Laboring on Labor Day

Whoa, is it really Monday? It definitely feels like a Sunday. Thank goodness! Every week should have an extra pseudo-Sunday. Amiright? We started the long weekend off with a little hangout sesh with our local friends at the state park near our neighborhood. Seeing friends on Friday is my favorite, and cookouts just scream Labor Day weekend.

This raccoon cause quite the ruckus! 

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Sadly, I don't have any other pictures from the weekend. Saturday and Sunday were 100% full of sweet family moments, delicious food, and relaxation. Ryan's brother and sister in law were in town, and we got to spend some time with his grandmother too :) 

Oh wait, there is one more thing from Sunday.....our football team pulled off the best season opening win yet! #GoCards

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As for today, there was a zero chance for taking photos. We were early to rise, had family breakfast, maybe a nap, and then onto housework. We had so much to do, the list was SO long. Labor day is made for laboring, right? Ha I spent my labor day checking off tons of those to-dos! It's incredible how many thing I can do when my phone is turned off!

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How did you spend your weekend? Did you travel? Stay at home? Either way, hope it was fun!

Linking up with Sami over here

Father's Day {2013}

Today is such an important day...Father's Day! Although my father and I have had a lot of ups and downs, we've developed a special relationship over the last year or two and {at this point} I wouldn't trade it for the world. Ryan and I are SO incredibly lucky to have our fathers!

Don't Ryan and his Dad look alike?!

 We wish all of the father's a happy day and another great year of dad-hood!

Terrific Tuesday

Here's a little story. When I was in high school (early years, before I could drive) my aunt would drive my cousin and I to school everyday. Whenever she dropped us off, she always said something encouraging. On Tuesdays it was always "I hope you have a Terrific Tuesday!". That has stuck with me for a long time, and I still to this day say it (mostly to myself--but sometimes to Ryan in the morning). It's nice to plant a positive seed, especially at the beginning of the day. Try it--tell yourself to have a Terrific day.  It just might turn your day around :) ------ Here are a few things that make me smile, 'cause that's what qualifies a day as terrific....smiling!

Doesn't he look like Eric Church??
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Truth.
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MELTS my heart!
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Apparently I love dogs :)
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This song gets me every single time.
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Do it.
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------- What makes you happy? Here's to having a Terrific Tuesday!

Christmas Wish List

I had a conversation with my BFF this morning about this year's Christmas spirit, or the lack thereof. We both agreed that presents and tress could easily be passed up this year for a mini vacation out of town. Why? Because it's been 60+ degrees lately and what's winter if we can't wear sweater and boots!?

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We have our tree up, we have been burning Christmas candles, and we've made Christmas plans. That usually does the trick, but not this year. I hope that once we start visiting with family this coming weekend that the usual Christmas joy will kick into gear. Fingers Crossed!!
Until then, I figured I would share my Christmas wish list with y'all!

1) Minnetonka Kilty Suede Moccasin in Grey 2) Monogram Pocket Tee (with my new monogram for the honeymoon) 3) Kate Spade Chit Chat iPhone 4 Case 4) UofL Platter 5) Amazon Gift Card for new Kindle books 6) Extended iPhone charger 7) Jewelry Cleaner 8) Corkscrew art for the new place! 

I didn't have enough time to do a gift guide this year, but most of the gifts from the guide I did last year would be great gifts this year too. Check it out {here}! ------- What do you have on your Christmas list this year? Did you share a list on your blog? Share your post in the comments so we can all check it out!

Weekend Update

Happy Monday lovelies! While I'm not quite ecstatic that it's Monday, I can say it's easier to handle today after having such a great weekend!
Our families were here and we did all of the best things---eat, laugh, shop, celebrate a birthday, laugh, see a {sexy} James Bond movie, and laugh some more. Seriously, Ryan and I are so so SO lucky. Our families fit together really well and we always have such a good time when we're all together. We couldn't ask for a better time when we all get together! P.s. Skyfall was really good!!
Hopefully you can understand how I forgot to get pictures of  all of us? Using a camera while you're using crutches is not exactly an east feat. I did, however, get a few pictures of some parts our the weekend.
Food 

O'Charley's left over rolls make delicious mini-sandwiches!

Ryan makes the FLUFFIEST pancakes ever.

Church/Boy Scouts spaghetti dinner take-out. Noms.

Peanut butter cookie recipe fail. 

Fashion

Deciding on mother of the bride
and mother of the groom dresses!

Thinking about bachelorette party dresses...

The Boys

They are my favorite :)

He's so committed to his tennis ball...

 Projects

Embroidery hoop DIY project..

Future furniture piece...

