Outfit of the Day

Jeans: New York & Co.
Top: ...I don't remember, but similar to this one from Loft
Shoes: Lucky Brand 
Necklace: Stella & Dot - discontinued
Earrings: Kate Spade

I had the best time at my Christmas party last night! :)

My week in Instagram photos!

Here's a bit of insight into my week via my Instagram!

On Saturday Bonnie took me to her company's Christmas party. Some Makers and Ginger Ale helps a girl ring in her 25th birthday in style!

On Sunday the alter flowers were in honor of my birthday and in memory of my friend Korinne for her birthday. Korinne was born the day after me and we were friends from that moment. Unfortunately Korinne passed away when we were in 8th grade and every year on our birthday I take the roses from the alter flowers to her spot at the columbarium. You should read this awesome article about how Korinne's family has moved on since her passing.

On Monday, Logan had some flowers delivered for my birthday :) He felt awful he couldn't be here to celebrate with me in person and hoped the flowers could hold me over until his arrival Sunday.

All week, Cosette has been walked around the apartment meowing. (She missed our roommate's kitten, Avery, who is with her Mommy in WV this week!) She'll continue to do so until I pick her up, cuddle with her, and turn on daytime television shows. #Spoiled

The Duke game was on ESPN-U, which we can only watch online, so Bonnie and I hunkered down, did our annual jigsaw puzzle, and enjoyed the Blue Devil's 100th consecutive non-conference win in Cameron Indoor.

This morning I noticed our neighbor is spreading a little holiday cheer at the mailboxes :)

Happy Weekend to you all!

Another busy day!

Well - another day off and another productive one!

I had to pick up an additional Gladiola Girls gift certificate for one of my Mom's co-workers - everyone is obsessed! - and a massage at 11. My roommate got us gift certificates for 30 minute ones at a chiropractor locally and it was... interesting? Not quite as swanky as the places I've been before, but it did feel good, and was free!

I had to run out to Madison Heights to pick up one of my dresses from Budget Bridal. I had bought it in 2010 for the Virginia Military Institute's Ring Figure from David's Bridal but didn't end up going. I had tried consigning it, but it just wasn't selling - so I decided to donate it! There's a local bridal shop called the Church Street Bridal Shop that sells dresses and all the proceeds go towards funding the local YWCA. Plus, I'll get to mark it as a donation on my taxes this year, and that won't hurt at all!

Took another quality trip to the gym tonight with the sister and am in the process of making this for dinner!

A few errands tomorrow to run, then my favorite Christmas party of the year. Before I know it, Logan will be home from Fort Benning! Hip, hip, horray!

Working Out

So, I have re-enrolled at Weight Watchers to help me lose weight for my wedding. I joined in May 2011 and lost 30 pounds before plateauing and essentially giving up. I thought I had learned the majority of the eating right information and would just self-monitor. Well, I did put about 15 pounds back on and have decided to re-enroll.

My family has a history of diabetes, obesity, and high cholesterol. Since so many of these things are related, eating right and staying active can help me keep them all in check. However, I was beyond frustrated when I met with the doctor and learned of my inevitable risk of both diabetes and high cholesterol despite being a college athlete for four years (in swimming none-the-less! That sport is no joke!) and being a vegetarian for five years.

However, being on the road and traveling can make it very hard to eat right - and those hospitality tables at college fairs can be so tempting! Not to mention the Starbucks addiction that happens about 2 weeks in because I'm so tired.

I was bound and determined to lose a little weight before buying my dress, which I was able to do, but want to get down to the weight my doctor has recommended to me before my dress comes in mid-March.

When I rejoined W.W., I was at 150. I've lost about 3 pounds in two weeks, and my doctor has recommended I get to 130 to stay healthy and minimize my health risks. I've been doing a good job this week with eating - I'm very proud of myself. Bonnie and I buy oodles of fruits and vegetables anyways and with W.W. they are zero points! I've even gotten to the gym twice this week - just doing 30 minutes on the treadmill and a little ab work - but I'm moving around!

I'll keep you posted on my progress and any tips I have, but I do have to recommend W.W.! Their new program, 360, is all about establishing routines - drinking water consistently, eating a fruit or vegetable with every meal or snack, getting up and moving around a couple times a day.

