January 16, 2013

January 15, 2013

** Liebster Award **

I recently received nominations for not one, but three Liebster Awards. I know I've been slacking on responding to the questions, but I guess I got a little overwhelmed at the thought of answering so many :p I've decided today is the day though. I think it's actually pretty good timing because I have a lot of new followers and this will give you all a chance to know me better.

The nominations came from the following blogs:
Kaitlyn @ Put A Bow On It

Thanks ladies! 


The Rules:

 1. List 11 facts about yourself.
2. Answer the 11 questions given to you.
3. Create 11 new questions for the bloggers you nominate for the award.
4. Choose 11 bloggers with 200 or less followers to nominate.
5. Go to each bloggers page and let them know about the award.
6. Thank the person who nominated you and link back to their blog.
 
11 Facts About Me:
1. I absolutely hate artificial sweeteners, can't do it. Real sugar all the way.
2. I am very easily distracted. In fact, I've already been distracted several times since I started writing this post :p
3. I absolutely love living in Charleston, but I'm excited to see where the Navy will move us next and daydream about it every day.
4. I'm an avid planner and cleaner, I can't stand a messy house and get really stressed out when I don't have time to clean.
5. I have one younger brother who just turned 27.
6. I consider myself a baker, but I love to cook and I'm working on perfecting improving my cooking skills. 
7. I'm dying to learn how to quilt and sew, one day.
8. Sometimes I think I want 3 kids, but then whenever I think about having kids at all it scares me to death.
9. I do NOT like scary movies.
10. I'll admit I'm a brand snob, but I'll rarely buy anything that isn't on sale.
11. A cross-country road trip is the next to-do thing on my bucket list. I've been up and down the east coast, but I've never been out west and can't wait to see the rest of the country.
 
Lindsay's Questions:
1.  What are your top 3 blogs to read? Marshalls Abroad (I love Amanda's amazing photos and recipes), Lounging with Lindsey (because I know her in real life!!), and Southern Weddings ;) ;)
2.  What was the very first blog you found? I can't remember exactly, but I pretty much started out reading wedding blogs like Southern Weddings and the Wedding Chicks. Then I started branching out and reading a lot of Military SO blogs like Handling with Grace?, and Perception is Everything. :)
3.  What is your favorite hair product? Recently I started using Matrix Biolage Hydtratherapie shampoo and conditioner and I absolutely love them. Not only do they smell great, but they make my hair really soft and shiny. I also use Organix Moroccan Argan Oil Light - I love it because of the lightness and it doesn't make my hair feel greasy at all.
4.  If you could have an entire day to yourself, what would you do? I would love to have a day off to sit by the pool and read all day and do crosswords haha (that's my thing lately). During that day off, I would also eat whatever I want for lunch. Maybe Chick-fil-A, Thai food, Indian food, something from Ladles, etc.
5.  Sweet or salty? both!
6.  You have 20 minutes to throw an outfit together, what do you wear? I'm sure it would depend on what the occasion is, but during this time of year it would have to be my new red Michael Kors skinny corduroys with my Coach riding boots and a cable knit sweater from Loft :)
7.  Do you juice?  What is your favorite recipe? Not really. I do like smoothies though and my favorite would be a half banana with a scoop of chocolate protein powder with vanilla soy milk YUM!
8.  Where did you buy your favorite pair of jeans? Nothing beats a great pair of jeans. I have a couple pairs of Lucky Brand jeans that I really like. I'm loving my Michael Kors skinny corduroys ($20 at Marshalls!) and Loft jeans are always comfy. I used to splurge on brands like 7 for all Mankind and True Religion, but my financial priorities have changed a bit these days.
9.  How many children would you like to have? Like I mentioned above, I would love to have 3, but who knows. I'm already 31 with zero and I don't think I want to be having kiddos when I'm 35+!
10.  List 3 things on your bucket list. Cross-country road trip, visit New Zealand, survive being a Navy family.
11.  What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough or S'mores.
 
