Confess Sesh - Beach Vacation Style

I've been at the beach for the past week for a family reunion. And I've learned quite a lot about myself in the past seven days. Hence, it is time for some confessions.

Shameless "island girl and a pirate flag" selfie. 

~

I confess...that I don't know how to properly pack for just a week at the beach.

I confess...that I also don't know how to properly apply sunscreen. Sorry Robbie.

I confess...that there is nothing better than a late night card game. Or a 500 piece puzzle.

I confess...that when I'm at the beach, I eat just because I can. Not because I'm hungry.

I confess...that even though technically, I'm a "tourist" (as I don't actually live at the beach) I hate shoobies just as much as the next person.

I confess...that I can only read a book when I am sitting on the beach.

I confess....coincidentally that I can only sit still on the beach if I am reading a book.

I confess...that I actually do like semi-adventurous water sports ie. kayaking.

I confess...that I do not like sand in my beach bag.

I confess...that I don't really like picking up a sandy, sun-screened baby. But I will. 

I confess...that sandy, sun-screened babies playing on the beach are the cutest things ever.

I confess...that I no matter how many times you point to the dolphins right off the shore, I'm not going to be able to see them. Even after I say, "oh yeaaaa". 

I confess...that if I can help it, this is the last vacation I take without my sweet girls. 

Hugs,

Throwback Thursday

Confession: I have had this post planned since last week when I was sooooo sad I missed the "week of the crush". If you're not at least reading Bon's Throwback posts, you need to reevaluate some of your life decisions. 

So this week is Throwback Birthday. And I have to just warn you - I had THE best birthdays growing up. And to think my mom planned it all in the middle of tax season (I'm the daughter of a CPA born on April 10, oh the irony) and without Pinterest is pretty impressive if you ask me. 

For the sake of time, I won't recount all the marvelous birthdays I had but I'll mention just a few that pop to the forefront of my mind.

The One With the Makeovers

- I have no idea how old I was turning but it was sometime in Elementary School. I invited 5 or 6 girls (which was A LOT - normally I was only allowed to invite 2) for a sleepover birthday party. That in and of itself would have been enough. But the fun didn't stop there. IT WAS A MAKEOVER BIRTHDAY PARTY. My mom's best friend came over, we kicked the boys out of the house, and we got to wear real make up, fix our hair, and dress up in my mom's old prom dresses and pageant gowns. We posed and took pictures, just like real models, and then made frames out of popsicle sticks for everyone to take home. It was seriously the best. 

The One Where I Became a Teenager

- For my 13th Birthday I had a joint cookout sleepover with my very best friend. We invited all of our girlfriends and started at my friend Holly's house where we grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and giggled about boys. We had ice cream cake and opened presents and giggled about more boys. Then we all shuttled over to my house where we stayed up late, ate muddy buddies, and you guess it, giggled about boys. That morning we woke up and had the hugest, yummiest breakfast. It was great.

The One and Only Surprise Party

- I say one and only because so far, it's the only surprise party I've had although I totally wouldn't be opposed to another. For my 16th birthday I was so wrapped up in getting a car and my license that I hadn't even really thought about a party. Robbie and I were dating and he had planned a special day for us the day before my actual birthday. He also gave me my first promise ring that year. That night I had plans to eat with my parents at my favorite "fancy" restaurant in town. This was the first birthday that my parents had been separated so dinner with them both was a big deal and I was very excited. 

When we got to the restaurant I immediately noticed my three best friends sitting at a table together. They waved and I remember thinking, "that's so weird that they're here and why wasn't I invited." Until about .5 seconds later when I realized they were there to eat with me! At first I thought it would be them plus my parents and Carter, but it wasn't. Mom and Dad left and the four of us had the best time - talking, eating the most delicious lobster bisque I've ever had, and of course, still giggling about boys. They spent the night that night and even though it was a really low key birthday, it was one of the most special weekends. I got to spend it with all of my favorite people. Oh, and I still got my whole family dinner which was great too.

My two favorite boys at dinner.

The One Where I Got Engaged

- This barely counts as a "throwback". In fact, I refuse to classify my 21st Birthday as a "throwback" because I refuse to admit that I am getting that old. But, I can't talk about great birthdays without mentioning this one. 

First things first, no I didn't get engaged on my birthday. But, I have this philosophy that birthdays are meant to be celebrated for the whole month, so it counts. Robbie proposed the weekend before my birthday (and I just realized I've never blogged about our proposal. I'll get on that soon.) so I was fortunate enough to spend the entire week before my birthday celebrating my engagement with the best roommates in the whole world (seriously love those girls) and then we slid into the weekend celebrations for my birthday.

