only ones who like to get their tan on...

Wow, it's hard to believe summer is almost over. I'm not going to lie...I'm ready for fall and of course, football, but since it's summer in VA 'til October typically, there's still some time to get some more boat trips in! Happy weekend!

Life as of late...

It's been a little while since a life update post. It's been so busy over here that I'm still waiting for summer to get here;)

It's still been pretty busy at work, but we got to have a little fun with our clients a few weeks ago at Colonial Downs. Seems a little inapprop-a financial advisor supporting a night of gamblimg-but hey, you gotta have some fun in life, right?!

with Music of Arabia, the winner of our sponsored race (and the trainer was the daughter of an acquaintance of ours!)

Still spending the weekends here...

Two weekends ago, we packed up the cars and headed down to Pinehurst for FCA's golf camp. It was quite possibly the best 48 hours I've had so far in 2012. Obviously, Pinehurst is known for it's beautiful golf courses and old Southern tradition, so we we're pretty excited because it sounded right up our alley (Mom & Dad were the only ones who had been there, so they knew what to expect). 

I was shocked at how much I absolutely loved it. It is such a quaint town that it didn't almost seem real. Who knew places like this really DID exist?! All the huge porches with fans, adorable boutique shopping, cute restaurants, and of course, everyone was so pleasant. Us girls are already talking about another weekend trip to get away and shop;)

I'm going to go ahead and apologize for the following iphone pics...I was a terrible picture taker that weekend...

the guys imitating Payne Stewart

my cute mom & dad

the beautiful golf course

The camp was amazing as well. It was so cool to see all the middle and high schoolers eager to learn how to better their game, encourage each other, and just be incredible testimonies to their beliefs and the game in general. I love everything FCA stands for, so this was incredibly exciting for me to be in on the action. Front row seat baby. 

I didn't get any pics of the campers (it always seemed to be an inconvenient time to try to snap a pic w/o being obvious), but Tobymac put on a concert that night, not only for the campers, but for the whole town, and I did get some pics of that! He's such an amazing guy...he didn't take a dime from ticket sales, but had all sales go towards FCA. 

all the campers sitting up front

Just got back from vacation, so I'll be working on that post very soon! 

Lulu, you have taken over my life...

You ever had anything that you are just addicted to? and I mean this in a trendy way....not your complete and utter devoutness to that Cookout milkshake that will.never.die.kindofway. 


I can.NOT stop buying workout gear from Lululemon. It has become such a problem. I get giddy with excitement when I get the email stating that they have new gear out. The adorable sales girls know me by name at the store. I go to their website every morning (after checking work email of course, but before I start my blog reads). If I know a package is waiting for me at home, I am an outta control maniac on the road to get home (Dale Jr. would have nuthin' on me). Anyone else see a problem here?

The pros of this addiction? It makes me want to go work out immediately and not stop until I am sopping wet. I feel like I could run forever when I feel like I have a cute workout outfit on. They are also a super cool, quirky fun company. Check em out if you haven't a clue as to what I'm talking about.

The con? The prices. Lord have mercy, they are expensive.

But here's the deal...a tidbit of insight for those of you who haven't been clued in yet. They last for a very, very, very long time. How you ask? keep them out of the dryer. That's how. Easy, huh? Laying out dry-fit material or Luxtreme (as lulu calls it) material to air dry makes it last 5-7 years longer. Uh yea, you heard that right. years. Air drying also gives your work out gear a fresher smell than if you were to dry it in the dryer (heat keeps in the smell).

Anyhoo, back to my addiction. I guess there could be worse things to get excited about. While I def should probably by stock in this company, I know my limits. There's plenty of items that I just stare longingly at. Here are some of my fav items as of late!

ugh, if only money grew on trees. oh well. i assume this too shall pass;)

So Long, Insecurity

Every other Thursday night, 12 teenage girls pile into my house to attempt to rid themselves of this pain.in.the.everlovin'.butt insecurity issue. Let's face it...it is one of the biggest detriments to women,  beginning with teenage girls. The sucky part? It starts at such a young age (Mean Girls anyone??) and when you're young, you think those issues go away as an adult. Ohhh, if only. Can they change? Yes. Do they evolve? Absolutely. But they don't go away. There's still the Lindsey Lohan/Rachel McAdams wannabe mean girl out there. The guy who makes you question yourself. The parent who doesn't support or encourage. Whatever the reason is, insecurity exists in everyone, whether they are willing to admit it or not.

