First Week of Summer Recap 2018

Hey everyone! Happy Monday :) This past week has been such a whirlwind with being out of town for a wedding, doctor's appointments, the digital summit, and then to see friends in DC. Holy moly!

First up was Emily and Jordan's wedding. It was at a beautiful manor in North Carolina and we had a blast!

The next day we headed home for a quick nap before having to continue the drive up to D.C. Ugh that traffic is never fun! We went to my doctor's appointment the next day and then stayed with Carly and Joey for the night. We had a great time checking out a German beer garden, meeting Doc and Beth, and then having dinner together.

Later on in the week I had the Digital Summit for my school district. It was nice to get some ideas for next year but it was so hard to focus when I feel like we JUST finally started summer. Hopefully after things calm down next month I'll be able to dive in a little deeper.

On Friday we went over to the Labonte's house and had a great time eating pizza and just talking. It's always so relaxing over there and I always feel like I can be myself :) We never get any pictures though!

Saturday morning we headed out again for D.C. but this time we brought the pups to meet Carly and Joey's girls. The dogs were so funny together and they got along pretty well. It was basically madness with 4 little dogs but I think we did okay :) Carly is the best dog mom and they had lots of yummy treats! That night we went to Bar Charley (sooooo good!!) and to a couple bars. What a blast!

Mark and Joey had their own special date night lol

On Sunday we headed home pretty early. Then we had a date night at Il Giardino and went to see Ocean's 8. I loved the other Oceans movies so I was excited to see this one too. It was pretty good but I kept waiting for the conflict in the story. There just didn't seem to be one because everything worked out for them.... oh well!

all tuckered out from playing with their girlfriends and the drive

It was a great first week of summer and today we are hitting the ground running with last minute things before Mark leaves. Never a dull moment! :)

Weekend Recap: Monterey Wedding

I’m really behind on my updates but a couple weeks ago we returned from a quick trip to Monterey, CA to see some of our closest friends get hitched. The trip was a whirlwind but so much fun!

I flew out on Thursday night and met Mark in San Jose. We made the drive to Monterey and then immediately passed out. Traveling really took it out of us!

The next morning we got an early start and headed to Fisherman's Wharf for breakfast. We didn't want to waste a minute of our trip! Breakfast was delicious and the views were gorgeous. Afterwards, we met up with Carly and Joey in Pebble Beach to have lunch at Stillwater. Carly raved about this place and it did not disappoint. It was so yummy and holy moly those views!

Later on, we headed back to get ready for the wedding and then met up with some friends to make our way there. The ceremony and reception were so beautiful and the bride and groom looked so happy! Plus their pup Atlas was up there with them looking like a stud! We danced the night away (as much as I could on crutches) and ate delicious food! Such a good wedding!

The next morning we met up with a bunch of people to explore the downtown area. We stopped at several restaurants/ bars and had the best time. It was so fun catching up with my sorority sisters and it was the perfect end to the weekend. We headed back to the hotel around 8 because we had to be up at 3:30 am to drive back to San Jose and catch our flight. It was a pretty rough day of travel because the airports were nuts but we made it home safe and sound. I'm still wishing the weekend wasn't over because we had such a great time. Thanks for hosting such an amazing wedding weekend TJ and Ashley!

Weekend Recap: Grad Time

Hey everyone! This is coming a little late but I wanted to share about our weekend. We had a super short trip to Richmond for my cousin Sawyer's college graduation. Sawyer is about 9 years younger than me and we grew up across the country from each other. We probably saw each other once every other year or every few years so we didn't spend a ton of time together. I feel like I am just getting to know him as an adult now and it's so fun to see a different side of him. We had a blast celebrating his success and hanging out with the fam.

Our first year living in VA has been tough (for a few reasons) but the main one is that we are so far from our family. A huge blessing is that we have extended family that live pretty close and I am so thankful that we can take advantage of the short distance to see them.

How fun is this??? 

Richmond is such a cute city and I want to go back and explore more. My friend Carly sent me a list of places to go visit so maybe a summer trip is in store to see more of our new state!

SO proud of you Sawyer and so excited for your big boy job starting soon!

Weekend Recap {Still Hopping Around & Bachelorette Party}

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine was great because Mark is home! Yay!! I am normally totally fine being home alone for weeks and months on end but this darn knee issue has been such a pain. If I want to carry anything at all, I have hop around because I can't hold anything in my hands while using my crutches. So annoying! I am hoping that after my MRI this weekend and then my appointment a week later, I will know what the damage is to my knee. Praying it won't be too bad of a recovery!

Taking a break while attempting to lug my laundry upstairs :(

On Friday, I went to dinner with my friend Ashley. We grabbed some Mexican food and had great girl talk. So fun to be able to relax and chat with a girlfriend!

On Saturday, I worked on school ALL morning, trying to get my remediation groups together for testing. It's coming up in just a few shorts weeks. AHHH! Mark came home in the afternoon and I was so glad to squeeze in a little time with him before heading to a friend's bachelorette dinner. We went the the Cavalier and ate at Becca. I was so excited to check out the Cavalier since it just recently reopened. SO pretty and the food was delicious! I want to go back when I'm not on crutches!