I'd like to say that I did something really wild and crazy that I don't even remember for my 21st Birthday, but the lame truth is I didn't. I tried. But it just didn't work out that way. I instead went to a very nice dinner with some of my closest college friends, where I ordered every drink on the menu and only liked maybe 2. I am not an adventurous drinker. I prefer the basics - wine, beer, tequila. But I was turning 21 so I felt like I needed to at least try to be fancy. After dinner a few of us decided to go downtown and try out some new bars that we had never been to but again - I am not an adventurous bar hopper. I like to stick with what I know and what I'm familiar with. The "new bars" that we went to were kind of lame and we ended up back at our apartment drinking trusty Pinot Grigio and just hanging out. Which still happens to be one of my favorite things to do. 

Either way - it was a special birthday (that isn't a throwback) where I got to spend quality time with all the people I love. Cause honestly, isn't that what birthdays are all about? 

Oh and being a princess. Birthdays are definitely all about being a princess. 

While we're talking about birthdays - this year, in 10 short months actually, I turn 25! Eeek! And I am so excited! I've already started planning my birthday party. I'm thinking a 007/Secret Agent theme. Kelle Hampton inspired! 

Go link up!

Hugs,

P.S. I can't apologize enough for not having any decent throwback pictures to add to this post. We all know that's the real reason we love a good throwback. But eh, scrounging up pictures from 1998 and getting them into the computer proved to be harder than expected. Whoops. 

Someone Who Doesn't Complain as Much as Me.

Happy Humpday Folks!!!

(Note to self: don't google "hump day" in hopes of finding a really funny, camel related picture. Apparently camels don't get top hits compared to other "hump" related things.)

Anyway, I'm still nursing a pretty intense, uneven sunburn. And you know the only thing worse than a sunburn is an uneven sunburn. If I'm going to turn a nice shade of lobster red, I'd at least like to be lobster red all over. Not in fancy little streaks up and down my legs. 

But that's neither here nor there. One day I'll believe all the ozone layer hype and actually apply sunscreen the way I'm supposed to. Until then, I'll be here complaining about uneven sunburns. 

Someone who doesn't complain about sunburns, though, is the busy bee Taylor. Fortunately, she took some time to buzz over here and say hello so you don't have to listen to me complain. If only my husband could be as lucky. 

Anyway - I'll just let Taylor take it away. 

Hey there, Taylor here.

I blog live over at Confessions of a Busy Busy Bee.

I am a firm believer that I can't make it throughout the day without multiple cups of coffee in the morning, that laughter is the best medicine, and if you don't take the time to stop and smell the roses, you aren't really living life.

I am a magazine junkie and dream of the day that I get to be the next cover girl. I also love to read so much (that is, whenever I have the free time) that two other bloggers and I started a book club! 

My new found love is to design things and I just recently launched my own, little blog design shop! So, (lucky you!) since you are reading this, you are more than welcome to snatch up the wallpaper freebie that I designed below.

iPhone 4download  // iPhone 5 download

I'm also a firm believer that everybody should have a little bit of glitter in their life! :)

You can find me here:
BLOG // TWITTER // FACEBOOK // PINTEREST // INSTAGRAM

I Just Wanna Get Married Again

To the same guy of course. I would marry that little muffin 20 times over if I could.

I mean, can you blame me?

And honestly, I'd probably do all the same exact things again. I just want to do it again.

Is that weird? Don't answer that.

Planning a wedding is stressful, don't get me wrong. There were tears, there were snappy moments, there were disagreements. But really, honestly, I was very lucky as far as the whole "planning" process goes. 

My mom and I have talked about it, recently in fact, because sometimes when I hear other "brides to be" talk about the stress that is wedding planning I think, maybe I've blocked out all the bad stuff and I have this delusional recollection of how it really went. If I do, clearly my mom does to. Because even she's said it was not ever that bad. In fact, at some points it actually border-lined being fun. Gasp. 

Addressing envelopes. Isn't she cutest.

Sure, thanks to Pinterest there are a lot of really cute things I would love to have done. But honestly, I am still in love with every detail of our wedding. 

Plus, is it just me, or do you hate going to a wedding that looks exactly like a Pinterest board. I mean it's cool, and usually always very pretty. But I feel like if you're not careful, it gets a little to impersonal. 

And I am all about personal touches at your wedding. We had a macaroni bar at our rehearsal dinner. We keep it classy over here fo sho. 