Meg's Questions:
1. What are you most looking forward to this holiday season? I was most looking forward to going home to CT and seeing my family, which I was very happy that I got to do :)
2. Why do you blog? I started out just being a reader of blogs, but then shortly after decided to start my own. I basically started blogging to document my new life living in Charleston as well as S and I's relationship.
3. Do you have any piercings or tattoos? No tattoos.. I have my belly button pierced and my ears (I have had all different kinds of ear piercings, ie. tragus, conch, cartilage). I used to have my nose and lip pierced, yes can you believe it? I took them both out because of interviews/work. I would still like to have the nose piercing, however, I left it out for too long once and couldn't get it back in. I could do without the lip ring at this point :p Exhibit A, below.
 
Sorry for the XL pic, but the lip ring was pretty small so hard to see in pics. I honestly couldn't find a good pic where you could even see the nose ring, it was super tiny. Wow this pic is old, circa 2007 with short short hair!
 
4. Where will you be 5 or 10 years from now?  In 5 years, we will be at our next duty station, wherever that may be! Could be CT, GA, WA, CA or HI. 10 years from now, I really have no idea. S could be retired from the Navy by then so maybe finally settled down somewhere, we were thinking the southern coast of North Carolina.
5. Where is one place you would love to visit?  New Zealand or California
6. Summer or winter? Why?  Summer! I lived up north my whole life and had to deal with snow and ice. I'm done with that.

7. If there was one crazy thing you wish you could do in your life, what would it be? Live in another country. I know that's not that crazy, but it would be for me.
8. Favorite dessert?  S'mores or maybe a brownie sundae :p
9. Any guilty pleasures? Shopping, eating dessert, being lazy and doing nothing, drinking wine.
10. Favorite original diy/craft/recipe?  I would love to learn how to quilt and sew. I love to bake cupcakes (when I have enough counter space to use my Kitchen Aid mixer).
11. What's your typical daily online routine?  In the morning at home - email, facebook, instagram, and weather. When I get to work - respond to emails and blog :) I check occasionally in the evening after work, but not as often as during the day.
 
Kaitlyn's Questions: 
What is your favorite movie? All time favorite I think would be Dirty Dancing. 
Thoughts on Twilight? I've read all the books and have seen all the movies. The books are better and the last movie was the best.
 Mac or PC? Mac all the way!
 What do you want to name your first child? I wont giveaway the actual name that I have in mind, but a few that I like are Brayden, Ryan, Hunter, Hudson, Sawyer, Harper, Hadley, Hallie. I like "H" names haha. 
What is your go-to drink when out? Wine, something sparkly, White Russian, Malibu Bay breeze. Depends on what kind of mood I'm in. 
Ski or snowboard? Snowboard, although I might like to learn how to ski one day soon. 
Who do you cheer for during football season? (College & NFL) Football is my favorite sport to watch and I root for the Giants (NY) and the Gamecocks (SC). 
What is your dream job? My dream job would be to own my own bakery or boutique, but only if it was successful to run itself most of the time haha. I wouldn't want it to be all-consuming. 
What is your real job? I am the Operations Manager in Financial Aid at a college here in Charleston :)
 How many kids do you want? Definitely 2, maybe 3. 
What does your dream house look like? A little seaside bungalow, maybe something like this:  
with a backyard like this:

Wow, that was a really long post! Those were some great questions, ladies, and I hope that all my readers got to know me a little better and get a little peek into my life.

My nominations for the Liebster Award are:
Brittany @ Then There Was We
Sarah @ LOVE, sje
Haleigh @ DIY Davis Style


My Questions:
  1. What's your favorite season? Why?
  2. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
  3. Where will you be in five years?
  4. What is your daily routine like?
  5. What are some of your favorite hair/ makeup products that you like to use?
  6. What is your dream job?
  7. What are a few of your vices?
  8. Name three things on your bucket list.
  9. What are your top three favorite blogs to read?
  10. Why do you blog?
  11. If you had an entire day to yourself, what would you do?
 
 Okay, I may have stolen a few of these from the questions that I was given, but that should be compliment because I thought they were great and really enjoyed responding to them. Looking forward to getting to know each of you better!
 




 

January 14, 2013

Weekend Update!

Happy Monday yall! This weekend went by wayyyy too fast and I didn't even get a chance to sleep in so I'm pretty bummed about that. At least next weekend is a LONG weekend and hopefully full of rest and relaxation. 

