Coming Home + Kayla [guest post]

 Well, it's Monday again and I'm not quite so excited about this one as I was about the last two, because I'm coming home today :( 

Don't get me wrong, I miss my sweet Rue, Jordan, Ms. Pam, Kelly, Ashley, Kait, and my grandparents. But, I won't be taking another trip like this anytime soon and that's very depressing to me. And now I have to go back to work. Boo!! 

Anyway, on a brighter note..I brought Miss Kayla back to wrap up my guest posts! She started me off so I thought it was only logical that she finished it off, too :)

Enjoy and please pray for safe travels for us!! xo

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Hello, haven't we met?  Yes it's me again.  =)


Haley is on her way home, and I'm pretty sure she is sad and dreading coming back to the "real world" as we speak.  I know I always am after vacations!

You have to get back to eating "normal" food, unpacking sucks, and for a week after you're home you look at a clock and think about where you were the previous week.  And how you'd much rather be back there.  Am I right, or am I right?

I usually cry after a vacation is over.  I've never left the beach and not cried.  For real.  And yes, I'm 28 years old. 


There is just something about "escaping" reality and getting to live somewhere else with no worries.  But that's what makes a vacation so enjoyable.   Reality is fun too.  We just have to get back in the swing of it for sure!

Welcome back, Haley! I can speak for us all when I say, we've missed you doll!

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Short and bittersweet!

Have a wonderful start to the week, y'all..and I'll see ya soon! :) xo 

San Fran + Meet Jordan [guest post]

 Happy July 4th/Independence Day/Freedom Day..whatever y'all wanna call it! 

I'm gonna take a quick second just to say...

I LOVE AMERICA.

Yes, the decisions that are made here sometimes really tick me off..but that's not America's fault. That's the government's fault. Anyway, there's nowhere else I would rather call home. Thanks for being so beautiful, America. 

Now, as you're reading this..I'm probably wandering around San Fran and the Fisherman's Wharf! 

But, I have my absolute best friend in the entire world (whom I am missing like crazy, love you Jo) here to guest post for me!

I know y'all have heard me talk about Jordan countless times and you may have even checked out her blog, The Time of My Life, a time or two. But just in case you haven't, I've brought her in today for y'all to meet the wonderfulness that is my best friend and I know y'all will love her just as much as I do! 

Take it away, Jo! xo

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Hey gals (and guys?)!
So as you know, I have the honor of guesting posting for my amazing best friend while she's in freaking CALIFORNIA and I'm stuck in boring old NC.. totally unfair.
Anywho, after much debate on what to write about (and some help from Haley), I've decided to discuss exercise. Sounds boring, I know.. but as an Exercise Physiology major I feel like I have a moral obligation to inform people of the importance of getting adequate exercise ;)

When most people think of exercising, they surely don't jump with joy. In fact, the reason that most people don't exercise is because they don't find it enjoyable.. and its pretty difficult to find time and motivation to do something that isn't enjoyable. However, this problem can be easily fixed by consulting fitness websites and/or magazines and just doing a few searches to find a workout that is both effective and FUN! Everyone is different, so you may have to add your own little twists to the basic workouts, but don't you think it'd be a little easier to get your 30 minutes of daily physical activity if you thought of it as leisure instead of exercise? 


Just in case my little spill didn't give you any more motivation than you already had, here's a few not-so-fun facts that might make you hit the gym:


*Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. Getting the recommended amount of exercise can prevent obesity and high blood pressure, both of which lead to heart disease.

*More than 1/3 of all Americans are obese.


*Lack of exercise can lead to countless life-threatening conditions and even psychological disorders such as depression.


And here's a few reasons why you SHOULD exercise:


*Exercise relieves stress.


*Physical activity releases endorphins, which make you happier.


*Exercise increases brain activity and can make you smarter.


*Exercise can prevent diseases, help you live longer, and improve your overall quality of life!




Now I hope you are all motivated to stay healthy and fit! Enjoy the holiday and have a great rest of the week!


-Jordan

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Now I'm sure y'all can see why she's my best friend! Sweet AND smart..perfect combination! :)

Have a great July 4th and have fun celebrating..but be safe! xo

Wheels up + Meeting Kayla [guest post]

It's Friday, y'all!! I know everyone is excited, but I don't know if any of y'all are quite as excited as I am because as you're reading this...I'm about 30,000 feet up on my way to sunny California!! Finally. We only booked this trip 3 weeks in advance and it took forever to get here! Imagine if we'd booked it 3 months ago..yikes. 

Anyways, I have a lovely group of girls guest posting for me this week and first up we have sweet Miss Kayla from Keeping Up With Kayla. She is so wonderful and I consider her to be my blogging big sister :) Love her to death and I know y'all will, too! 

Enjoy and please pray for safe travels for us!! xo 

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Dear Haley,

     Please know I hope you have a fabulous time on your vacation, but also know that I am hating on you a little because you promised to pack me to go with you... but I will get over it.  Eventually. :)


Hi ladies and gents if you read this, I'm Kayla.  I blog over at Keeping Up With Kayla.. and I'm SO thrilled to be taking Haley's place today.  Well, not that I can take her place, because the girl is awesome and I don't think anyone can take her place, especially not me..but I'm thrilled to be taking up her page for a day!