The one teeny tiny thing I would have wanted to change was the photography. I loved my photographer. She was reasonably priced and did exactly what we asked her to do. Unfortunately we were more interested in hanging out with our guests, eating our yummy food, and dancing to our great band. Therefore 99% of our pictures are candids because we told her we didn't want to pose for too many formals. And given the chance, I'm sure I would make the same decision again. But now looking back, it would be nice to have maybe one or two more "posed" formal wedding day pictures. 

I also wish I didn't get my dress preserved. It seemed like such a good idea at the time. I didn't want to just shove that dress in the back of my closet. Preserving it meant it would nice and clean and white for....what? I'm not sure. 

via Emma Lupton

You see, I've already decided that my daughter will not, no way no how, wear my wedding dress. Every little girl deserves the exhilaratingly stressful (that part was a little nerve wracking) chance to try on and buy their own wedding dress. In my personal opinion at least. 

I'll probably "un-preserve" it when I have kids and use some of the fabric to make a blankie or a christening outfit. I think that'd be cool. In my personal opinion at least. 

But the problem is...I don't want to wait 3-5 years before touching that gorgeous dress again. I want to wear it now. 

via Emma Lupton

I blame blogging. And Friends. Rachel, Monica and Phoebe made it okay to sit on the couch in a wedding dress. And good lord, half of you ladies rocked your dress again for more pictures or one year anniversaries. Preserving it was a waste of my time. 

And as soon as I can convince the hubs that it's not that weird, I'm cracking into that box. 

Hugs,

Is This Real Life?

I have been in serious David After Dentist mode all weekend.

All because of a little week old baby named North West. I can't even type that with a serious face. I'm just waiting for Ashton Kutcher to pop out from the sidelines and say "JK everybody - you've been Punk'd." 

Unfortunately, the fact that they've supposedly given her a "nickname" makes me think that it's all too real. To which I have to say, whatdafuq?

Except, I now understand why everyone was keeping it so hush hush. Because everyone thought it was soooo stupid. 

I'm sure Kim confronted Kourtney about it first. Since she's the baby expert and all. To which I'm sure her response was something like this.

Khloe was probably left speechless for the first time in her life. Don't worry girlfriend, I've had that same look of confusion on my face for the past three days.

This whole debacle has probably dropped Kim from Kris's Favorite Child Spot. She's waited her whole life to be a grandma and she was on such a good roll. Now she gets to add Nori to her "World's Best Grandma" t-shirt and I'm sure she's thrilled about it.

And poor Mason. You know he was so excited about finally having another playmate. Only to find out her name is North West. Kiki, what were you thinking?

I know this pregnancy was hard on Kim and she was probably just physically and emotionally drained. She wasn't thinking straight when the nurse asked her that fateful question. Being a new mom with millions of dollars and 15 nannies is hard.

As for "Yeezus" himself. Who knows what he was he was doing when this decision was made. Probably staring in the mirror or writing yet another offensive song. Or probably still trying to get used to the fact that he knocked up the still technically married, extremely high maintenance Kim Kardashion, making him an unofficial part of the craziest family in America for at least the next 18 years. 

Don't worry Kanye, I'm sure Scott and Lammy have some stellar advice on how to handle all that estrogen. That is, if they still talk to you after being dumb enough to name your daughter North West.

Hugs,

Being Organized

I am obsessed with being organized. And I like to think I'm pretty good at it - or at least better than some. But, honestly I am always, always looking for a better way to organize things.

I've mentioned before that I would rather organize and reorganize my house ten times over than dust or vacuum it. If everything is in it's place I can overlook the dog hair tumbleweed rolling through the hall. (Oh, come on. You lab owners know what I'm talking about.)

Anyway - one thing that I can never seem to get organized is my "electronic life". My emails, my blogs, pictures on my computer, etc. Something about it not being a hard copy throws me.

With this whole switch to BlogLovin (which has had me uber stressed by the way. I didn't even know what Google Reader was but apparently now it's going away and I need to panic about it?) I figured it was a great time to get at least my blog life organized. Especially once I realized I could sort all of my blogs on BlogLovin into nice little groups, I was in heaven.

Two things happened because of this.

1. I realized I "follow" a lot of blogs that I never read. Whoops.

2. I realized I was now double following several blogs. I'm not exactly sure how that happened, but I'm getting it sorted out.

I'm sure in a couple of weeks, I'll realize that I accidentally unfollowed some of my favorite blogs too and we'll start that whole process.