We had beautiful weather in Charleston and I was happy that we got a chance to get out and enjoy it. Friday night was a low key night and we got some pizza takeout. S went fishing with a friend early Saturday morning then I met up with them for lunch at Taco Boy at Folly. I couldn't get over how many people were at the beach on Saturday. It was a really pretty day, but I thought it was still a little chilly by the water.. On Saturday night, we went out with a group of friends to dinner at Jim N Nick's then to see Blue Man Group. We had a great time!

On Sunday, we got up bright and early and drove out to the North Carolina line to pick up Gunner. We also had brunch with S's fam and his SIL and her mom, too. I'm so happy to have our puppy back and I can't believe how much he's grown. He doesn't really look like a puppy anymore :( I guess he's more of a teenager now haha.


 Folly Beach

 My outfit for Saturday night.. Including the necklace that I got from Brittany over at Then There Was We (I still have yet to do a post about my secret Santa gift from her, but I haven't forgoten! Also, sorry for the horrible bathroom pic, it was a last minute idea.)
(I got an autograph :p )

Blue Man Group
On our way home on Sunday with Gunner!

I did some meal prep for the week on Sunday night and tried out a new marinade for shrimp and chicken yum! :) You can find the recipe here.

One last thing:
Last night I attempted to make a refrigerator oatmeal recipe, which was an epic fail. Here is the recipe that I used (I doubled it though.) I followed it exactly except for the chia seeds because I couldn't find them at the Commisary, but I didn't think that would matter. The cereal didn't seem to absorb the liquid at all and it certainly didn't thicken up at all. I looked up a few other recipes for the same thing and a lot of them say to use greek yogurt and milk. I can't figure out why this went wrong :( Could it be the type of oatmeal I used?

Has anyone tried this before? Have any ideas what could have gone wrong?

 
 
 
 
 
 

January 11, 2013

Fitness Friday!!

Happy Fitness Friday everyone and TGIF!


Honor Courage Commitment




How has your first full week of 2013 been? Hopefully most of you who have made resolutions to be healthy and get back in shape haven't fallen off the wagon yet. We are just getting started!

This week has been a little stressful for me in a couple different ways so I'm going to go ahead and admit that I haven't been the best myself. Today is the first day that I've been feeling better after fighting a pretty nasty cold, but I am looking forward to weather in the 70s for the next week and I am excited to get back out there!

I have some exciting news today - Lindsay AKA "Lins", from Domesticated Working Woman, contacted me recently and expressed an interest in co-hosting Fitness Friday. Who am I to turn down an opportunity to get the word out and hook up with someone else who is as excited about Fitness Friday as I am?! So here were are and make sure to pop on over to Lindsay's blog, too, to say "hello!"


Yesterday I was perusing Pinterest for some healthy recipes and came across a blog that my girl Elizabeth over at The Better Belle Project pinned (I also stole a bunch of her recipes hehe.)

The blog is:
Taralynn has such an inspirational story and features lots of healthy eating tips and recipes. This girl knows what she's talking about and has a LOT of dedication. I'm going to have to remind myself to read her story every time I need a boost in my own motivation!

I also picked out some great recipes for next week's dinners, some old and some new. Pinterest never fails me. I'm planning for: 

Chicken Parm Burgers (minus the bread and with a salad)

Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats

Smokey Corn Chowder with Shrimp

Garlic & Brown Sugar Salmon (shown here w/ chicken)

and Bourbon St. Chicken. 


Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a super fun weekend! As I mentioned before, we are grabbing dinner and seeing Blue Man Group on Saturday with friends and on Sunday, we are meeting up with S's parents to do a puppy swap and get Gunner back (he's been in Kentucky since before Christmas because of our traveling), I'm soooo excited to see his cute little face! I'm sure I'll probably just be amazed at how much he's grown over the past few weeks.

Does anyone have anything fun and exciting planned for this weekend??

January 10, 2013

2012 in Review, Part 2!

Hey y'all, sorry today's post is kind of late. I've actually been trying to do some work today at work ;)


Here is a summary of July - December 2012 ~ Enjoy!



