Are you ready for some football!?!?

Or maybe we should be asking....will there even be football!?!  With all this lockout business, it's hard to say.  I don't know a whole lot about the situation, but this is what I do know...for now the lockout is lifted and teams can practice and have their playbooks, it is in appeal so the players could be re-locked-out, and the NFL draft did carry on.

Welcome to the Panther's Cam Newton!!!  I'm not actually so sure about how I feel welcoming you to my team.  You're very controversial from what I hear (you can read about that here) and that doesn't make a good first impression.  But apparently it was your father soliciting for money, and for the sake of a new season, I'll give you a clean slate in my book.  Now, you were THE #1 draft pick, so I have very high expectations!  So the second you go out there and start blowing it (which some say is inevitable, me I don't know?!), you better believe I'm gonna be calling for Jimmy Clausen or Matt Moore or just anyone else who can maybe throw the ball!

Hopefully you prove 'em all wrong!  Hey if we get a few more wins than last year, I guess I'll be happy.  Just make me proud man!  The Panther's are MY team!! Born and raised here, I grew up loving them and am a true fan!  Aren't many of those in Charlotte I feel like, all the transplants that live down here.  They all love their team from back home the most, and the Panther's become their second rate, #2 team.  My husband is a perfect example of that. He loves his Lions the most, through the good times and the bad and would definitely wear Lions gear if the Panther's played the Lions.  But any other week, the Panther's are his team, too. So come on Newton and be good at your job for me!!  That's all I ask :)

On a completely different note......how much did you LOVE the royal wedding!?!?

I thought Kate looked STUNNING!!  She's so poised and classy and has really made a name for herself!  I knew she'd wear lace and she just looked beautiful, like a true princess!

This was my favorite moment!  I teared up watching this while I was getting ready Friday morning, haha.  Kate finally got down to the end of the aisle to her Prince Charming (literally) and he leaned over and said, "You look beautiful!"  How sweet!

Kate's second dress was just as beautiful!  Definitely the party dress!  Can you imagine what it must have been like to be at their reception that night at the Palace!?  If only I weren't a lowly commoner....haha.  Now I think Prince Harry and Kate's sister Pippa should get together!  How great would that be!?

Hope everyone's weekend is going well :) Happy Saturday!

Getting over the hump...

Man oh man....this week back after spring break is keeeeeling me!!  I'm pretty much exhausted and hanging by the skin of my teeth, or at least it feels that way this week!  Spring fever might actually be worse now even after spring break.  Is that even possible!?  Testing season for the kiddos is right around the corner so school is busy busy busy and more busy!  But this too shall pass (in exactly 31 school days!) and summer is a comin'!

I've been staying at work til 430 or so every day this week (remember I'm there before 7 every morning! ha) and then have been coming home to work on MORE stuff....so in honor of making it over the hump today, I took tonight off :)  I was at work til 450 and didn't get home to after 515, so I let myself sit on the couch for 25 minutes before mustering up the energy for the gym!

*disclaimer - this is not actually me or anything what I look like while working out - haha, I'm more of a sweaty hot mess, but you get the idea!

I was feeling super tired this afternoon, but I'm glad I worked out anyway.  I'll take tomorrow off :)  Then after I showered and got into some comfy pjs, I sat down to my laptop to catch up on my facebook and blog reading.....ahhh relaxation!  I also watched one of my new favorite shows, Happy Endings on ABC.

It is HILARIOUS!  If you haven't watched, go to ABC's website and you can catch all the previously aired episodes!  While I watched, I painted my nails!

I love having my nails painted!  Makes me feel girly and pretty.  I would have them painted all the time if I could, professionally at that!  They always do a way better job than I do, but that would just be too expensive.  And an at home mani's always a nice treat as well :)  And lastly, since we're now closer to Friday than Monday, I think tomorrow just might call for some Starbucks to ensure I can actually make it these last 2 days!

Hopefully your week is going well and these nasty storms are sparing you.  Some are headed right this way but as long as it's a tornado-less and hail-less storm, I will be one happy sleeper!  And that's exactly where I'm headed now :)  Goodnight and be blessed!

Happy Easter!

"He is not here; He has risen, just as He said." Matthew 28:6

Enjoyed worshipping today with my brother and sister-in-law at their church along with my husband and grandmothers.  Thankful today for Jesus, and the horrible death He died for me on Good Friday.  Even more grateful that He rose three days later, so that you and I may have abundant life!  