How do you like to stay fit?

Weekend Recap

My oh my - it has been a crazy couple of days!

On Friday, we helped at the church with Parents Night Out - a fundraiser we hold annually to raise money for our mission trip to ASP. However, I had a migraine and ended up coming home much earlier than I planned and went to b-e-d. However, Logan got home from the field earlier than expected (I had planned on 11... he called me at 7) so it was nice to talk to him a little.

I knew Logan being in the field would be hard - zero communication is never fun - but him coming home is almost worse. By the time I adjust to NOT talking to him, he's there again, and hearing his voice can just be so overwhelming sometimes - I just love him so much :)

Saturday I weighed in - down a little bit this week, 17 to go to get to my goal weight! We ran lots of errands - did some shopping at J Crew - and had a lazy afternoon. We got up eventually and got ready for our fun filled night - dinner with the parents for my birthday and Bonnie's company Christmas party!

My outfit included:

These J Crew Etta Patent Pumps in Crimson Maple 

A black turtleneck, and a gold lame skirt - all three items for $98 including tax! I was a happy girl.

We went to dinner at Jimmys on the James then to Scott Insurance's party at Tresca on 8th.  My parents got me some Little Mermaid swag - it's a tradition and the last real year we'll be together ON my birthday for sure, a Gladiola Girls gift certificate, and we had a great time.

Sunday was more low key - church and I got to revel in all of my birthday attention - and took a very long nap. :) Then we met a hodge podge of my friends at Rivermont Pizza to celebrate. A great weekend for sure.

I'm off all week and I was so proud of my productivity today. I caught up on paperwork at the apartment, ran errands, worked out - I'm very proud of myself.

Now to spend all night researching realtors in Clarksville, TN! 

XX - C

And we're off to...

Fort Campbell, KY/TN!

This is great news - it means great job opportunities for me and I definitely won't be complaining about being so close to Nashville.

However, we might be pushing the wedding back. The worst part is that we only have 1 weekend that's a feasible option, and it eliminates the option of an outdoor reception. The date now is Aug. 17, but that may not work with Ranger School. We can't do it the 24 because it's Sweet Briar's move in, which leave us with Labor Day weekend.

We can't do it the 7 - that's Logan's birthday - and the 14th gets too close to when we'd be moving. Luckily, the venue will be changed to indoor, but that'd be the biggest change.

Now to job and house hunt! Yay!

XX - C

Off we go!

Logan got his RFO this week - it's something sent out a few weeks before he receives his official orders but should tell us where we'll be stationed!

Of course because I've been waiting for this information since May and any further wedding planning hinges on this information, and I've been biting it the bit to begin house and job searching, he couldn't open the document on his laptop.

He's heading to base today to check it all out. I cannot wait to find out - and this was the best news to end my week on.

I as also notified yesterday that I won the "Young Professional of the Year" Award for the VACRAO - I am so, so honored!

Updates soon when I have official news about the RFO!

My Birthday! :)

So my birthday is on the 16th - Sunday - but my great sister can never resist giving me my presents early.

Last year it was my favorite perfume - Twirl by Kate Spade. This year, it was a Lilly Pulitzer phone case! I swear, I have the best sister, ever.

My Dad gave me his "present" as well. I had purchased myself a one-way plane ticket from ATL to LYH for New Years Day instead of driving home after Logan returned to Ft. Benning. I always send confirmations to my parent's emails as well as my own so they stay in the loop (I fly a lot for work and it's hard to keep it all straight sometimes). When Dad saw the confirmation, he asked if he could reimburse me as my birthday present from him. I happily obliged :)

I'll probably use the money to put towards my Spa Day next week - I can hardly wait!

Now it's off to work. My to-do list is entirely too long and we leave at 11 for our office lunch at Robin Alexander!

Happy Thursday!

XX - C

Wedding Wednesday!

Only 248 days until the wedding! It feels like it's going to take forever to get here, but I know it'll be here before I know it.

Wedding planning had stalled a little with Logan unsure about his training schedule. But I decided to move ahead with some things so I wouldn't be too swamped come January when official orders come through.

