Jake Turns Two

My favorite baby big boy turned two years old a few weeks ago. I love getting together with my family, but even more so when we have something to celebrate. Here are some shots from his big day.

The next day was Mom's birthday & we got to celebrate together again!

I'm so thankful for family time!

Olympic Games

I've got the fever. Not Bieber fever. That went away when he turned 18 & turned into a girl. I've got Olympic fever!

I haven't been this excited for a sporting event since the kickoff of college football last year (insert disappointing "awwwww..."). Back to my point - I'm pumped for the Olympics.



I already have my T-VO all set & we're having a kick-off party tonight with friends. I've been practicing my beam routines and my cartwheels. Not joking. I flash back to my days as a gymnast and I can't help myself. I'm obsessed with Gabby Douglas this year (every year I pick one gymnast to channel all of my energy into because I'm sure she can feel my support).

Her high-flying release moves on the bars have dubbed her the "flying squirrel" and I can't wait to see what this 16 year old does at the Games.

I'm also really excited about the swimming & diving (mainly swimming because I want to see if Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte fight after one beats the other (I'm pulling for Lochte this year!)

There is one Brit I'm dying to see, though... my best friend, Kate. She's promised to attend at least one event a day and you know that girl is going to dress to the nines!

Hip hip hooray for the USA! Let's kick some world butt!

New Countertops

We are finally making some progress! After weeks and weeks of planning we're finally making some head-way in the kitchen. The new countertops were installed today and I'm even more excited to get the rest of this room done. We chose a granite called Santa Cecilia. The mix of colors in this slab are going to compliment the rest of the room perfectly. Here are some pictures of the progress.

Yes, our stove is sitting in the middle of the kitchen. Sorry Greg & Suzy. It still works out there, so frozen pizza for everyone!

As ridiculous as it sounds, my favorite part of today was getting this sink.

Now time to decide on a cabinet color!

Remember where we came from, and I'm sorry, the installers already hauled away the green laminate ones.

And now...

Progress, people! Stay tuned!



It was supposed to be 3 weeks...

This was supposed to be the first 3-week span for me not seeing my family. That’s right – 3 weeks. The longest we’ve gone since the move is 2 weeks. I had prepared my mind for the 3 weeks and knew although I didn’t want to, I could do it. Fate had other plans. At the end of the 2^nd week, Katie, Josh & Jake were scheduled to head back from the beach and were going to stop by on their way home so they could see our house for the first time. I, of course, called Mom & Dad to see if they wanted to meet us for dinner in Lexington. Never expecting them to actually drive the 2 hours, I was thrilled when they agreed and met us at our favorite spot.

We had the best time hanging out, just the 7 of us, for a couple of hours. I’m so thankful for my awesome family & all of the chances we’ve had to spend time together lately.

katie said, "you smile and i'll make faces beside you." this was part of our photo shoot...

jake is such a big man now, but the fact that he still wears footie pj's makes it a little easier to swallow

on saturday, josh & jamie stopped by on their way to the beach (a beach vacation for everyone but us seems to be a trend). i'm so glad we got to see them & their precious son, pierce who's a bundle of awesomeness.

J. Crew Steal

I love a good steal. I’ve gotten out of my phase where I’ll buy something just because it’s ridiculously cheap. Now, I have to really want it and promise myself to get good use out of it. I’m sure you’ve all seen this amazingly awesome necklace from J. Crew this year.

It retails for $150. Um, no thanks. I couldn’t quit stalking it, though. It was one of my first Pins and I had to figure out how to get my hands on this beauty. I came across a blogger that was equally enamored and she found a really good replica on EBay for only $15!

I haven’t seen a remake like this since… well… let me take you back a bit. When I was growing up, there was a high-end children’s shoe shop in Anderson called Cochran Shoes. This place was legit. You knew if you got a pair of shoes here they would last forever – unless the trend didn’t. Enter my mother. In 4^th grade I fell in love with a pair of clear jelly heels. That’s right – jellies with a heel. Oh. My. Gosh. Stop me now. I couldn’t help myself.  They were awful now that I look back, but at the time it was all I could think about. They had a plastic buckle and the chunky 1in heal was also clear. Dreamy…

Anyway, mom said no. I was shocked she wouldn’t throw down nearly $40 for a pair of plastic shoes (especially when the only pair they had left was a ½ size too small). Now enter Kmart. They had a replica for only $8. I wore out those $8 shoes that became really smelly (according to my much more sophisticated, older sister). They fogged up every time I wore them – looking back that should’ve been a clear sign. I finally snapped the heel when I decided to wear them while jumping on a trampoline. It’s a wonder that night didn’t end in a broken ankle.

Sorry for the trip down memory lane. I love not paying full price for things – especially things I have to have. I spent a good 30 minutes examining the necklaces on EBay & found, what I thought, was a winner. Sure enough, I can’t tell the difference. It even has the J. Crew tag on the back. I ordered it & within 3 days had this beaut around my neck!

I’m in love with this piece. I wear it at least twice a week. I absolutely changes the look of an outfit!

If you want to purchase this necklace, head over to EBay & check out their selection - it comes in lots of different colors!

Stay in Touch...

I know I’m a lucky girl. I’ve always been surrounded by people who love and support me. I also know that to a lot people, being two hours away from family wouldn’t seem very far (or may even seem like a blessing), but I’ve missed my family so much since we’ve moved. It’s been tough, but we’ve been back a lot for various reasons and are seeing family more than I ever expected.

Friends, on the other hand, are another story. I’m making it a point to see my friends as much as I can during my already packed-out trips to the Upstate.

I have a very special group of friends from college. We aren’t perfect, our lives aren’t perfect, but somehow, our times together are. We’ve been through so much together & I know that isn’t going to change. Once a month we get together at one girl’s house, and she cooks the main dish. Everyone else chips in with appetizers, salads, wine & desserts. It’s a perfect couple of hours we get to spend together, then we pack it up, head home and start planning for the next month’s dinner. I promised them when I moved that I would come to every dinner I possibly could. Spending time with these girls is essential for my sanity.

we seriously have the best time together

I remember when we were getting ready to move and I called my best friend, Jamie and said, “I don’t want a new best friend!!!!” I’m sure she thought I was crazy, but I was serious. No matter how busy we are, we usually stop to talk at least every other day. It’s almost like nothing has changed! My favorite pictures of us are from our trip to NYC, and we’re desperately trying to plan another one now.

she took her eyes off me for 2 seconds and I had grabbed a public payphone

These two ladies are also two of my favorites and I try to catch up with them at least every other week. We aren’t a good day-trip apart, but sometimes hearing each other’s voices is all we need.

Mary Kathleen & me on the happiest day of her life. She is the strongest, most understanding, most wonderful, loving person I know. I can't say enough good things. If you don't know her, you should.

This is probably one of my most favorite pictures ever - well every picture from this night. We dressed up as JWow & Snookie for Halloween. Leslie moved to Pittsburgh a couple of months ago and I miss her so badly. Counting down the days until I can convince her to move back to SC!

Without these fantastic friends, my life wouldn’t be the same. Every day I am more and more grateful for friendship.