Hope you and your family enjoyed a day of worship, Easter egg hunting, good food, and gorgeous weather!  Brandon and I spent the afternoon working out in our VERY hot apartment workout room, grocery shopping, folding laundry and getting ready for the work week.  Hoping it's a great and quick one :)

Vacay in Pictures

Vacation has been WON.DER.FUL!!!  I always have mixed emotions coming home from vacation....sad to leave, but happy to be home as well!  I've so enjoyed all this time with my husband - relaxing, lounging, talking, laughing, and this time around being adventurous, too; but I'm looking forward to home - our bed, our sheets, our towels, a washer and dryer, and our sweet kitten!

I'm not *as excited* about returning to work as I am coming home, but that also comes with the end of vacation....c'est la vie!  There is a light at the end of the tunnel, though.  Only 34 work days when I get back :)  But enough about that, here's a review of our vacay in pictures!

Ahhh....finally made it to the beach!  Relaxation!

Brandon taking a little nap after driving the whole wayyy!

View from our hotel room :)

Just had to share our sweet retro '80s bar in our suite in Melbourne!  Haha, the suite (thanks to Brandon's platinum status ;) was pretty nice, just need to upgrade the decorations a wee bit I'd say.....it's no longer 1986 :)

First night out to dinner....Coconuts on the Beach

Little blurry, but thumbs up for the view and live music!

Our new bathing suits from Ron Jon Surf Shop....the 1000 billboards on I-95 convinced us we should go there!

Notice the sweet "Get Shuckin' " photos from a raw bar called Bunky's!!  So cool....I got a t-shirt :)

Wednesday afternoon, after a morning on the beach, we drove to Kissimmee/ Orlando for the rest of our trip.  Lots to explore, including Downtown Disney, Universal, Adventure Island, and Universal's City Walk!!

Dinner out Wednesday night - Downtown Disney @ Bongos Cuban Cafe

Can't pass up tropical drinks while in Florida!  Unfortunately, these were the best part of that Bongos restaurant....we weren't super impressed with dinner :(

But some yummy dessert sure made up for it!!

Thursday at Universal 

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (said in my best British accent :)

Ughhh....we had to wait in line for over an HOUR for the Harry Potter ride.  But well worth it in the end!

Dinner after the park....much better than the night before.   This time we ate at Latin Quarter and this giant margarita was not the only highlight! :)

Friday night....back to Downtown Disney and Planet Hollywood!  Last night of vaycay :(

We only ended up going to Universal one day, instead of 2 like we planned.  We rode all the rides we could/cared for on Thursday, so we still have 2 free tickets left over!  We figure in about 10 years when some of the rides have changed and we have kids who can enjoy the park we'll venture back down to use them...and maybe hit a few other parks as well!  Now....all good things must come to and end, so its back home to the real world for us.

And we're off....

We pulled out of our parking spot in our garage this morning at 2:22am and were officially Florida bound!  So far we're feeling pretty good and definitely looking forward to a nap on the beach later!  This weekend felt sooo long.  Waiting for vacation is hard, haha.  So many times this weekend we were like, "Man, let's just leave now!" or "Why didn't we plan to leave Sunday instead of Monday!?"  But 2am finally came a calling!

Are you wondering how I'm blogging while going 75mph about 50 miles north of the Florida state line?  Brandon got a MiFi Wireless hot spot for work so it's sitting here next to me, providing me wireless internet as we travel!!  How cool is that!?  I think it's probably my new favorite invention!

My early Happy Spring Break Travel Easter Basket!

My sweet husband, who loves to surprise me, got me this cute little basket and planned to surprise me with it this morning.  I sort of ruined that surprise Friday afternoon, though.  Ha, we had picked up a few groceries to grill out Friday night after the gym and I went to put the groceries in the back seat.  Yep, there was my basket!  Whoops!  I was still very surprised, if that counts!  Haha (and how good of a hiding spot is the back seat really!?  I can't be blamed for that!)  This man knows the exact way to my heart....Reese's Eggs (assorted chocolates!), Cadbury Creme Eggs, Starburst Jelly Beans, a ginormous Butterfinger Chocolate Bunny, Peeps!, $15 iTunes cash, and a Women's Health!  (Which I'll need to give me tips on how to burn off all the candy in the basket!)  Love that man!!