1. I have officially received confirmation from all of my bridesmaids! Although one of my gifts got lost in the mail (Boo!) they all received a navy blue box with their initial on the front in coral. The inside had some navy Kate Spade earrings (like these but in navy), some Essie nail polish, and a note about why I'd like for them to be my bridesmaid. 
2. I sent out an update email to the bridesmaids catching them up on what's already been done, sending them a stock photo of my dress (not one of me wearing it), and what I'm thinking for their bridesmaid dresses.
3. We officially have a pastor to officiate! We confirmed last night and he's even willing to work with us and let Logan do pre-marital counseling via Skype since he's in training. We'll be reading "Saving Your Marriage Before It Starts" and will do our first session when Logan's in town on leave for the holiday.
4. I've been pricing outdoor dance floors since our venue doesn't have one, and obviously I'm in the wrong business. I should just buy an outdoor dance floor and rent it out! The cheapest I've found is at Aztec and it's still going to be a pretty penny. I worked off of a formula that said for every guest you have, you should have 2.5 sq. ft. of dance floor. For our projected guest list, that gives us a dance floor that's 18'x18'. That's before we even get into taxes, delivery fees, and set up fees.

Both of our parents scoffed a little when we told them our budget would be $10,000 - they thought it was too high - but I don't think they realized how much things cost now a days! Now, I'll admit that we knew we were in for some higher prices when we wanted a 5 o'clock wedding - dinners aren't cheap - but it's the vision we both had and not one we were willing to compromise.

There are still many decisions to be made, but the biggest ones hinge on Logan's official orders. So, I'm in a holding pattern until then!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Hump Day!

XX - C

Gifts!

I was very happy to get lots of Christmas shopping done this weekend -- it was much needed to get my mind off of everything and some time alone to browse and cut my brain off.

Here is a run down of some things I've picked up so far...

Woodford Reserve will let you personalize a label for your bourbon bottle, so I ordered one and picked up a bottle for Logan - bourbon is his favorite.

I got a scarf for my cousin Beth with a cute pattern on it. Old Navy had it for a great price and it's a light weight scarf, so it'll be great come spring time, too.

Because I'm on a scarf kick, I picked one up for my cousin Sarah as well. On sale at Old Navy and will keep her nice and snug all winter!

Already acting like an old married couple, I also grabbed Logan a couple of pairs of boxers - underwear is a given as Christmas presents, right? :)

My Dad has been getting into running since last spring, and to keep him motivated, I picked up "Zen and the Art of Running" for him to enjoy and help strategize a little.

This Summer, Logan got way into "Sherlock Holmes" - it was the perfect light and entertaining reading to get his mind off of Army stuff. My cousin Sarah is an English teacher and wants to name her first daughter Austen (her husband, a die hard Oklahoma friend, is vetoing it just because Austin is where UT is...). So, I got them each one of these classic series at Barnes and Noble. 

My future father-in-law is a huge classic country fan, so this Best of Johnny Cash was perfect! 

I was so proud of myself for all I picked up today but I have a long way to go! I'll definitely wrap up after this week and I'm on vacation officially :)

Happy Sunday! 

XX - C

Burnt Out!

This is my official apology for being MIA - and my being MIA until Dec. 14.

Work is crazy right now and it's finals time for Grad School. Today will be my 4th 12 hour day this week and the light at the end of the tunnel is so small right now it isn't worth acknowledging.

I have a paper to write by Sunday, a final Wednesday, and a final Thursday. Logan is in the field next week, which means after we hang up Sunday night, I won't hear from him again until Friday evening when they get back and have finished cleaning their weapons from rifle training all week.

It's going to be a long one, but then I get to enjoy 2.5 weeks off from work, my birthday, Christmas, and NYE with Logan in Atlanta!

7 more days until freedom!

Stressing Out

It's this time of year that I wonder why the heck I have my hands in so many pots.

Graduate school. Planning a wedding. Working full time (in a position that doesn't limit itself to the normal 40 hour work week). Volunteering at church. Coaching.