Let me just say, I feel completely inadequate to be helping lead this study. Not in the least bit worthy.

Why? Because this has been an obvious struggle for me since middle school.

Have I come a long ways? Absolutely. Am I where I need to be to lead this? Not.Even.Close.

But I'm here and I pray that I can be an encouragement and example to these young girls. The pressure is there though, let me tell you, to make sure that I'm continuing to work away at my insecurities. God forbid I be a hypocrite (side note...this is one of my biggest fears and biggest pet peeve with other Christians).

I've realized that while I still struggle with the everyday insecurities of a 29 year old, I've been where these girls are. We all have. I just hope that them hearing this at their age opens their eyes and ears to identify it in themselves and hopefully avoid this trap as much as possible.

If you're reading this, can you take a quick second to say a quick prayer for these girls as they go through this? I think it's pretty obvious that our society doesn't help with any girls self-image, especially a teenager, but we can make a difference one girl (including ourselves!) at a time, right?!


P.S. Kudos to Beth Moore for writing this book to address this issue! If you haven't already, even if you don't associate yourself with any religion, I would highly recommend this! It's relevant, practical, and funny!

Baby Shower, part deux

No words for this post, just the pics I collected from shower attendees:)

The soon-to-be parents

Toys for Harley because she can't be left out

I think I posted this on the last one?? But if not, it's Allie+I with my aunt and grandmother

A better view of the dessert table, with the actual food in place

a better view of the drink area (still not complete, but better than what I had)

One of the food tables

Gifts, gifts, and more gifts...

That was such a great weekend! Glad we got that shower in before it got into the 90's here...ughhhh.

ISeeNoise

Decorating a house is hard. and can be very labor-intensive + not pocketbook friendly.

I like to say that my style is chic+glam with gold+sparkle. This can be pretty tough to accomplish given the cost of furniture and accessories (sorry, but $500 for a table is a major investment for this girl). I like to take it room-by-room in order to give myself a reprieve- physically+emotionally...YES, emotionally (I tell ya, decorating can take it out of you)- and to build up my bank account again.

I was SO EXCITED yesterday though to come across the Etsy shop ISeeNoise. The owner is an artist out of Vancouver whose pictures embody my style to a T. The best part? Her prices are ridiculously reasonable. So what do I do? I buy 3 of them. I'm either that obsessed or have no discipline at saying no to pretty things.

This one is my fav and will find a spot on my bathroom wall as soon as I get it....

My bedroom + bathroom are now almost complete...yayyy!!

And I was like baby, baby, baby, ohhhh...

We had Allie's first baby shower this weekend! (Sorry for the Justin Bieber reference...I doubt Sawyer is going to be as big of a fan as his aunt)

An amazing time with even more amazing friends and food. Thank you Pinterest for all the fabulous decorating ideas...

Since Sawyer's nursery colors are blue and green, we went with different shades of those two colors with a vintage feel.

A baby shower in the South isn't complete without mason jars...

This was the Blessings Board. Everyone writes a little note to Matt, Allie, or Sawyer for them to look at later. Such a great idea!

We gave this to Allie to put in Sawyer's room as part of the Blessings Board. I pray that he understands this at a young age.

Sawyer got some incredible gifts! Including these cute booties and hat from coconut robot.

With his name inscribed on the bottom! Love.Love.Love.

Thank you Kacia!

Allison & I with my grandma and aunt, the dessert bar, and little man's banner (with the R cut off. Gosh, I'm one awesome photographer :/). 

I took very few and beyond terrible pictures-obviously minimal decor pics-but other people did, so I will post those when I get my hands on them! 

All I can say is that Sawyer is going to be on blessed little guy, surrounded by love and prayer. I am beyond excited to meet him! 

12 weeeeeks!! EEEEK!!!