pool crashers

This past Sunday we spent a little time at my mom's pool.  You may notice that in the summer time, the pool is a constant theme for us.  When it's hot outside and the sun is shining, we can't think of anything better than being water side.  Pool or beach.  Thankfully, Jack shares our feelings about this.  I know he is wondering when we will take him back to the beach.  I don't think it will be this year, so the pool will have to do for now.

Thanks mom for letting us crash your pool all the time! :)

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florida, part I

Jason and I hopped on a flight to Florida this past weekend to attend my brother-in-law's high school graduation.  Besides celebrating this special event, we knew we wanted to get in some much needed beach time.  So one morning we decided to sneak off to the sand and have a little ocean-side date.  The beach was nearly empty, and after snapping some photos, we just sat next to each other, talked and enjoyed each other's company as we listened to the waves break on the shore.  

Our lives have been pretty hectic and out of whack for the past month or so.  It was almost as if God gave us this moment to get out of the fast lane and regroup and reconnect as a married couple.  It was truly amazing and incredibly refreshing to have this time.  We even managed to sneak in some beach yoga.  For real.  Just what the doctor ordered.

happy birthday, hubby!

our first official pool day a couple weekends ago::courtesy of Jason's instagram (@jasoncastro)

Today Jason has finally caught up with me again and turned 27 years old.  That's right my friends, I am a real life cougar.  Even if it's only by 3 months.  Jason is really pretty fortunate, because I test out the age for a few months and tell him how it is.  If it's not all that great, we can just skip his birthday so he doesn't have to get older.  So far everything has been pretty good.  And for some reason I don't think Jason would ever be willing to skip his birthday...he always likes to milk it for a few days, which is fine with me.  Mostly because I always do the same.

Happy Birthday babe! I think 27 is going to be pretty great.

ice cream date

While Jason and I were running errands the other day, the weather was absolutely gorgeous.  It's actually been quite the trend here lately, having nice weather.  So in the midst of our running around we stopped to enjoy a mini ice cream date. The closest spot was Dairy Queen - and I all of a sudden got a craving for a dipped cone.  It's been forever since I had one of those...I mean forever.

I really hope this warm weather sticks around, I can see us enjoying many more of these ice cream dates :)

breakfast by the master himself

It's becoming a sort of Sunday morning tradition at our house for Jason to make breakfast.  It's the one meal of the day that he has mastered better than anyone else in our house, and I am more than happy to say so.  Anything that involves me kicking my feet up and being served relaxing while food is being made for me, is a-okay! On the menu this past weekend was egg and sausage biscuits.  Yum!

mini-mexi-date

Most nights I dread the thought of making dinner after work.  Add to that the fact that I usually need to go to the grocery store...picture me running for the hills.  

So when Jas suggested we go to our fave Mexican spot, El Matador, for 99 cent tacos - I was all about it.  Not only did this save me from work week cooking, but it was a great chance to enjoy a mini-date while my brother was at basketball practice.

an afternoon downtown; thankful for this amazing fall weather

Jas and I headed downtown Chattanooga after lunch on Saturday.  We heard there was a big rowing competition going on, so we decided to head to the walking bridge to check it out.  It was a gorgeous day to get out and enjoy our city; this year the fall season has really shown up and has been sticking around.  I am glad to have it for as long as it will stay....I feel pretty lucky since hearing about all the places getting snow already!

three years

Happy Anniversary to the most amazing guy this girl could ask for.  It's crazy that it has been three years already and at the same time it seems like we've been married forever.  I just feel so blessed to have such an amazing partner in this life.  I love you Jas!!

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 :)

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!

friday's five favorites: beach attire for guys

Jason and I are headed to the beach in a couple weeks (we're praying that we don't get rained out).  I am so excited that I can hardly stand it.  You may have noticed that I can't go very long without some sort of vacation in my life, even for just a long weekend.  

In honor of our upcoming trip, I decided to scout out a possible beach outfit for Jason.  There was much more cool stuff out there than I thought!  Here are a few pieces that were my our faves:

Jason loves wearing hats.  A hat is a must at the beach, or at least on the way to the beach.

You have got to have a cool pair of shades to protect your eyes from the sun.

A basic tee is perfect for the beach; nothing too heavy.

Jason is all about the the fun and funky boardshorts.  This pair is pretty awesome.

And, of course, you have got to have a pair of Reef sandals to complete the look.

goodbye funk status

I feel like it's all too easy to get stuck in a funk.  

Get up. Go to work. Come home from work. Eat dinner. Watch tv. Go to bed. Do it all over again.

Yesterday, while I was at work, I realized that my week has sort of started out that way.  So I decided that when I got home, we needed to head to the pool.  

I just needed to be outside. In the sun. And away from anything close to that funk status.  Since it is still blazing hot here, the pool was the obvious choice. And a great choice because we had the pool all to ourselves for a little while.  Thus allowing me to snap some photos without feeling embarrassed. ha!

What do you like to do to get out of your funk status?  

an evening stroll with my little family

The weather here has continued to be hot and humid and at times unbearable.  But it is still important for us to get out and get some exercise.  We are fortunate to have a greenway nearby that has lots of shade and it cool enough in the evenings for us to go on a nice stroll.

This greenway runs alongside a big creek, so we let Jack play around in the water so that he doesn't get overheated.  I think it's his favorite part.  I love these times with my little family.

p.s. did you know you can make magnets out of your instagrams? how cool is that!

more work in the backyard

While us ladies were out having a good time, Jason and his dad and brother (and jack too) were back at the house finishing up a project in our backyard.  We decided a few months ago that we wanted to extend the concrete slab to give us a little more space to work with.  

It was so great to have my father in law here to help out Jason, his expertise always comes in handy around our home.  The guys did a great job and I think Jack had a great time supervising the whole day.

Now we just need to decide exactly what we want to do with this extra space.  I am thinking we should get a couple chairs and a fire pit.  I can imagine having friends over on a cool evening and roasting marshmallows and telling stories. mmmm..smores.  

What do you think would be a good use of this new space?