Celebrate

oops. looks like blogging got away from me. 

I really need to find a more productive way to spend my days off instead of binge-watching episodes of Vampire Diaries and HGTV...

maybe next week I will be better. 

anyways

we have had lots to celebrate around these parts lately

mainly, we are just finding excuses to drink mass amounts of champagne

our newest addiction. 

first 

last week we got nearly 10 inches of snow 

needless to say I was not happy about that situation

risked life and limb to get to work to save people's lives [ironic]

but we are celebrating the snow being GONE and welcoming this nearly 70 degree weather! 

praise the lord Spring is right around the corner 

second

Jared and I celebrated our 6th Valentine's Day together!

we had our first date nearly 6 years ago 

[day before Valentine's Day back in 2008 to be exact]

and this year we got to celebrate the first one as husband and wife 

words cannot express how much I truly love this man

third 

we traveled to Raleigh last weekend to celebrate my sweet baby brother turning 21 (officially) 

he was born on Valentine's Day, but we all got together to celebrate on Saturday 

[yes his full name is Michael David Cupid]

we had a fabulous dinner in Durham at g2b gastro pub 

it was a little fancy for mine and Jared's taste but we found things we like 

hamburger and fries always win

after dinner we headed to downtown Raleigh for dancing and drinks 

we went to Neptunes first which is totally not our scene 

it was full of smelly, dirty, dancing, sweaty hippies--of course Michael loves this place 

after one drink there we quickly departed to Calavera, a tequila and empanada bar 

so good. 

speciality margaritas and tequila shots were the perfect ending to a wonderful birthday celebration

hard to believe my younger brother is 21 now...he seriously has grown up so fast 

I am so proud of the man he is becoming and feel lucky to have him as my little brother 

I mean, look at that handsome man. 

fourth 

Maverick was fixed and had his dewclaws removed this week 

we are so happy the surgery went smoothly and he is recovering nicely 

he absolutely hates his cone he has to wear  

he runs into nearly everything in the house

he has knocked over the trashcan roughly 15 times...

Beau is also terrified of the cone too, he will not go near Maverick and runs away from him 

I can't wait for my baby to be all healed and cone-free! 

fifth 

I have had a glorious three days off

doing nothing but relaxing, playing with the dogs, watching tv, drinking wine with co-workers

sadly, the fun must come to an end and I have to work this weekend. 

three days in a row.

when Jared has off.

boo-hoo!

but then we are headed back to Raleigh for a weekend of birthday fun 

celebrating my two very best friends, Caitlin and Layne, turning 25! 

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]