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. 

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! 

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]

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

confession, I LOVE Christmas!

this season is so magical to me 

the decorations, lights, smells, cheer, music and everything that makes this season so wonderful 

this year I am super excited because we have an adorable house to decorate 

so...I we went all out 

I got this cute little winter tree from Walgreens for $10! 

it fits perfectly in the mercury glass vase and looks wonderful next to our distressed frames 

added some ornaments to match the ones in the tree...I didn't really like the ornaments

but the husband did and he was so cute putting them on that I didn't want to take them off 

 another confession 

I am obsessed with our mantel

I love decorating it! 

break down of the Christmas decor 

we got the mercury glass candle holders as a wedding gift from Pottery Barn 

the birch tree candles were on sale at World Market for a steal and much cheaper than the ones I was swooning over at PB 

the silver deer are from Walgreens for $4 + 25% Black Friday coupon :)

the stumps are from when we picked up our tree--they smell amazing--and they were free 

originally had real branches on the mantel but my mom mentioned something about a fire hazard...

so I took those suckers down since I didn't want the house to end up in Christmas flames...

replaced with fake garland from Lowes, wrapped with mini white lights and hung that baby 

the ornament garland is my favorite--the neutral colors and little sparkle are so pretty

picked that up from Lowes and wrapped it in mini lights for an extra pop...i kind of love lights... 

 the poinsettias were on sale at Lowes for $0.99! 

hello, we love a good pop of red in our house!  

 one of my favorite ornaments added this year 

given to us from our newlywed friends, The Smiths, so sweet and thoughtful 

the centerpiece for our coffee table is my favorite--and all real! 

made from clipped branches (again, free from Lowes) 

and cinnamon scented pinecones from Lowes

this thing smells amazing and so simple

I made this wreath earlier in November and decided to add and little Christmas cheer to it with the balls that match our garland on the mantle 

the plain wreath is from AC Moore and then I just wrapped it with burlap and added the tan R 

super easy and inexpensive

another festive chalkboard! 

 surely this will change between now and Christmas 

 the centerpiece for our breakfast table 

again, just fresh clipping from the tree, matching ornaments, and of course, a burlap bow! 

here it is all together, with Beau :) 

we decided to go with a silver and red theme for Christmas..as if my husband would let me put any colors up around the house.

 real trees are a holiday must for me...my mother would allow nothing but live trees growing up 

this is Jared's first live tree that he can remember 

we almost killed each other getting those lights on there...

I am so excited to be able to share this family tradition with him 

and our house smells amazing! 

we are just missing a topper and skirt... 

my husband gave me one of the best gifts 

he hung lights on the house! 

to many this is not a big deal...for me, it means a whole lot 

Christmas lights are one of my favorite parts of this holiday 

my father would never hang lights for my mom, even though she was as big of sucker for lights as me so she always hung them all alone

when I asked Jared if we could hang lights all over the house, his only hesitation was finding a ladder big enough to reach the top of the house and obviously the safety issue of being that high

but, he did it and he is the best. ever.

originally we wanted to have lights all the way up, but there was this whole thing about height and Jared possibly falling and hurting himself...so I decided less lights and an alive husband was the best compromise

we got the globes lights for the back deck 

alternated every other one red and white 

he was quite happy with the outcome--I think he might love lights as much as me now:)

will be perfect for the Christmas party we are having in two weeks

I love getting home from a long day of work and seeing this beautiful house all decorated 

makes my heart so happy 

and even happier that I get to share such a special time with a great man 

beyond thankful for my many blessings 

this week is my first week off orientation. EEK. 

yesterday was my first solo shift 

it went ok...it was super busy even though I was only in fast track. 

I still have SO much to learn 

pray this week goes smooth and all my patients make it out alive ;) 

Thanksgiving!

our Thanksgiving was super special this year for many reasons

it was our 6th Thanksgiving together 

it was our 2 month wedding anniversary 

it was our first time hosting Thanksgiving in our new home 

our family traveled to us to spend the weekend eating and shopping 

so much fun

I did a little decorating to make the house look festive for one of my favorite holidays

I got those cool little pumpkins from the local Farmers Market 

fell in love with the green/grey one on the left

the leaf garland is straight from the yard...dead leaves on some twine...how festive?

this was the chalkboard platter that was used as our bar sign at the wedding 

it now sits in our kitchen and gets filled with fun holiday sayings :) 

Jared fried the turkey and Beau was drooling the whole time per usual... 

here are some fun throwbacks of Beau's true love of raw turkey 

we ate and drank..a lot

fun was had by all 

of course a tripod picture with my siblings was a must 

and an awkward family prom pose 

Thanksgiving is a really special holiday for us 

2010 we got Beau the weekend before Thanksgiving 

2011 we picked out my engagement ring the day after Thanksgiving 

2012 bought my wedding dress the day after Thanksgiving 

2013 we hosted our first married Thanksgiving

can't wait to see what the next Thanksgivings hold for us

now on to CHRISTMAS SEASON!! 

my favorite time of year!!