i have an announcement

(tank, sweatshirt, capris, shoes)


When it comes to sports and fitness gear, I am a huge Nike fan.  I have always loved Nike shoes for running.  A trusty pair of Nike's got me through my first half marathon.
And now I have an exciting announcement for you (drum roll please); I have officially signed up for my second half marathon!!  I will be running the 7 Bridges Half Marathon on October 16.  I literally started training last week, so I am on an 8 week training schedule; that is quite a bit shorter than the six months I allowed myself to train for the last half.  I am not gonna lie, I am a bit nervous!  Thankfully I have got some amazing training partners; my dear friends Lindsay and Melissa.
Wish me luck!!

rock quarry

Over the weekend, Jason and I went with some friends to a new swim spot.  I can't believe we have never been there before, it's like this amazing treasure has been right under our noses all along.  It's a rock quarry that's located within Greenway Farms and it was the perfect place to spend a hot Saturday afternoon.  The water was warm, but not too warm; just the perfect temperature.  And it wasn't crowded at all.  Jack absolutely loved it too.  He has become quite the strong swimmer since we first discovered his love for the water.  This is definitely a place we will be visiting again!

getting ready for fall

button up-old navy, skirt and necklace-f21, belt-varga, shoes-bcbg

This is the outfit I wore to work yesterday.  

Although temperatures are still holding strong here in the 90's, I find myself trying to make a transition into fall.  Longer sleeves, layers and jeans. And I am not the only one, I notice people around me doing the same thing.  We are ready for the cooler weather and the comfort of fall fashions.

I have enjoyed seeing other bloggers put together their fall wish lists and must haves.  The inspiration is fabulous!  Are you all ready for fall?

a family stroll

This greenway is my favorite spot to take walks with my family.  The scenery is gorgeous and the path is clean.  I also love the fact that most of it is in the shade to keep us cool on these hot days.  Jack's favorite part is that it runs along a creek; he loves taking a quick dip half way through.

I love my little family.

insta weekend

We had a really great weekend at my house.  

My brother stayed over and we always enjoy having him around.  A couple weeks ago he fractured his tibia and is now on crutches for at least a few more weeks.  When we went to the grocery Jason insisted that he use one of the electric scooter carts; so he wouldn't get too tired of course. ha!

We also were going through a bunch of boxes from the garage.  It was mostly all items from my childhood and growing up.  I came across my favorite baby doll (definitely keeping) and an old diary (not keeping) among many other treasured items.  It's always fun to take a trip down memory lane.  We are going through boxes because we are trying to clean out and de-clutter.  We had to ask ourselves the question Should we donate everything or have a garage sale?  Our decision: garage sale and then whatever doesn't get bought will be donated.

What do you think about garage sales?  Are they worth all the trouble?

a beach photo

This is probably my favorite photo from our trip to the beach. (can you spot me?)

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

the beach

One of my favorite things about the beach is how care free it allows you to be.  No need to dress up or do your hair or put on any makeup.  Just throw something on and enjoy the breeze.  While we were on vacation, we enjoyed many walks on the beach and it was wonderful.  It was nice to feel like we didn't have a care in the world.  We had no deadlines, no appointments, no homework and no housework to attend to.  We got to do whatever we wanted, when we wanted.  Beach at 9am? Yes!  Nap at 3pm? Sure!  Snack all day long? Okay!

Now we are back home and I am back to work today.  That song Back to life, back to reality is playing in my head and I hate it because I know it's true.  Don't you think it would be nice to always be on vacation?!  If being on vacation was my job, that would be amazing.  A girl can dream, right?  Maybe one day we'll at least have a beach home.  Maybe :)

panama city beach

We are back from the beach and we had a fabulous time.

It is always an adventure when we take a road trip to a new place.  Driving through small towns and back roads and charting unknown (to us) territory.  We felt a little like Lewis and Clark at times.  Only we were going South instead of West.  And we were using a Garmin GPS instead of a compass.  After a half day of driving, saving a turtle, stopping at a sketchy gas station, getting a little turned around (only once) and lots of awesome singing along to the radio, we made it to Panama City Beach.

