a couple things i just simply love

dress-h&m, tights-old navy, shoes-modcloth

This is the an outfit I wore in Florida on Saturday for church and pretty much the rest of the day. I was really excited to finally wear this dress I got from H&M. I got it a little over a month ago when we made a quick stop in Atlanta just to go to H&M; we were on our way home from Savannah, GA. I just love that store!

Some other exciting news: we FINALLY put up our Christmas decorations tonight. I have been thinking about it all. day. long. I smile every time I look over and see our beautiful Christmas tree in the corner. I will be posting pictures a little later this week. Hopefully hubby will have a chance to put up the decorations on the outside of the house this weekend. I just love this time of year :)

a little bit of food, a little bit of friends and a lot of thanksgiving

We had a fantastic time in Florida. We spent Thanksgiving day at Jason's Aunt's house and it was wonderful. The food was scrumptious.

The conversation was great. I think we were laughing 95% of the time!

The #1 thing I am grateful for is my wonderful, amazing husband. He really has been my rock this year and been there for me through some hard times. Jason, I love you.

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Catching up with old friends is always a pleasure. We met up with two of Jason's high school friends, Chelsea and Ben, and they took us to a delicious restaurant and an awesome bar.

They had this really fun hook game at the bar. I'm not trying to brag....but Jason and I won ;)

It makes me happy when Jason can hang out with his good friends. I wish Ben and Chelsea lived closer to us.

happy thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

I snapped some photos this morning to show you a few things I am thankful for.

A delicious turkey to eat.

A wonderful mother-in-law that can cook up a storm.

Jack also wanted to share a couple things he is thankful for.

"A yummy turkey day treat from mom.

A new friend, Coco, to play with."

I hope you all enjoy this day and remember all the things you have to be thankful for!! :)

it's always good to compromise

shirt-billabong, jeans and belt-ae, boots-target

This was not my original outfit for this day. I first had on a red plaid top, but hubby said I was way too cowboy for him. lol So we met in the middle and this is what I came up with. I am a good compromiser.

I wore this on Sunday for running errands. I swear we went ALL OVER. I was prepared though, as you can see. Our first stop was at Starbucks to get a caffeine fix. My choice of drug, Peppermint Mocha. Yumm-o!

We leave in the morning for Florida for the holiday. Jason said we need to leave at 4am, I said 8am. Jason said 5am, I said 7am. Jason said 5am.....hmmmm. It sounds like someone is not willing to meet in the middle. *Hubby is not a good compromiser. I will let you know how that one goes. haha

I will confess, I hate packing. I had all the right intentions to start early and be ahead this time. Well it's already pretty late and I am still not all packed....so I must go now friends.

For all of you that are traveling, I wish you safe travels!!

*my hubby really is a good compromiser. he is always flexible, just not in this situation. hehe

what a crazy weekend

I need to apologize friends, I did not get a chance to blog Sunday evening. Why? Oh because I had a CA-razy busy weekend.

Here are a few pictures of what went on, in particular order:

We continue to be amazed at all the odd spots/positions Zoey finds herself in.

I made my beautiful niece a tutu for her 1st birthday (December 5).

Hubby got a little razor happy and accidentally gave himself a bald spot. Needless to say, he barely has hair now. haha { don't tell him i told you ;) }

I made my first Thanksgiving dish of the year: Roasted garlic squash with crispy sage brown butter.

Things not photographed:

I ate lunch with my family.

I visited my cousin and his super duper cute little boy.

I did it guys, I ran six miles!!! Our time was 1:11:00. Not too shabby :)

Hubby and I ran errands all over town.

I went to a Mary Kay spa party.

See?? I told you I was busy!

Now I really really need to get a head start on my packing. (I tried to convince Tania she should pack for me, since she did a splendid job!)

We are headed to Florida for the holiday to spend time with my wonderful in-laws. I can't wait!!

i need to let you know this just in case

I just want to document this conversation in case this really happens in the future.

Hubby: I need you to primise me something.

Me: Depends....what is it?

Hubby: If I ever get hurt really bad, I need you to promise me that you will take photos of it first before attempting to help me. I'm serious.

Me: Seriously? No matter how bad it is?

Hubby: Yes. I want to have the pictures.

Also I want you to know how silly my hubby can be. He is a nurse so he thinks all that blood and stuff is cool. Me, I want to be driven to the hospital ASAP.

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A big HOORAY for the weekend!! I am always happy when it arrives. Weekend, you are my fave.

Here are some of the things I will be doing this weekend:

• This weekend I am attempting to make my niece a birthday tutu for her 1st birthday. They grow up way too fast!

• And I will be running a dreaded SIX MILES!! This is according to my new training program that I have started since I am officially signed up for a half marathon. (I am a princess in training! haha)

• I will also be going to my very first Mary Kay pajama party.

• And cooking my first Thanksgiving side dish for our office party on Monday! Yay for yummy food!!

I hope you all have great plans for the weekend!! Thank you for all your comments and kind words this week, you are the best! :)

don't you just love new shoes?!

Look what came in the mail today!

I just love getting these kind of packages.

I ordered these bad boys from Aldo. I am so excited to wear them! But I need some advice you guys!!

