Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Beach to Snow.

typical North Carolina, on the beach one day and two days later there is snow everywhere...

this past weekend we traveled to Wilmington with the pups in tow for my mom's birthday weekend! 
the weather was just what we needed before all this snow hit us 
this is my favorite picture of my mom and I from the wedding
friday we went to the little dipper in downtown Wilmington for my mom's birthday dinner 
this is her all time favorite place to eat and has been a tradition for the past years 
it's a fondue spot that is delicious! 
but the meal lasts roughly 3-4 hours, so make sure you plan for that 


saturday I got to spend the whole day with my momma 
my absolute favorite thing to do
saturday night my mom and her boyfriend man-friend, Mark, attended the New Hanover Regional Medical Centers Founder's Gala
I helped her get ready for the event and she looked so pretty, I almost cried. 
[just like our wedding day, I couldn't be in the same room as my mom after she got her hair and makeup done because I kept crying at how beautiful she looked]
messy, twisty, bun up-do thing--thanks youtube and pinterest...
I mean, hello, she looked gorgeous! 

saturday night Jared and I went to dinner and drinks with friends at a local spot, Sweet and Savory
so good. 
got to catch up with good friends and heard all about the wedding plans for their wedding in May! 

finally, Sunday it was time to hit the beach! 
the weather channel said 50, but it felt so much warmer 
it was Maverick's first trip to the beach
he was super skeptical and literally ran from the waves 
he didn't get the "water bug" like his brother
he loved chasing the birds though... 
my three favorite guys in my favorite place. obsessed.
home sweet home 
three years ago was Beau's first trip to the beach. took the same picture for Maverick's first trip. 
sadly we are back home and there is snow everywhere. 
I really don't like snow
the pups are just adorable in it

but it makes like so difficult and by tomorrow it will be ugly. 
I know, I sound like such a sour puss. 
I don't care, I want beach weather. 
Thank you. 


Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Blessings

the past three weeks have been nothing but reminders about how truly blessed I am 

Jared's 28th birthday 

in true fashion my husband wanted nothing fancy
just a simple lunch date at C&H Cafeteria
 I got him a new Columbia jacket and an age your own whiskey kit
can't wait for many more birthdays and celebrations with this handsome stud 

Cone Emergency Department Roaring 20's Party 

the weekend after Jared's birthday the emergency department doctors and physician assistants threw a 20's theme party for all the staff of the EDs in the health system
it was so much fun 
I mean, who can say no to unlimited free champagne (and other drinks), food, gambling and dancing the night away with the most fabulous coworkers ever?
 love my sweet little E.P. my favorite nursing friend ever
 with our favorite Dr. Yao!
woohoo Moses Cone ED nurses, only the best :) 
my handsome hubby looked dashing in 20's get up

Upgraded My Wheels

I was lucky enough to have my parents purchase my first car, a 1999 Isuzu Trooper
which I absolutely loved and thought was the coolest car ever 
(and arguably still is)
however, after 7 years of tough loving, I found myself praying every time that it would start or would just hope it wouldn't break down on the side of the road and be late to work 
thus we came to the decision to car shop... 

which can seriously be the most daunting task ever 
and let me tell you cars are really freaking expensive these days folks
especially when you haven't ever made a car payment in your life. 

after looking at what seemed like thousands of cars, reading hundreds reviews and actually test driving vehicles we settled on what we think is the perfect car for us 
Toyota Highlander Hybrid 
it is the perfect blend of everything I wanted in a car 
it is SUV meets fuel efficient with all the bells and whistles I could of asked for 

I feel like such an adult now with a car payment. no fun. 

I felt horrible complaining about the car buying process 
because unlike many, I am lucky enough to be able to actually afford a car 
but we have worked extremely hard to get where we are and we made a smart choice 

Wedding Blogged

our photographer greeted us this morning with a blog post all about our wedding 
found here: http://libbymcgowanblog.com/?p=3766
I cried a lot of happy tears reading it and reliving our wedding all over again 
her words about us were so sweet and touching 
we just love her so much!
we truly cherish the pictures that Libby captured for us 
and will recommend her till we are blue in the face! 





Friday, January 10, 2014

Big Thirteen in 2013

Happy One Year to this little blog! 
so much has happened in a year and I can't believe I have (somewhat) kept up blogging 

here are the top thirteen things that happened in the whirlwind year of 2013...

1. Graduated Nursing School in 13 Months

it was pure torture but totally worth it

2. Passed the NCLEX the First Time 

worst.test.ever. 
it took me 75 questions 
apparently I am competent enough to not kill a human according to this test

3. Celebrated Our Five Year Anniversary

not much to say 
Jared has made the happiest person in world for the past 5 years 
I can't wait for many more with him

4. First Big Girl Job Offer 

I will never forget that call
I was at Gwyn's apartment watching NC State Basketball in the Playoffs 
I told the lady on the phone I was doing a happy dance and crying at the same time

5. Celebrated Weddings 

we attended many close friends weddings in 2013 
so happy for all our lovely friends 
Katie&Austin (April)
Todd&Ashton (May)
Matt&Kelly (May) 


6. Mom Became Nurse Executive 

my mother is an amazing lady and has worked her butt off to get where she is 
she has her masters and is a nurse executive 
and is damn good at her job 
she is an inspiration

7. Started My Job in the Emergency Department

going into nursing I knew this is where I wanted to work 
my mom was a trauma nurse when she first started and I wanted to do just that 
I have been working there 6 months now and everyday is different
it was hard at first because you see so much pain on a daily basis
but, I love my job and wouldn't trade my experiences

8. Bachelorette Trip

so much fun! 
I had the best 3 day weekend with my 3 best friends 
memories I will never forget

9. WE GOT MARRIED 

ok, so obviously this was the biggest (and best) thing that happened in 2013 
I loved everything about our wedding 
(especially the week before with family and friends) 
but, I am happy to have the planning behind us and now we are just enjoying being married!

10. We Moved 

I will never forget our time in Winston 
in that old, nasty, buggy, gross house 
it was our first home together 
but, boy am I glad to be in a bigger (and much nicer) house

11. Hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas Party

oh yes 
any excuse for a get together with family, friends, food and alcohol

12. Added a New Fur Baby 

Maverick is amazing and Beau loves him 
he fits into our little family so well 
having a puppy again was a struggle at first but I am so glad we made the choice to adopt him

13. Charli Kay Got Engaged! 

we traveled to Texas for Christmas with the Rice Family 
Reed proposed to Charli Kay on Christmas Eve in the pasture behind her parents house 
I have never witnessed another proposal, but this was the sweetest thing ever to see 
I was so happy to be there, be a part of it and celebrate with my sister in law and family

this year felt like it flew by and I am so glad I have this blog to look back on
hopefully, I will be able to keep it going in 2014
Happy (belated) New Year
heres to having just as awesome 2014
[even though I turn the dreaded 25]