Thursday, October 10, 2013

October Goals.

So here's the thing.
I used to set goals every month and actually follow through.
And then I stopped putting them on the blog so I wouldn't feel terrible when I couldn't check one single thing off my list. The reason I'm getting these out there (even if it is 10 days late), is because I need to hold myself accountable somehow, and this is the only way I can think to do it.

October 2013 Goals;

|| one ||
Run 40 miles this month.
Luckily, I finally downloaded the Nike+ App and have been logging miles through DailyMile after my runs. Who else has a mileage goal that they are working towards? Let's be running buddies!

|| two ||
Read 4 books.
So far on my list;
Girls In White Dresses by Jennifer Close (already done)
The Smart One by Jennifer Close (I loved GIWD)
Any other suggestions?

|| three ||
Continue with No Spend September.
I still have only purchased one outfit with this paycheck, so that is going really well, but with vacation this month I know that my "eating out" budget is going to be stretched to the limit!

|| four ||
Lose 5 pounds.
This one will depend on goal #1 as well as how vacation goes. If we eat out every single night, it will certainly be tough to reach this.

What are your goals this month?

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

What I'm Loving Wednesday: #cfr2013


Linking up with sweet Jaime today!
I am loving...

...that in about 4 hours I'll be airborne on my way to the Sunshine State for #cfr2013. If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you'll see entirely too many posts over the next week.

...that I get to see this beautiful babe today;

...and her little brother on Friday!

...and for the next 6 days, my daily routine will look like this;
Morning

Afternoon

Evening

...and most importantly, what I'm loving the most, is that almost the entire family will be together!

What are you loving today!?

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Travel Tuesday: ECU Parent's Weekend

I don't know why it has taken me so long to tell everyone about my recent trip to North Carolina. It was just the weekend that I needed filled with best friends, family, and some Hokie Football. Really, it couldn't have been better!

It started with this...

I knew it was going to be a good weekend because the foam finger was involved. I'll have to share that story another time, but we planned on using said foam finger as a Flat Stanley the whole weekend. Plain failed when we realized that Miley Cyrus had ruined the appropriateness of foam fingers for all of us.

Thursday night I picked up my friend J at the train station and we headed back to my house to do some serious baking. We knew we had to leave super early the next morning, but we obviously still stayed up way too late cooking and catching up.

Friday morning the alarm went off at 5am (yikes) and we piled into the car with our pillow, blanket, and socks and got ready for the 9 hour drive. We watched Silver Linings Playbook and The Big Wedding, which was much much funnier than I had anticipated. However, what I was most looking forward to on the drive down was our lunch stop at Chick Fil A. When you live above the Mason Dixon line, it sure is a treat, and I planned on taking full advantage!


It. Was. Delicious.

We only had a little travel time left after lunch, and were so excited when we pulled into my brother's apartment complex that afternoon. It baffles me how cheap rent is in the south. I could literally rent his entire apartment for the price of renting one bedroom with a shared bathroom in New England. Anyway.. we shortly left my brother and went to pick up weekend supplies. Walmart in the South never ceases to amaze me.


Pickled Eggs, anyone?

When we finally got everything together, we checked into our hotel. As we were unloading the car, J and I got the best surprise of the day... The Virginia Tech Football Team was staying at our hotel. I would be sleeping under the same roof as Frank Beamer, Logan Thomas, and those fabulous Fuller boys. There may have been more than a few shrieks of excitement (and maybe a few tears... it had been a long day...) as we watched the busses pull in.



After making friends with the bus drivers in the hotel lobby, we headed up to the room to shower, wait for our other friend to arrive, and get ready for dinner. We ended up eating at the Carolina Ale House in Greenville. The food was delicious, but the service was absolutely awful. We didn't have to wait very long for a table, but once we were inside, we waited almost an hour for our food. Our waitress never checked on us to make sure that our drinks were filled, or see if we needed anything else. We had all ordered Flatbread Pizzas, and Burgers, so it's not like any of us ordered anything fancy or complex. I would definitely not recommend it if you are starving like we were, because the food takes forever!


After dinner, we headed back to my brother's frat house for a few drinks. I learned a few things about myself;
1. I am not 21 anymore. My 25 year old body cannot handle alcohol like it used to.
2. Frat parties are a little ridiculous, but my parents can still hang better than I can. And, the other parents that were at the party can also hang way better than me...
3. Freshman girls barely wear clothes. And they wear lanyards. Has no one taught them that lanyards do not belong around your neck? Poor kids...

It was great to catch up with friends, and see some of our favorite people from home. K and L drove over from Virginia Tech to spend the weekend with us, and we had a blast. Probably a little too much fun on Friday night, but thats okay, I don't do it every weekend, right?


When the party got too loud, we headed back to the hotel. We had to be up in a few hours, and I needed as much sleep as I could get.

When we got up the next morning and headed down to breakfast, I knew that a little hair of the dog was the only way to get past how my head and belly felt, so we packed our supplies and got ready to tailgate.


After the cooler was packed, we looked out the window and noticed that the Hokie team was casually hanging out by the pool. 


I die. I'm not a stalker, I swear!