Sunday was spent working on school some more... boring lol! Then Mark and I grabbed lunch at Wasserhund. I LOVE their pizza and beer. SO good! We also ran some errands and finally got a new grill. Yay for being able to grill this summer!! It makes clean up so easy and is relatively healthy depending on what you make.

This week is busy busy busy but I'm going to try and post a book over-review soon. I've been a reading machine lately! Have a good week!

Weekend Recap {Are we in SD??}

I love him!

We had the most gorgeous weekend here in VA Beach. It was actually warm and made me think we were in San Diego... well kinda lol! On Friday, we had dinner with Pete and Lindsay at Gringos. We had a great time chatting and catching up, plus the margaritas were delicious! Of course, I forgot to take pictures lol... I'm the worst lately!

How cute are the Kendra Scott earrings from my mom?

On Saturday, we ran errands and finally picked up my jeep from the dealership. It has been such an ordeal to get my heat fixed but it's finally done, just in time for spring lol! Just glad to have it back. Afterwards, we went to Taste to have lunch outside. Everyone else has the same idea and it was packed. Our lunch was so yummy though!

Later on, we went to dinner for my friend's birthday. It was fun to meet her friends and to celebrate her big day. Happy Birthday Becky!
We headed over to Tj and Ashley's for dessert and to hang out. We ended up drinking a ton of wine and staying out way too late but it was a blast. I love the Virginia Beach is starting to feel more like home.

Taryn and me

Sunday was a laaaazy day and we slept in. I did manage to run a few errands, write lesson plans, and do laundry though. We headed back to TJ and Ashley's for dinner and holy moly TJ is a great cook. We had the most amazing penne all vodka. I am still full from it but so worth it! We also got to watch Chasen pitch which was so cool! Go Bugs!

We had a great weekend spent with some new friends and a few SD friends too. Now lets hurry up and get to next weekend! :)

Weekend Recap {Going Away Parties & Baby Showers}

They are going to freak out when we stop using the fireplace in the summer lol

Hey everyone! Long time no talk. Remember when I said I was going to be more consistent?? Well then I got sick, went to Florida for work, got sick again, and life just got crazy.  I'm back.... with only food pictures lol but at least I am here right?? I need to update you all on some house things and just our life in general but to be honest, we aren't very exciting lol. I am still trying to settle into our new home and work is still consuming my life, but with that being said, we had a great weekend!

On Friday, we had our Valentine's date at Blue Pete's in Pungo. People rave about this restaurant so we were excited to try it out. We had She Crab soup to start with and it was super delicious. It was actually so good that we were stuffed and could barely eat our entrees. :( Darnit! I had crab cakes and they were alright but definitely not the best I've ever had. Maybe we would like Blue Petes more during the day so we could see the water?? I don't know... we will have to give it a try again. Afterwards, we went back to the house to watch a movie. Fridays are so hard and I'm usually exhausted.

On Saturday, I tried out a dance bootcamp class at the gym and it kicked my butt. I was nervous to go because I'm not great at dancing but I really do love to dance. I decided to just go for it and I'm glad I did. My calves still hurt lol.

Afterwards, we had lunch at Green Flash with some friends. The weather was rainy but we still had a blast. It's always fun to be around people that make you feel so at ease!

Later on that night, we headed to a going away party for some friends out here. I just met this couple in August but I really like them and I'm so bummed to see them leave. I'm hoping that we will see them again soon! We had a great night at the party but unfortunately we went home early since I had a killer headache. I hate being a downer and leaving early but I really didn't feel well.

On Sunday morning, we went to a baby shower at Waterman's on the oceanfront. It was such a beautiful day even though it was on the colder side. We were there most of the day and loved sitting on the patio with friends.  I left while Mark was still hanging out with the guys because I had a long list of things to do since I had work today while most people had it off. Darn snow make-up days!! I was able to accomplish everything on my list and start my week off on the right foot. I hope you all had a great long weekend :)

Weekend Recap {80's Rockers}

Happy Monday everyone! I'm back today with a weekend recap and it's seriously been a hot minute since I posted one of these. We just haven't done very exciting things lately lol and I have been the WORST at taking pictures lol. So I made a point to take a few this weekend.

On Friday night, we got dressed up to see The Legwarmers, an 80s cover band in Norfolk. We had a blast decking ourselves out and I seriously wish we were born earlier in the 80s. Such fun outfits! We had a great night.

On Saturday, I spent the morning cleaning the house and doing laundry. It was such a beautiful day so we decided to go to First Landing State Park for a walk. Since we've had such crazy weather lately, it was so nice to be able to spend some time outside. That's what I miss most about SD... just being outside all the time... well that and my friends, of course!

Later on, we went to dinner with some friends. We ate at Il Giardino and it was sooooo good! I've been wanting to go there for awhile and it did not disappoint! We also saw 12 Strong, which I highly recommend.