This is going somewhere, I promise...

Apparently one of the blogs that I "followed" but didn't even realize I was following is What the Flicka?

This particular blog caught my eye yesterday because one, that's a catchy name, I don't care who you are, and two, yesterday's post was about this piece of deliciousness.

Strawberry Angel Food Cake Martini 

And just like that, I was hooked. Come to find out, it's Felicity Huffman's blog. I met her one time. In high school on Good Morning America. And she makes Strawberry Angel Food Cake Martinis. So we're pretty much best friends. 

Obviously, I couldn't make these martinis last night, or any of the other 349085 yummy things I found on her blog cause I don't keep all that stuff on hand.

But you better believe I'll have one of those in my hands while I #backthatazzup. (Except really, I'll probably put it down before I actually start any type of dancing moving, only because martinis spill way easy.)

Speaking of backing that azz up, I was going to put Miley's new song in today's post....until she released the video. To which I have to say - "please, Miley, we wish you would just stop."

I hope you all have a fabulous weekend! 

Why I Suck at Blogging

First things first. Stop what you're doing and read this. Seriously the funniest thing I've seen in a while. Or at least since the last time I checked buzzfeed. That website gets me every time.

26 Reasons Kids are Pretty Much Just Tiny Drunk Adults

You're welcome. Now that we've gotten that out of the way. It's Thursday. Also know as Friday Eve. Also known as the day I always have bloggers block. 

I don't know what it is about Thursdays. But by the time they roll around I'm completely out of blogging ideas. Except this Thursday shouldn't even count because I'm on summer vacation and therefore I don't have regular days like everyone else. #sorrynotsorry

I guess we can just chalk this up to Reason #2304983 why I'm an awful blogger.

What are some other reasons I'm not winning any blogger of the year awards over here, you ask? Let's explore a few shall we?

I only take pictures on my iPhone. I have a fancy-ish camera. Not one of those DSLR or whatevers. But it's a pretty good one. The last time I used it was in February when I hosted a baby shower for one of my friends.

Oh yea. The baby shower I never blogged about. Reason #2304984.

For what it's worth, it was super cute and super fun.

And yes, the baby is now 3 months old and super sweet.

I don't own one bubble necklace. Not. One. I'm not even 100% sure that's what they're called?

I don't know how to use a crockpot. I'm not sure if this technically makes me a bad blogger, but I feel like bloggers are domestic people and domestic people should know how to use a crockpot (especially since they're like, fool proof, from what I hear). But alas, I've used the really nice red one we got as a wedding gift twice, once for BBQ chicken dip and once for Velveeta cheese. 

I scarf my food down way too fast. Oh, you wanted to see a picture of what I ate for dinner. Sorry, not gonna happen. It's in mah belly as soon as the plate hits the table. I'm kind of an animal. #sorryboutit

I always always forget to link up my crafts to SPD. But I never forget to read about all the great Pinterest projects you good bloggers actually do. 

Happy Thursday Friends!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

1. Lists - This one is actually something I love all the time. But I've recently started making my lists a little fancier, which makes me love them even more. 

2. Grey's Anatomy - Robbie and I have started watching again from the very very beginning. And I tell ya what, those first few seasons are THE best. Izzy, Burke, George - the gang's all there and it is fabulous.

3. Cheddar Popcorn and Diet Coke - Two things that are both gluten free and both delicious. (Never mind the calories in the popcorn and the aspartame in the diet coke.)

4. Chalkboard Art - Remember that refurbished antique table I bought a few months back, with the chalkboard top? The one that will be perfect for a little kid's room in 5 years? Yea, well with it tucked safely away in the guest room (where no one hardly ever sees it) I have been brave enough to channel my inner Jessica Garvin and try some designs for myself. 

5. My Spots are Completely Gone - I know for most all of you this will make absolutely no sense whatsoever, because somehow I managed to go through the whole ordeal without divulging every detail via le blog. But basically, long story short, back in October I developed eczema and broke out in these horrific "spots" all over my shins. They itched like crazy and looked so bad. This was part of my motivation for starting a gluten free diet. 

Since October, it's been kind of an up and down thing. They've gotten better and then gotten way worse again. About two weeks ago they got the worse they've ever been. Which was devastating, because hello, it's one million degrees outside and I should be showing off my legs, not covering them up. In fact, it was only last week that I told Robbie I couldn't wait for my shins to be something that I didn't even think about. 