July
 
In July, we spend LOTS more time boating on the lake....Went on my first float on the Edisto River (yes, we did drink PBR floating down a river on an air mattress, classy)....Watched a lot of fireworks and hung out with some friends on their awesome property in Cottageville on the Edisto.




August
In August, we went to the PGA Championship at the Ocean Course on Kiawah Island and did even more boating/ sailing on the lake.




September
In September, we met up with S's family in North Carolina over Labor Day weekend, we did lots of hiking in Pisgah National Forest, saw lots of waterfalls, and visited Sliding Rock (so much fun!!)....At the end of the month, we traveled to Port St. Lucie, FL to visit my mom and dad at their new vacation house then made our way over to Naples to visit S's cousin, John for a few days before heading back to Charleston.





October
 
In October, we did a lot of fishing....Took yet another trip to Kentucky....Got to attend the fall meet at Keeneland....Picked up and brought home the cutest little pup that ever existed, our Gunner!



November
In November, we took yet another trip, this time to Gatlinburg, TN where we celebrated my birthday and S's brother got married.....Gunner went to his first oyster roast.....S and I attended his work Christmas party (so did Lindsey!)



December
In December, we went to the Christmas parade in downtown Charleston and brought Gunner along, too....I went home to CT for 16 days and got to have a white Christmas!.....Spent a nice day in NYC with my bestie, Betsey....S came to CT where we got to celebrate New Year's together....Also in December, Charleston and I celebrated our TWO year anniversary together and Lindsey had her baby!!! I'm so happy I got to be a part of it, even in some little, tiny way :)


All in all, I have to say that 2012 was a pretty good year looking back. We had a LOT of fun, as we always do. I couldn't have asked to have met a more perfect man in a more perfect time and a perfect city. I'm looking forward to putting the downfalls of last year behind me and trucking on into a new fabulous year! Even though last year was great, I'm hoping this year will be one for the record books with many exciting announcements ;) Fingers crossed!






January 9, 2013

2012 in Review, Part 1!

I'm finally back! It's taken me a while to gather some thoughts and figure out how I want to put them down in my blog, not to mention that I've been sick and going through some other health blah things, fun! I'm still feeling a little under the weather, but trying to look on the bright side of things and I'm ready to re-enter blog-land :) 

I've seen a few people do a 'year in review' post and I really liked that idea so I've decided to do one and include some of my favorite photos from 2012. Here I was thinking that we didn't have that busy of a year, but boy was I wrong. 

Here is a little peek into the first half of 2012!

January
S and I attended our second Oyster Fest together at Boone Hall Plantation....We also celebrated one full year together<3



February

In February, we hosted a Super Bowl party with all our friends....Attended our first UK game (against SC in Columbia, SC)....Took an overnight trip to Savannah, GA and stayed at the cutest little b&b, we also visited Tybee Island....Lastly, we visited Kentucky for S's papaw's 80th birthday.



March

In March, my mom came to visit and we learned how to sail....S and I took another weekend trip to Lake Moultrie and perfected our sailing skills....We ran the 35th annual Cooper River Bridge Run, our first 10k!



April
 
In April, we choose a church and attended our first service together at Seacoast Church on Easter....We attended the 112th Submarine Birthday Ball at Patriots Point aboard the USS Yorktown.



May (busy month!!)
 
 
 
In May, we took a trip to Kentucky and hiked at Red River Gorge....S got a brand new Tacoma....S visited Connecticut with me for the first time!....We visited the Groton Sub Base and toured the USS Nautilus....played some table games (and won $1200!!!) at Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods Casinos....Showed S around Mystic, CT....Took S on his first trip to NYC....Toured Fort Sumter while S's grandma and grandpa visited.


June
In June, we did quite a bit of boating on Lake Moultrie....attended many Party in the Parks at Waterfront Park in Mt. Pleasant....Attended Gingham and Tim's wedding on Shem Creek.


I'd say that is a fair amount of pictures for one day, I will post Part 2 tomorrow! I hope everyone has made it over the hump this week, two more days until the weekend :)

This weekend, S and I are going with a bunch of friends to see the Blue Man Group at the Coliseum. I saw them years ago in Boston and it was awesome. I think S is going to love it.

 


Have a great rest of the week everyone!
 



 
Blogging tips