I made these awesome Crumble top Blueberry Muffins Saturday night!  Thought they would be the perfect on the road breakfast for this morning.  And they were, so delicious!  If you make from the box or don't have a good "from scratch" recipe, make these!  You can find the recipe here.  Disclaimer: The muffin's definitely look prettier on Christie's blog, haha.  And mine only made 10 muffins per batch, maybe I was making them too big!?  Either way, so good!

We already miss our Benny!  Ha, we dropped him off at my grandmother's last night.  She's going to watch him for the week.  We tried to prep him and tell him to behave....we'll see :/  we told her just to keep a running record of damages! Hah, it was sad to leave him although I know he'll be fine and I realize (watch out, captain obvious comment coming!) that he is only a cat!  But we miss our cat and it's only been a night, what will it be like when we have children!?!  Haha

Happy Monday y'all!  I'll try to soak up some rays for everyone in an office back home this week ;)

short & sweet

2. more. days. y'all.  Just in case you lost track :)

Our spring break plans took a turn for the better a few weeks ago.  Brandon realized he had more PTO than he originally thought.  His PTO doesn't roll over, so in this case, if you don't use it, you do lose it!  ;)  So now B has the WHOLE week off and we're headed to Cocoa Beach for 3 days before heading to Orlando and Universal!  Since we're so looking forward to this....

and lots of this....

we've decided that we're going to wake up early Monday morning....early as in 2am....and head for Florida!  That way, we can most likely be on the beach by noon(ish) and snoozing while getting bronzed shortly thereafter!  We're thinking Brandon can down one of these....

and when it starts to wear off, we can pull off and I'll get one of these....

and take over driving!  I'm already a little tired thinking about it, but we can sleep in all week and nap on the beach :)  I think it will be well worth it.  Also, I recently read an article from The Nest titled "15 things to Do Before Kids" and road trips as well as spontaneity were part of that list!!  So, further confirmation that embarking on a 9 hour drive at 230 am is a good plan, ha!  (Although since we're planning this, does it count as spontaneity?  I think so!)

Tomorrow, my team at school is throwing a wedding shower for another teacher on our team getting married this weekend!  She's having a small wedding and then a bigger reception in August.  She and her hubby-to-be will be blending their families, making a combined total of 4 kiddos ages 4-10!  She insisted over and over she didn't want a shower or a big deal made, but she was so sweet and planned my school shower and she deserves one!  So, we decided to keep it small and have anyone from school who wanted to, donate to her gift.

Even a small shower needs food right?!?  I ordered cupcakes from one of my favorite local bakeries.

I got a couple different flavors, couldn't pick just one!  And that way everyone has some options.

Walking in the bake shop today it smelled HEAVENLY!!!  Oh my goodness.  It took every ounce of my being to take my shower cupcakes, head to the door, and walk away without picking out another cupcake from the display case to eat on my way out!  But I did it!  I'll get to eat one tomorrow and I can't ruin my pre - spring break diet (haha, insert sarcasm!).

Hope y'all made it over the hump today, goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow!

Porch Kinda Weather and a Love/Hate Relationship

I think porch kinda weather is here to stay my friends :)

This is not in fact our porch/patio, as we live in an apartment.  Nor is this a porch of anyone we actually know!  Haha, but it does look super nice and like the type of porch we could only hope to have one day and enjoy for many springs and summers to come :)  A girl can dream right!?

Now, it hasn't quite been the 80 degree pool weather that I'm still dreaming of, but this weekend was still really nice!  You know spring is in full effect when lovely spring storms rear their head!  We've had a couple pretty strong fellas roll through over the past week or so and I love me a good storm!  I'm not so much liking the potential damage they bring, though.  Luckily, the downtown area has been spared thus far.  Unfortunately, our plans to hit the Knight's game Saturday night were rained out (thumbs down!).