It all feels like too much. I'm the first to admit that I hate to be bored and always need something going on, but I also think I'm great about admitting when I've bitten off more than I could chew.

With work being crazy (it is application reading season!), finals glooming on the horizon, wedding planning at a frustrating halt (thanks a lot, Army), and the holiday season in full swing, there just aren't enough hours in the day.

When my schedule gets like this, I try to remind myself to take one thing at a time. Usually, tasks don't take nearly as long as I think they will, and I blow through my to-do list in no time. By focusing my energies on one thing, I can also make sure I'm giving it 100%, which means no having to go back and make any tweeks later on. I also try to take a little me time to veg out - 5 minutes here to take a walk outside, a 30 minute cat nap, and extra 5 minutes in the shower to let that hot water soak right down to your bones.

How do you usually deal with stress?

XX - C

Happy Birthday to Me!

Back in high school, I would get so excited for my birthday, I'd start a count down a full 2 months out. I'd obnoxiously update everyone daily, and even write countdowns on the chalkboards in my classrooms to notify others.

I was unbearable.

Now, I've grown out of that (some) and this year I turn 25! Although I am amped about never having to pay a young driver fee again for a rental car, I am beginning to understand why people want to avoid birthdays. I understand that relatively speaking, 25 years is nothing, but I have so much exciting stuff coming up - my wedding, moving away from home (finally!), a new job (and possibly my OWN business)... I don't want it all to go by too quickly.

As a birthday treat to myself, I booked a day at a local spa. They are running a special - $175 for a 60 minute massage, manicure, pedicure, facial, and lunch! I cannot wait to pamper myself a little bit right before Logan gets back in town!

I'm so excited! :) How do you usually celebrate your birthday?

XX - C

Weekend Recap & Outfit of the Day!

This weekend was pretty packed - but very fun!

Friday night, Bonnie and I ran some errands and finally saw "Pitch Perfect." So funny if you haven't seen it yet.

Saturday, I went to Weight Watchers and weighed in (gotta get wedding dress ready!) and ran over to the storage unit to get Christmas decorations! I was able to get back to the apartment early enough that we even got the tree up and decorated that morning. Then it was off to the swim meet for the competition against Hollins. (Sweet Briar won, of course!) Cutting it close, Bonnie, Emily, Dad and I hit the road for Charlottesville for the UVA/Green Bay basketball game.

Although we're Duke fans, seeing basketball live is always a good time. We got home mid-evening and were pooped - so we relaxed and eventually went to bed. 

Sunday was cleaning day! We decided when we moved that we'd clean once a week to keep things spic-and-span. Of course, I'm pretty OCD, so I straighten and wipe down daily, but this is helping tremendously with cutting down on clutter. We gave everything a good scrub and Bonnie and I went grocery shopping. (Before hand, we sat down as roommates and managed schedules, planned meals, and made a shopping list. We never shop without a list - it's too dangerous for our wallets!) The Menu looks like this:

• Monday - We're all one our own - I have a study group and Emily has class
• Tuesday - Dinner at 7:30 when Emily gets home - Chicken Tenders and green beans 
• Wednesday - Bonnie and Emily will have dinner at 7:30 - Brown Sugar and Garlic Chicken and broccoli 
• Thursday - On our own - Bonnie has a Chi Omega alumnae event, and Emily and I have class
• Friday - Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Then we were able to catch the local Christmas Parade :)

Roommate picture before hand - sipping hot chocolate and waiting patiently!

My high school's band - I marched as color guard in this parade three times in high school! :)

Although I'm 100% in the Christmas spirit, temperatures in the high 60s are making it hard to get in the spirit. However, it also makes me feel a little better about wearing Lilly to work in December:

Today, I'm wearing black flats from Payless, an a-line skirt from New York & Company, and a Lilly Pulitzer top. I'm also wearing my favorite double string of pearls.

Happy Monday, everyone!

XX - C

Giveaway Entry for Sweet Southern Prep

Hello, all!

Please check out Sweet Southern Prep's blog - I'm a huge fan!

She's also doing a great give-away with Godwin Gifts on Etsy now - I'm hoping to win the tile coasters with cork bottom in a Lilly Pattern!