Since Haley is on vacation, let's talk about vacations.  We all love them.  We all dream of them.  We all start planning the next one soon as we are home from the last one.

Do you have any vacation traditions?  Do you go to the same location every year?  Same group of people?

Do I?  Well, let me give you a little back ground.  I've been friends with the same group of girls since we were kids.  We have been through thick and thin together and now live hours apart so it's hard to get together as often as we would all like.  So a few years ago we decided to start taking annual girls' trips.  A few days of nothing just girl talk and catching up.  Perfect.

Sadly, there will not be a girls' trip this year due to different, personal reasons.  But I wanted to take a minute and tell you about the past two we've taken together. 

Pure bliss. 

There is something about getting around "your girls" that brings out a happy side of yourself.  All conversation limits are taken down, all doors for laughs and cries are open, and old and new memories mix together.  It's absoutely one of life's most beautiful things.

Our trips normally revolved around the beach.  It's so great to relax by the beach.  That's my ideal day.

We also try and find something else cool to do, like last year when we hit up a Jason Aldean concert... And got RAINED ON. I will have to tell that story sometime.

Hopefully starting back next year we can get these girls' trips back in motion.

So, what kind of trips do you take annually?

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Isn't she the best?! Told you so.. :)

Thanks again, K..you rock!

 Be sure to come back Monday and see what fashion advice Meg has for y'all! :) 

Have a great weekend!! xo

I promise y'all..it's OK

 Hey lovelies!! 

Once again, I don't have much time today because we leave...TOMORROW! And we're headed to the airport hotel tonight to stay because our flight is one of the first ones out in the morning and the airport is about an hour and 20 minutes from our house...ain't trying to get up at 1:00am and then have jet lag once we get to CA, y'all! No siree.

 So I'm running around like a mad woman getting a manicure, packing, checking and re-checking my packing list, exercising, and working. Ahhhhh, help!

Anyway, doing a quick link-up with Amber over at Brunch with Amber

for...

Let's get this show on the road.

IT'S OK...

...that I only started packing last night and we leave later tonight.

...that I plan to eat like I've never eaten before the entire time we're on vacation. Calories, shmalories.

...that I'm a little anxious about having to go through security at the airport. Frisky TSA agents...

...that my suitcase will probably weigh exactly 50 lbs and my carry on exactly 40 lbs. I am a girl...

...that I'm looking forward to taking a little blogging break. (Don't worry..I have guest posters)

...that I'll probably miss my dog the most of all while I'm gone.

...that I'm taking 7 pairs of shoes with me.

...that this whole post was inadvertently about my vacation. Whoops!

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What are y'all saying "It's OK" to this week? Head on over to see Amber and let us know!!

**While I'm gone, I have 4 fabulous guest posters that I know you will all love. They'll be posting June 29th, July 2nd, July 4th, July 6th, and July 9th..so be sure to come by and say hey to them!!

**Also, please pray for safe travels for us throughout our vacation!! Thanks so much!!

Y'all have a great rest of the day..it's almost the weekend!!

See y'all soon!! xo

Sometimes and Always #3

 Happppy Tuesdayyyy!!

I don't have much time today because of packing, work, exercise, and the 16876854 other things I have to do before Thursday night, so I'm gonna make this super short and super sweet!

I haven't linked up with sweet Megan over at Mackey Madness for Sometimes and Always so that's what I'm gonna do today!

So..here we go!

Sometimes: I don't get up early and run.

After our first 5k

Always: I feel so much better when I do.

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Sometimes: I get nervous about flying/plane crashes/frisky TSA agents.

Always: I get over it because I'm so ready to go on vacation.

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Sometimes: I get annoyed with how many times my dad calls me in a day. (Really y'all, it's like at least 15 times)

Always: I'm grateful to have him and to have a dad who cares so much about me.

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Sometimes: I wish my dog was nicer to strangers.

Rue the Watchdog

Always: I'm glad she's so protective over me (even though she's only 13 lbs.


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Sometimes: I wish I was super rich and could buy anything I wanted.


Always: I'm grateful for what I do have.


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Sometimes: I get so annoyed with how staged reality shows are (i.e. The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Real Housewives, etc)

Always: I watch them anyways.

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Hope y'all have a wonderful Tuesday!! xo

A birthday boy..

Happy Monday, y'all!!

It's the start of another week and normally I would be dreading it, but this is the week that I leave for CA..therefore I'm welcoming it with widely open arms! ;) 

I am currently very extremely overwhelmed at the thought of starting the packing process tonight. I have to fit ELEVEN days worth of outfits, shoes, jewelry, and cosmetics into ONE big suitcase and ONE carry-on. Oh dear baby Jesus, I'm gonna need your help on this one..

Packing tips, ladies...I need packing tips. I know that I'm going to have to mix & match and carry 2 shirts that go with one pair of shorts and all that jazz..but even doing that, it's going to be pushing it to get it all into one suitcase. I mean, 11 days is a long time. So, I'm accepting any and all packing advice that you may have..please share!! :)

And one more side note before I get to today's post....