We got to the tailgate, we didn't waste any time. It was great to finally meet all of my brother's friends and one of their girlfriend's was even a Chi O and let us tour their house on campus. It was adorable and it made me super jealous that at VT we don't have real-stand-alone houses to make all our own. I would have killed to live in a house like that!




We finished tailgating and headed to the game. It wasn't super awesome to be on the boring alumni side of the stadium, especially since we were surrounded almost completely by ECU fans, but it was great to finally see a Hokie football game live for the first time in a few years. Some differences between Lane Stadium and Dowdy Ficklen Stadium;

1. Virginia Tech Fans were louder than ECU fans in ECU's stadium. At Lane Stadium, we would never let the visiting team be louder than us. It is just not possible.
2. We missed the entrance of the team. The stadium was still half empty when the team took the field. I would get to Lane Stadium a half hour early to be sure that the seats were filled and I was ready to jump when Enter Sandman came blaring through the speakers.
3. The student section was not full. How does that even happen? Especially on Parent's weekend?


It was a long game, but my Hokies pulled out the W in the end. By the time the game was over, I was beyond sunburnt, exhausted, a little hungover, and starving. We hadn't eaten since 7am and it was now almost 3pm and I needed food. After a 2 mile walk to Sheetz, a delicious sandwich, and too many bottles of water to count, we went back to the hotel to shower and get refreshed for dinner at the Frat house. Everyone was exhausted, but the night was perfect for hanging on the deck and eating delicious food. We called it a night pretty early, and headed back to the hotel. I think I fell asleep before my head even hit the pillow. I had to keep reminding myself that I am, in fact, not in college any more. We got another early start on the road on Sunday, but I have to admit that I slept for a good portion of the trip.

If anything, this trip made me more excited to visit Virginia Tech in the spring. I am making it a point to get there (hopefully for spring game) to visit the place that I love so much!

Monday, October 7, 2013

Life from my iPhone.

Last week was certainly a crazy one! We were prepping for a huge event at work, and I've been trying to get my life together for my trip this week! Here's what happened last week according to my iPhone...

 I played dress up at work to feature our new delivery on my store's Facebook page.

 I got really excited that I get to play with this sweet girl all week at the beach! I mean, who can turn down that face!!!!

The cops made quite a few appearances in the neighborhood. 

I dressed up for my work cocktail party. 

I spend my Sunday doing comp reports, replenishment, and drinking LOTS of coffee!

How was your weekend?
Link up with Sami and share!

Friday, October 4, 2013

5 On Friday!


Linking up with sweet April, Darci, Christina, and Natasha for 5 on Friday!

|| one ||
No spend September is technically over. I still want to be as frugal as I was this last month, but I had to splurge on my new favorite outfit from work;
I am totally obsessed with this new Veranda Camisole, and it looks so fresh with these Worth Skinny Mini jeans in Cameo White. I will be wearing this outfit to work today!

|| two ||
Pumpkin K- Cups in my coffee. Seriously, what could be better?

|| three ||
In five days, I'll be here;
There has never been a time when I was in such desperate need of a vacation. Literally, I cannot wait to walk off of that JetBlue plane on Wednesday and smell the salty air. Can't wait. Can't wait. Can't wait.

|| four ||

I just finished Girls In white Dresses by Jennifer Close. I. Loved. It.
I actually downloaded another one of her books this morning, called The Smart One. I'm looking forward to this one!

|| five ||
I love this bedside table. I know that I would sleep so much better with a low-clutter situation next to my bed. In my spare time I'll re-create this!

Thursday, October 3, 2013

The Perfect Planner.

As my Erin Condren planner is about to run out, I've been on the hunt for the perfect planner. Since I've been out of college, I haven't needed quite as much space as I once did, seeing that the only thing I ever have to write is my work schedule and the occasional weekend trip.

I do love the new 2014 designs from Erin Condren
This one is my favorite

But, I am also loving the new line of Kate Spade planners from Lifeguard Press;

And, I noticed that Sarah Pinto was on LivingSocial today, so for half the price, I can get one of these...
I know I'm super late to the game (so late in fact that I can't even get a Lilly Pulitzer planner anymore...), but where else should I be looking for planners!?

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Fall Bucket List.

It seems as though on October 1st New England really turns into fall. Granted, the forecast tells me it is going to be in the 80's today, but I digress.

September is a weird transition month, with summer temperatures during the day, but chilly crisp evenings. However, as the leaves begin to change, and the days are turning cooler, it finally feels like fall. This is my favorite season of them all, and I've got a lot to accomplish before the snow starts falling...


Visit the Pumpkin Patch and decoupage them with fun wrapping paper. Pumpkins are probably the only redeeming quality about Halloween, so I plan to take full advantage.

Make pumpkin flavored everything.

Host a Hokie Football watching party, complete with Maroon and Orange foods.

Go apple picking and make apple pies with this little one and her new little siblings!

Transition my closet from summer to winter. I can't wait to break out the cashmere, riding boots, and puffer vests.

Use lots of glitter for a fun Thanksgiving centerpiece.

Start watching Elf on repeat in anticipation of the holidays...

What is on your fall bucket list!?