How do you think I should style these? Any outfit ideas or suggestions??

i am a princess!

via

It's official. There is no turning back.

I am signed up for the Disney's Princess 1/2 Marathon in Orlando, FL.

My aunt and I were originally going to do a marathon here in Chattanooga, but tonight she called and told me about this one. There was no question. We signed up right away. I always knew I was meant to be a Disney Princess and this is my chance! haha I am so excited, but also very nervous.

I shared with you here that I am not in love with running. BUT I am not a quiter and I know that running has been great for me both physically and mentally. Now I think, with this awesome 1/2 marathon to look forward to, I have renewed motivation.

Wish me luck as I continue on these next few months of training!!

random yummy-ness

cardigan-old navy, shirt-express, pants-gap, scarf-f21

I didn't really feel like taking outfit photos today. My goal for today was comfy and, of course, appropriate for work. This is what I came up with and I didn't think it was anything special. Plus I was a little tired and very hungry, thus making me grumpy. But I let my hubby take photos anyway.

I decided yesterday that I would cook a full dinner tonight. So right when I got home (after photos), I changed my clothes and got started in the kitchen.

I actually wanted to try something new tonight, mashed butternut squash. I wanted to make this for two reasons 1) I had a butternut squash I needed to use, 2) I was thinking about making this dish for our office Thanksgiving lunch.

The verdict: It was good, but it needed to be more mashed. This was my fault because I cheated on the first round of oven time, but at least I know better for next time.

I also made Jason't fave; turkey meatballs. I think these were my best yet! Oh and I threw in some peas so I would have a token veggie. A little bit of a random combination, but yummy nonetheless.

i love when my hubby cooks

The next few weeks are going to be a little crazy for me and hubby. And since the weather was rather gloomy and gray, we decided to have a date night in.

Soup seemed like the only appropriate meal for the rainy evening. So hubby made his famous Chicken Dumpling Soup. Yumm-o!!! How did I get so lucky?!

I would say that this is a great way to end a Monday. Now I am off to spend more time with my sexy man :)

I hope your week is going fantastic so far!!

going {faux} it

button up-gap, faux fur vest-urban original, jeans-nordstrom, boots-famous footwear, necklace-f21

This weekend was the first time my hubby went out of town without me (since we've been married). It was only for a weekend but I still missed him a lot.

I decided to let Jack sleep in the bed with me. He was really happy about it and I was so proud of him because he stayed on his side of the bed. Jack is such a good dog.

When I went to pick up Jason, I decided to channel my inner Rachel Zoe by throwing on my faux fur vest. This was my first time wearing it and I have to admit I was a bit nervous. (this is actually my second vest because Jack chewed up my first one...but we are passed that now. lol) I was anxious to see what Jas would say about my outfit. He approved :)

Actually, he really liked it. I think he is starting to warm up to my adventures in fashion. I know I am having a lot of fun with it. Fashion has turned out to be a great way for me to express creativity and individuality. These last few months have been really fun for me and it's been exciting to finally spice up my closet!

p.s. did you know there are only 40 days until christmas?! holy moly! have you started your shopping yet??

happy weekend friends

sweater-tjmaxx, button up-target, jeans-ae, boots-famous footwear *credit to syd :)

How do you like these awesome photos?! Hooray for hubby being able to take my outfit shots today!! :)

I missed him being my photographer.

Do you guys have plans for the weekend?

Me? Well my hubby will be out of town, so I will be missing him like crazy. But I will be getting together with my friend Rachel, it's been way too long! Also, I am hoping to get some quality time in with my brother.

Random info - Did you hear about New Kids on the Block and Backstreet Boys joining together for a concert tour?! That's crazy. NKOTB was actually my very first concert, I was probably in 2nd grade or something like that. I was so into them; I had their videos, coloring books, calendar and more. lol

Happy Weekend friends!!!

who doesn't love photos in the bathroom

top-urban original, pants-express, shoes-rocketdog, phone- lg ally

This top is probably my new fave. I was so excited when I saw it, I just knew it had to be mine. I thought that perhaps I should wait to share it in an outfit post until I could get hubby to take some decent pictures, but then I remembered that there is never a better time than right now. So here she is, my new fave top.

Yes, these are taken in the bathroom at my work. Yes, the stalls are a pea green color. Yes, I would be totally embarrassed if one of my co-workers walked in on me.

Okay, I just have to say that although I love this time of the year with all the holidays and such; I really don't like the fact that it gets dark incredibly early. I feel like I have lost my whole day. Even though my hubby gets home the same time he always does, it just feels so much later because it's been dark for hours.

And let me tell you, my aunt and I have still been running. (insert cheer here) But it is pretty darn scary running when it is dark. People drive crazy in neighborhoods. Tonight I had to jump into the grass to avoid a lady in a van, no joke! As a runner, I realize it's dangerous to run at night, however I do my part; I have reflectors on my shoes, I wear a light colored top, and I wear reflector bands on my arms (my hubby laughed at me when I suggested I get a reflector vest, so I settled for the arm bands).

Have any of you had any night running/walking experiences? How do you feel about it getting dark so early??