Speaking of pending pool weather (and Spring Break!!), I need to be watching my diet (and by diet I am referring to my eating habits, as I don't really follow a diet) much more closely than I have been.  I consider myself a pretty hardcore gym-goer (notice I did not say athlete, ha) and workout enthusiast!  I have a love-hate relationship with working out.  ie I hate working out and love when it's over!  Hah, no really, I've grown to enjoy it and feel weird when I don't work out.  I work out often and run about 20 miles a week on average, give or take a few here and there.  I also have several personal running goals and am working hard to bring up my speed and bring down my time...ughh!  Ha

But because I workout so often, my brain tells my appetite it's ok to eat pretty much whatever I want!  Haha, I don't eat unhealthily (at least by my standards) as far as during the week goes.  I always eat breakfast to kickstart my metabolism, pack my lunch for school, try to bring healthy snacks to kick my after school cravings right in the face about 230 everyday, etc.  During the week I keep it "pretty" healthy (although somehow I find a piece of candy or chocolate to appease my sweet tooth daily as well, oops!).  But on the weekends, I definitely indulge more. Brandon's usually home over the weekend and while he's good about a healthy diet as well, he shares my sweet tooth (is that a dominant gene?  If so, I feel bad for our children, ha) and we typically have no trouble convincing the other to grab a dessert either at the store or out somewhere.

Such as a delicious lemon pound cake my Mom made for my grandmother's birthday this weekend!  This was not her actual cake, but boy was her's delish!!  With some ice cream on the side :)

So even working it out at the gym as much as I do, because I eat as I please for the most part, I pretty much just maintain my weight.  Which is not a negative, but hinders my improvements (oh the cycle continues!).  Needless to say this is, and I'm sure will remain, an ongoing battle as I am a LOVER of food :)  I've come a long way in my self confidence and feel good about my body for the most part, but we all tend to be critical of ourselves and there is always room for improvement.  So I'll keep on keepin' on in the gym and each week eatin' as well as I can.  But I'm not going to deny myself either, that's when I tend to over eat and over indulge.  Any dieting/healthy eating/living suggestions you have, feel free to share!

This week, though, I'll be trying to eat extra carefully as 4 work days and 3 school meetings are the only things separating me from SPRING BREAK '11 and 9 whole days with my hubby!!  :)  More on those developments later.  So let's get this work week OVA WITH!  Florida, here we come!!!

Great Things!

Great things are going on around here y'all!  :)  It was one year ago yesterday (April 3rd, 2010) that Brandon proposed to me and made me the happiest woman on Earth!!!

We were on vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico for my spring break!  He popped the question the first night we were there, right before dinner!

We had a celebratory dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House which was attached to our hotel!  I wondered when we got there why he suggested we should go there our first night.  I asked, "Don't you want to save it for a night later in the vacation...we don't have to go the first night we're here!"  Little did I know :)

We LOVED Puerto Rico, but that could be a whole other blog post!  Haha, we're already trying to plan a time when we can go back!  

Today is also the birthday of 2 wonderful people I know!!  My friend, Lisa turned a quarter of a century today :) Lisa is one of my best friends!  I lived with Lisa the year before Brandon and I got married and she was pretty much the best roommate ever!

Lisa and I after dinner tonight to celebrate her birthday!

All the girls out to dinner!  Lisa has lots of great friends and I'm glad to have gotten to know many of them and call them my friends as well :)

Lisa and I didn't meet until I began teaching after I graduated in late 2008.  Many people at our school thought we looked alike.  We had a very similar short haircut at the time and I can definitely see how you could make that mistake from behind. We're a lot alike in general, though, so she'll always be my twin!

Here's an older picture, just for fun!  Gives a better idea of the short haircut!

Today is also my brother in law, Casey's birthday!  Casey is married to Brandon's sister, Ashley.  They live up in Michigan, so unfortunately we don't get to be there to celebrate with him!  Wish we were, Ashley and Casey are lots of fun! Hopefully, we'll see them soon!

Oh Casey!! 

Saturday, Brandon and I were out to run some errands.  We've been in the market for a macbook and couldn't decide when to bite the bullet.  But this Saturday, it happened, I finally crossed over from the dark side and entered the mac world!!!  We got a macbook laptop!!!  I LOVE it!  It is my new favorite toy for sure, I think I might even like it better than Benson!  Not really, but it's up there on my list :)  Now, once I get my iPhone in June, I'll be set!

I got a cute Marc Jacobs case for it!  Its this same print, but this case is actually for an iPad...couldn't find the actual one I got.

Lastly, while out on Saturday, we also picked up some of our favorite candles from Bath & Body Works!  They were having a 2 for $20 sale so we picked up the spring/summery scents, below!

                     

They smell uh-MAY-zing!!!!  Like we're in the tropics and definitely get us in the mood for spring break!  Which is only 9 school days away, 11 days in all!  Hope your Monday was great! :)