Most of our time was spent on the beach soaking up sun and enjoying the ocean breeze.  I also quickly got absorbed into The Help (a must read); I can't wait to see the movie now!  We saw a dolphin family (we counted 5), two stingrays, and lots of fish.  From the balcony of our condo, we had an amazing view of the beach and the gorgeous sunsets...oh I miss it already! 

We did some exploring at Pier Park where we enjoyed a little shopping and yummy fro-yo.  We were hoping to go out on the pier, but we discovered that they charge you (lame-o) so we decided to just walk along the beach instead.

All in all, we had a wonderful time.  Neither of us had been to Panama City before, so we were glad we are able to check it off our list.  This only means one thing my friends; time to plan our next getaway.  Any suggestions?  Places you have been and loved??

hello wednesday

 top-old navy, shorts-express, cami-f21, shoes-ae

Finally, we are here to hump day Wednesday.  The middle of the week, when I am usually thinking to myself, "half way to the weekend, you can make it Amber."  But this day is different.  Why?  Because today is my Friday and tomorrow Jason and I are off to mini vacation land a.k.a. the beach.  I can not wait to get my feet into the sand again.  I know it hasn't been too long since our last beach trip, but to me it seems like lifetime ago (exaggerate much?).  This time we are headed to Panama City Beach, FL - first time for both of us. yay!  I can't wait to tell you guys all about it!!

treasure hunting

On Sunday I ventured out of the house to do some errands.  Jason had a lot of studying to do, so I went out on my mission solo.  I had several stops to make and specific items I was looking for; nail polish, art supplies, and kitty litter to name a few.  So once I checked off all the items on my list, I decided to make one last stop.  

I had a LivingSocial deal for Southeastern Salvage that was about to expire the end of this month, which meant I needed to go check out their merchandise.  I found so many treasures while I was there!  I wish my decorating budget was quadruple what it is in reality. ha!

1. I just loved this sunburst mirror, perfect the wall above our headboard.  $169

2. These chairs were awesome, I wanted to pick up four for my home.  $79

3. Isn't this the cutest giraffe?! And only $22!

4. This is a Restoration Hardware chest for just $888.  That's more than $1,000 off of retail my friends.

5. This would make an awesome sink for a half bath or guest bathroom. $98

6. These side tables would be very versatile. $99

7. We need some side table lamps for our master bedroom, these could be easily spray painted to match! $29.98

8. They had a couple different mirror options.  This one was $149.

Which of these items would you take out of the store? And can you guess which item I took home?

tax free shopping and some pizza

On Friday after work, Jason and I headed to the mall to do a little tax free shopping.  Mainly our mission was to find Jason some new shoes.  I think we went to every shoe store before we he decided on the right pair.  Once that mission was complete, he obliged while I made a couple stops and found a few goodies of my own.

To say the mall was bustling would be an understatement.  It was down right chaotic.  Everyone was eager to take advantage of the deals.  Since our sales tax is 9.25%, who could blame them?  Every dollar saved counts, especially when you are on a budget like we are.

After we left the mall, we were exhausted and hungry.  We had already planned to treat ourselves to Lupi's, one of our favorite pizza spots.  It was the perfect way to end a long week; with great food and great friends.  

couch potato

A while ago, we started leaving Jack at home by himself without putting him in his kennel.  After one chewed pillow, he seemed to learn his lesson and stayed out of trouble.  But still, he would cower in the corner every time we got home as if he did something wrong.  We would make our rounds and discover that nothing was chewed up.

One day, Jason noticed a warm spot on the couch accompanied by some dog hair. We quickly came to the conclusion that Jack was treating himself to a relaxing nap on the couch whenever we were gone.  Because he is such a big dog, we never allowed him on the couch.  But instead of breaking him of the habit, we embraced it and started putting a sheet over his favorite spot whenever we left him home alone.  

Slowly over time the sheet stayed on the couch more often and now we let Jack sit on the couch even when we are home.  He is so spoiled.  But we love it.  I feel like it makes him even more a part of the family when he joins us on the couch to watch some t.v. or a movie.  Do you let your dog get away with anything?

p.s. it's friday!! have a great weekend you guys.