Misc.

Long hair don't care. Except I do--I'm so excited
that it's getting so long {for the wedding}!

How pretty is TN? I love fall here :)

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It was really nice to have a relaxing weekend at home with our favorites. 

Can you believe it's almost Thanksgiving!??!

What did you do this weekend? 

Check out the rest of the weekend updates on Sami's blog.

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National Lampoon's [Family] Vacation

At last, I've made it to my computer to give you a quick rundown of my vacation!

You guys remember the Griswold's, right? Well, my vacation wasn't quite like that...at least not the whole time! Haha I'm kidding! We had a great time!

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I have to admit--I can't handle driving riding for long trips like I used to! And although I'm worn out from the traveling, shopping, and hanging out with everyone, I had a great time visiting and finally being able to see Ry's sister in her/her family's world [she's a saint]!

So, what else do you do on vacation? Naturally, we ate a ton (literally!) of awesome food, took a boat ride to see the beautiful Winter Park area, picked a few strawberries on a gorgeous day, and maybe enjoyed a few bottles glasses of wine in between!

If you know me, you know I love me some sweets! Starting the day
with a blueberry glazed cake doughnut made me a happy girl!

Travel essentials! A funny Tucker Max ebook and some Valentine's day
chocolate. What more can a girl ask for?

Our first day was full of sunshine, cupcakes, happy kiddos, and strawberry picking.
Perfect day, no?

Breakfast our first day there. I loved the pancakes, and got some insider
tips on how to make everyday things a little healthier
(R's sister knows a ton about nutrition).

Our view of part of the town square in Mt. Dora.
Our lunch was great--we sat on the 2nd floor balcony with a breeze.
Sigh, 78 degrees, oh how I miss you!

The dock near the shops in Mt. Dora.

One part of the field that we picked strawberries in.
The weather was perfect for picking berries.

Our row. You pick a flag in the ground, pick to your heart's content,
and then replace the flag wherever you leave off. Simple as that.

The final batch. Fresh strawberries are officially my favorites!

Of course we HAD to dip a bunch in chocolate.
It would have been a crime not to :)

Whenever I travel, my allergies get the best of me.
The remedy--tea, Clariton, and a few kisses from the boy.

Day Two was full of a ton of window shopping, a breezy boat ride, new food choices, and the first of many glasses of wine.

The beginning of the boat ride around the lakes surrounding Winter Park

The best part of the boat ride? Seeing all of the huge estates!
They were gorgeous!

Another beautiful part of the boat tour...seeing everyone's relaxing setup
at the end of their yard/beginning of the water.

Lunch at another cute restaurant. I had a delicious turkey, white cheddar
and apple butter sandwich! Try it sometime, you wont regret it :)

Watching the boys play...

While the third day was somewhat overcast and not so pretty, we didn't mind because we spent the day shopping...yes, we had a trend going : )

Brunch with everyone before a day of shopping!

Amaaaazing french toast at First Watch. If you're in the area, check it out!

Derby dress shopping! This is the front runner for now.

Another cute dress, perfect for Spring and Summer.

Wine art at Home Goods that I would LOVE to have in our apartment.
If only we had more space!

New wine tags...of course I'm the nutty one ;)

I don't have pictures yet (on the Canon, which I will have to find the cable for...) of the last day, but we spent the afternoon/evening hanging out at the nearby springs.

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The ride home wasn't so bad. We had plenty of Breaking Bad episodes to watch...and maybe a few girl scout cookies to get us through : ) Tough life, huh?

Lots of Breaking Bad...we're finally caught up!

My new favorite juice!

I don't mean to get lovey dovey on you, but you know what I enjoyed the most about this trip? The time I had with the boy. The original reason for the trip to FL was actually based around a work event he needed to attend. It was good opportunity for him to learn new things and it was great seeing his excitement about the future. I love seeing him that way, and I can't wait to see where he goes next!
He's my absolute favorite person, in case you were wondering ; )

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So, what did you do this past weekend? Did you visit Amanda and Dayna? I have to thank them again for being sweet enough to guest post while I was away!

P.s. Do you recognize the corner of the book in the last picture above? That's right...The Hunger Games! I finished it and am now reading the 2nd book. I seriously can't wait to see the movie! Also, did you know that the actors that play Katniss and Peeta are both from the bluegrass state (KY)? That makes me happy! Let me ask you a question--When (if) you read the book, did you imagine Liam Hemsworth as Peeta and not Gale? I knew, even before I started the book, that Liam Hemsworth was Gale, but I just couldn't help but envision him as Peeta. Haha Oh well! I'll be happy to see them both onscreen, either way : )