an outfit, the weekend and white pants

I just love it when Friday's roll around.  Although I do not wish my life away, I do live for my weekends.  And this weekend will be jam packed with goodness!  Garage sale, birthday party, family time, a long run (of course) and hopefully some paddleboarding. In my world, I would switch weekdays and weekends.  I think I could handle a two day work week much better.

p.s. i know there is some kind of rule out there about white pants and labor day, but does it still really apply? if it does, then oh well. i walk on the wild side anyway.

nutella

Have you ever seen such an amazing snack?

I had not, until Lindsay brought me this special little treat one day.  She is such a great friend.

a country fair

A couple weekends ago we headed to a local fair.  It was in a small town, so we were not sure exactly what to expect.  The fairs I am used to going to are a big deal with rides, games, animals and lots of fun booths; this one was different.  It was pretty small scale with not much to do, but it was okay because I had a great group of friends to help make the evening fun!  Plus they had funnel cakes; you can't go wrong with funnel cakes.

Although they did not have any rides, they did have a variety of bouncy castles (or whatever you call them).  Lindsay and I couldn't help but release our inner child ;)

date night; dinner and a walk

I'm telling you, LivingSocial and Groupon are genius when it comes to date nights!  I have our date nights planned and purchased for like the next two months, no joke.  This particular date night, we used a LivingSocial deal for dinner at Foodworks, one of our fave restaurants that we don't make it to very often.  The weather was amazing, so we enjoyed our meal on the patio and then decided to take a stroll in Renaissance Park afterward.

I just love these special times with my hubby!  Since he has started school, his free time has been very limited. We try to make sure we take time each week to reconnect and spend quality time together.  Married life is grand :)

happy birthday, kaleb!

Today my nephew turns seven!  He is getting so big so fast, I can hardly believe it.  He started first grade this year and is having lots of fun.  I wish so much that he didn't live so far away!  I miss this little guy!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KALEB!!

bestie borrow, part II

top-f21, skirt-c/o shopmamie, boots-famous footwear, socks & necklace-target, watch-nixon

I had a great time participating in the Bestie Borrow with Shopmamie (to see part I, go here).  It was so fun to include Lindsay in this, she was a great partner in crime as always!  We both had the idea to use the skirt as a transition piece since fall seems to have officially been sneaking into our forecast, yay!

I am super excited for fall to almost be here.  Sweaters and scarfs and boots! Oh my! I also can't wait to bust out the fall decorations for the house.  Fall is probably my fave season.  The temperature is just perfect and the colors of the season are always fabulous (in both fashion and nature!).  I am also excited because our wedding anniversary is in the fall; it will be three years in October!  Which part of fall are you most excited for?

bestie borrow, part I

A little while back I saw an opportunity to participate in the Bestie Borrow with Shopmamie (a fabulous online boutique), and there was no question in my mind that I wanted to do it.  So when they chose me to be a part of the challenge, I was thrilled!  I asked by bestie Lindsay to play along; here is how she styled the skirt that Shopmamie sent:

sweater-target, skirt-c/o shopmamie, belt & earrings-varga, necklace-gap, bracelet-chattanooga market, boots-vintage via her mom

"When Amber presented me with this idea, I was so excited. I had all these ideas going around in my head of will I go high end fashion? or simple everyday fashion? In Chattanooga this past week we had our first taste of fall, and that's where my inspiration came from. So I titled my outfit as "Autumn in the South." This skirt is such a versitile piece that can be worn year round. I loved the experience and I love my bestie!"

*stay tuned tomorrow to see how i styled the skirt!

happy weekend.

I don't know about you guys, but his week seemed f.o.r.e.v.e.r. long. I am thrilled that the weekend is finally here! We have lots of fun stuff planned and I can't wait to tell you all about it next week; let's just say there may or may not be a funnel cake involved.

Have a fabulous weekend my friends!!

love, me and jack

a running update

Yesterday while I was waiting for my running buddy, Lindsay, I decided to walk around a little bit and enjoy some of the scenery.  The sun had started to set and it was gorgeous.  Lindsay was running late and I really think this was another opportunity where God was trying to teach me patience.  I think it is working.  I could have just gone ahead and ran without her, but instead I took a few moments to enjoy the time and in the end got to also enjoy a killer run with my bestie.

Training is going really well so far.  I am proud to say that I have not skipped a run since I started training, which is better than I thought I would do.  I run two times during the week and do a long run on the weekend. We have gotten up to seven miles on our long runs and this weekend we will be doing eight; over half way there!  After yesterday's run I had the realization, I am a runner, and it feels good :)

chickamauga battlefield

Over the weekend we went to the Chickamauga Battlefield with some friends.  This was our first time visiting this historic spot; you can read about it's history and culture here.  It is filled with lots of wooded hiking trails and beautiful open fields.  There are also a lot of historic monuments and displays along the way.

We decided to make a stop at the Wilder Tower.  The tower looked beautiful next to the blue skies!  We climbed up the spiral staircase of the 85ft. tower and enjoyed the gorgeous view from the top.  

We had some strangers take our photo and that is usually always an interesting experience.  The sun was so bright that we asked him to count to three and then we would open our eyes for the photo.  We ended up with four to choose from and this was the best we got - my eyes half open and Kelly's still closed. ha!

Jack and Lucy enjoyed resting in the shade while we explored the tower.

Jason being his goofy self!

my sleepy button

top and shorts-old navy, necklace and ring-f21

Ever since our 48 hour rain Monday and Tuesday, it's been pretty gloomy around these parts.  The temperature dropped 20 degrees and the skies have been overcast.  It seems to have gotten everyone feeling kinda blah.  

I have managed to get a few things accomplished, but not much.  What is it about this bleak weather?  It's like it pushes everyone's sleepy buttons and all motivation and energy is lost.

Today I tried to throw on a cheery color in hopes that it would brighten my mood.  I think it helped a bit. Do you ever find that a certain outfit, color or even accessory can help enhance your mood??

p.s. don't mind our messy room. it is currently in the process of a face lift :)

insta long weekend

1) Our friends' new sweet baby girl, Marabella.  2) A much needed and deserved coffee run at Starbucks.

 3) A lovely Sabbath afternoon walk with my boys.  3) One of the several mysterious bunkers at Enterprise South.

5 & 6) Shopping all over town with my bestie, Lindsay.  We found giant silverware at Homegoods!

7) The beginning of our long run, mile marker zero.  8) Self portrait after our 6 mile run. Woot woot!! Trust me, you didn't want to see our faces. haha!

9) Peg game at Cracker Barrel.  10) Delicious country meal enjoyed with my hubby and brother!

11) Tina claiming her spot on our new bed (more on this when the transformation is complete).  12) Jack popping his head up hoping for some table scraps; I don't think so buddy!