Well, that day has come and is hopefully here to stay. My legs look better than they have in months and I'm hoping they'll stay that way. What did I do differently you might ask? I honestly have no idea. I was in such desperation mode that I was trying like ten different things at once. Whoops. 

I will say, watching what I've been eating has been a huge contributing factor though. I have become such an advocate for being self aware of what you're putting in your body. (Number 3 may beg to differ.) I wrote a post a few months ago about green, leafy vegetables and for the record, I still hate veggies. I am by no means, a "health food addict". In fact, I still hate most healthy foods. But I'm watching the types of foods I'm putting in my body and the amount I'm eating. And I honestly think it's helping.

Sorry....nothing about that was "long story short". 

6. These Puppies - Always.

Hugs,

Who Am I?

Y'all, seriously. I think aliens came and abducted my body. Tonight I went to the gym - which I haven't done in for-ever. And now I'm watching the NBA Finals with the hub-a-lub, which I haven't done...ever. Oh yea, and I'm blogging - twice in one day. Say whaaaaa?

On top of all that - I miss my first grade babies. It's been two weeks. Barely.

I usually do everything I can to keep my mind completely off of school during the summer. Teaching is one of those careers that you don't just "leave at the office" each day. If you're not careful, it can completely consume you. Summer is the perfect opportunity to relax physically and mentally from the 24/7 demands (good and bad) that go along with teaching.

However, here I am, on my summer vacation. And as hard as I try, I can't stay away from school related pins/blogs/etc.

I blame those damn AT&T commercials. 

(P.S. While I was YouTubing that commercial, I found a behind the scenes video that is pretty interesting as well. You should watch it, unless you're not as obsessed with these commercials as I am, in which case you should probably reevaluate your life.)

Anyway - the great thing about "teaching blogs" is they always have the best link ups. Seriously, blogging has taken the "beg, steal, borrow" mantra of teaching to a whole new level.

When I saw this link-up I knew it was going to be too funny to pass up. In fact I'm sure my kids would have quite a few to add to the list, but this is what I've got.

Mrs. Dunn Always Says...

Preferably, a better one.

By the end of the year, I feel like this was said every time one of my kids raised their hands. 

Whether it was a bathroom request, a tattle on a friend, something they did last weekend, they first had to determine if it was something I absolutely needed to know right that second. 

Even in first grade, we had our fair share of "drama". I spent a lot of time reminding my kids that we were in fact a family and that, even if sometimes we make each other mad (cause sometimes that happens in a family) we still always love each other. 

I actually heard some of my girls repeating this on the playground one time when they were playing "school". 

~

Go link up here to read what other teachers say over and over and over again.

Hugs,

Summer - The Permanent Weekend

I know today's Tuesday,

(although I did have to stop and think about it a while

but if you're lucky that's what summer does to ya)

and while weekends should typically be recapped on Monday,

my recap is happening on Tuesday.

Kay? Great.

~

I mentioned on Friday that I've started a summer job

and I think I mentioned something about being excited about it?

Clearly, I was in denial because it sucks.

I'm five days in and I already feel like I'm wasting my whole summer working.

But that's neither here nor there. 

Let's just check out some recent happenings via pictures.

{Warning: This is the most random collection of pictures imaginable, and only probably five of them are actually from Saturday and Sunday. But hey, it's my blog so and I do what I want.}

one. my sweet Mema turned 81 years young a few weekends ago. we celebrated at White Lake with Duke Devotionals. duh.

two. clearly two of the most photogenic people I know.

three. my Mama Delta and I, showing how pictures should be taken.

four & five. my two favorite guys.

six. daddy and his brother, back-porch sitting.

seven. bromance at it's finest.

eight. father's day chalkboard art. I'm getting kind of good if I do say so myself.

nine. willow, breaking my heart, being a big girl and sleeping in her own bed.

one. my very first fro-yo experience. yes, I know. I have in fact been living under a rock.

two. apparently the game of LIFE is now played with an iPad. Robbie and I have never felt more out of touch in our lives.

three. sweet puppy kisses.

four. my back porch sitting. we're kind of obsessed. 

five. speaking of obsessed: maxi dresses + stripes = nuff said.

This weekend I also decided to jump back on the gluten free wagon full force. 

So much so that I went to a Father's Day Beer Tasting party and didn't even participate. 

Talk about willpower. 

But it needed to happen. 

My eczema had gotten out of control and since I haven't gotten my Humira prescription refilled in over a month, I was having the worst arthritis flare ups. 

Here's to healthy eating!

Hope you're all having a fab Tuesday! 

Hugs,