I got my computer back!!

 I had sent it off about 2 weeks ago to get it fixed (something was wrong with the screen) and I got it back last Friday and they gave me a brand spanking new screen...fo' free. I love warranties, I tell ya. And since it was only a screen problem, they didn't have to wipe my hard drive like they did last time! I was one happy girl, let me tell you. It's so nice to be able to use my own computer instead of my dad's ancient dinosaur one ;)

Now, I'd like to dedicate today's post to a very special guy in my life and his 23rd birthday (omg!)...

My handsome brother, Hunter.

If I had been given a choice, I would not have been able to handpick a better brother. He may have been too overprotective sometimes and threatened to kill 1 or 2 boyfriends, may have told me I couldn't go to my freshman/his senior prom because it "wouldn't be cool", he may have yelled at me continuously when I couldn't understand how to play football with him, he may have flipped me off the back of a four-wheeler once, and he may have slammed my fingers in the car door more than once...but he also cried when I was 6 years old and choking on a peppermint at our babysitter's house, he picked me up off the cement and took me to our mama when I fell off my scooter and busted my chin open, he tried to keep our mama from cutting my hair because he thought she was "hurting me", he calmed and comforted me at Relay 4 Life when I was 15 and completely fell apart, and he tells me he loves me every time we get off the phone. 

He is the most handsome, kindest, sweetest, most grateful, ambitious, compassionate, loving, and overall greatest person that I know. My brother is one of my best friends, always has been and always will be. 

Hunter, I hope you have the absolute best birthday yet. I can't believe you're already 23, but then again you probably can't believe I'm 20 ;) I'm so proud and lucky to have you as my brother, and I love you so very much!!

 

Have a fabulous start to the week, y'all! xo

A girl gone country..

No, not me, y'all. I'm already country ;)

I'm talking about one of my greatest friends, Sara, who just came to visit my little eastern NC town for the first time Wednesday and Thursday! How is she one of my greatest friends yet just came to my town for the first time, you ask? Well, let me tell you.

Two years ago (WOW!) when I was searching for roommates for my freshman year at UNC, I stumbled upon this website called "URoomSurf" --basically eHarmony for roommates. But really, it was! And it was great. You had to pay $10 (totally worth it) and you filled out a very lengthy, but very appropriate, questionnaire and it paired you with people who were attending your chosen college in the fall and gave you a compatibility rating! It was great, and this is how I found Miss Sara. 

 (Sara is on the right. This was her URoomSurf picture and therefore the first picture I ever saw of her)

She already had a roommate (the lovely Anna), but was still looking for 2 more suitemates. After talking back and forth for about 2 weeks, she oh-so-graciously agreed to be my suitemate and was a HUGE help in finding me a roommate, the hilarious Devin.

Because of these three girls, I had the best freshman year of college possible. I knew I would only be living in a dorm for one year and wanted to have a good experience with it, and I had a wonderful one.

L to R: Devin, myself, Sara, Anna

L to R: myself, Sara, Anna

L to R: myself, Anna, Sara, Devin

Each of these girls hailed from pretty large towns in central NC (with about 20,000 stoplights), and I came from a super tiny town in eastern NC (with 2 stoplights). They're city girls, and I'm all country.

Funny story/side-note: The first time I actually called Sara, instead of texting, she answered the phone ..

Sara: Hello?

Haley: Hey, what are you doing?

Sara: ...long pause.....nothing, what about you?

Then our conversation carried on as normal, but I would later find out (like 6 months ago) that the reason Sara paused for so long is because she was so shocked by my accent and "didn't expect me to sound like that". HAHA! Love her. 

Anyway, to make this already long story a little shorter, a country girl and a city girl were thrown together in the hopes of not killing each other, and now she's become one of my greatest friends and one that I know will forever be a part of my life. 

SO, with all that said, we had been planning and scheming trying to get her down to Pinetops (she has a very busy summer schedule) and she was finally able to break away this week! She arrived Wednesday afternoon and left Thursday at noon, but it was better than nothing and we made the very best of it!

She came to hang out with me in my "box", as she so affectionately referred to my ice cream stand, for a few hours and then we headed back to home to get all dolled up and headed to Greenville for a late dinner at Winslow's Tavern with 3 of my other best girls, Jordan (whom you all know), Jen, and Kelly.  

 L to R: Jen, myself, Jordan, Sara

 Back row: myself, Kelly, Sara

Front row: Jen and Jordan

L to R: myself, Jen, Jordan, Sara, Kelly

And as a rather interesting end to the night, we headed to Sonic for dessert and Sara made a friend..

Sara: Hey, look! It's a cat!

Me: Mmm..Sara. I don't think that's a cat. I think it's a....fox??

Sara: No way! I'm gonna go feed it. 

So yes, that is her Sonic blast that "Willy" the fox is eating. 

Oh, the things that happen when you bring a city girl into the country....

;) 

P.S. I'm guest posting over at the wonderful Asha's Aspects today while she's airborne to Portland for vacay! Go check it out!!

Hope y'all have a fab Friday and wonderful weekend!! xo