Sunday was spent at church and running errands in the morning. It was another beautiful day out and we had the windows open upstairs to let in some fresh air. SOOO nice! I'm going to be out of town this week so I worked for hours on sub plans and getting everything organized. Such a pain in the butt and I'm so glad to be done with that.

I hope you had a great weekend as well! ;)

Weekend Recap: December Edition

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! I'm in a great mood today because we have a very short week and then it's Winter Break! Hallelujah! We also had a wonderful weekend and I was super productive, win win!

The weekend started with dinner at Flip Flops and a drink at Chowboy's. Flip flops was okay, but not great. We always LOVE Chowboys so we should have eaten there instead. Oh well! The rest of the night was spent watching The Santa Claus, one of my favorite movies!

apple pie mimosa

On Saturday, we had breakfast at Commune, once again it was just okay. Kinda hipster which isn't really our scene lol. Then we grabbed at coffee from Three Ships and walked around the Farmer's Market. It was the perfect relaxing morning! Afterwards, Mark and I finished some Christmas shopping and I headed home to clean the house. It makes my week start off so much better with a clean home. Don't you agree?? Saturday night we went out to dinner with a couple friends to Mahi  Mah's and had a great time. The night ended with listening to live music at a bar down the street.

Sunday morning was very lazy and we ended up watching our home church from SD online. Mark made us breakfast which was so yummy, thank you!! :) We both ended up running errands and then I worked on making some Christmas treats. My mom always makes toffee so she sent me her recipe so I could make some too. I made a huge mess in the kitchen but it looks like it turned out pretty well so far. We will have to see when I break it apart and actually try it. :) I also made the Pioneer Woman's pot roast recipe, YUM!

I hope you all have a great week and accomplish everything on your list before Christmas! :)

Weekend Recap {Wooster/ Quinn visit}

Hey everyone! Happy Monday! We had a fun-packed weekend with family visiting. Thankfully Aunt Kathy is amazing with capturing everything in pictures so prepare yourself for a great weekend recap. Thanks Kathy!

On Thursday, the Woosters and Tracy got to the house after work and we headed to Rockafellers on recommendation from Becky. Thank you! The food was delicious and the view was beautiful. Afterwards we got some ice cream and headed home. It was pretty dang cold out but when you're craving ice cream, you're craving ice cream!

On Friday, we ventured out to Norfolk to see the USS Wisconsin. The museum was super interesting and it was neat to see what it would be like to live on a ship. Afterwards, we went over to the Waterside District for lunch. We ended up eating at the Smokehouse and had the most delicious nachos. Fun fact about me: nachos are one of my favorite things to eat. SO good! We had some time to kill so we went to my favorite store, Kirkland's, to check out their Veteran's day sales. We got a couple of Christmas goodies but for the most part I was able to refrain from going nuts.  :)

Our last stop for the night was the Million Bulb Walk at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens. It was so beautiful and definitely got me in the holiday spirit. It was soooo cold out though. I was not prepared for it to be this chilly outside already. Thankfully Mark packed extra layers for me so we had plenty to go around. Plus the peppermint mocha from Starbucks helped too!

freezing people!

On Saturday, I wasn't feeling very well so I stayed home while Kathy, Mark, and Tracy went to Colonial Williamsburg. Their pictures looked like so much fun though. I made black bean flautas for dinner and we had a cozy night in by the fire.

Sunday, was spent at the Cape Henry Lighthouse and then at the Bodacious Bazarre in Hampton Roads. I was so disappointed by the Bazarre because I was expecting more cute crafty things. They just didn't have much that I liked but I did get a couple of Christmas items. Oh well, still fun to experience something new!

We had such a fun visit with Kathy, Mark, and Tracy! Thanks for coming to visit us in our new home :)

Wedding Weekend in Des Moines

Hey there! I hope you all had a good weekend. Mine seriously flew by because we were in Des Moines for my uncle's wedding. We arrived on Thursday and went straight to a sushi restuarant with the family and a bunch of people who were in town for the wedding. It turned into a dance party and was a blast. If you follow me on Instagram, I'm sure you saw ALL the instastories lol.

On Friday, we celebrated my grandma's 75th birthday. We surprised her with having shirts made by my super talented friend... thanks Brittney! They turned out great. We also had brunch at my uncle's house and she opened gifts. I want to look like her when Im 75! Later on, we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding. Everything was in walking distance, which was so nice. Des Moines is seriously adorable!

The wedding was beautiful and the ceremony was very sweet. His kids even gave speeches and they did such a good job! We danced the night away and then went to my uncle's house for an after-party. Such a FUN wedding!

We ended up having to move rooms at 1:30 in the morning since our AC was broken. It was a disaster trying to move ALL of our stuff but ended up being hilarious. It's all about the memories, right?? :)

On Saturday morning we went to the farmer's market down the street. They had tons of vendors set up and we ended up having breakfast nachos. SOOOO good! The rest of the day was spent at a pool party with the wedding guests. My uncle's friend's house was gorgeous!! House goals lol. Afterwards we went to El Bait Shop for a beer before we called it a night.

Sunday morning we got packed up and headed to the airport. The whole weekend went by so fast but we had such a great time. I miss my family already!