Weekend in Charlotte! + $300 Amazon giveaway!

This past weekend we headed 4 hours west to Charlotte, NC to see my best friend for the weekend! We were up and at 'em early Saturday morning with a pit stop at Starbucks to start our road trip.

Right when we got there we headed out to lunch then to a fun little outdoor bar for a [virgin] bloody mary. Things are definitely different when you can't drink! Totally worth it though!

We headed back to Kate's and got ready then went uptown for dinner at Vida Cantina. It was so yummy! Baby girl is just like her momma and loooves Mexican food. Give us all the salsa and queso! After dinner we went to a going away party for some of our hometown friends that are moving to NYC. Let me tell you, I cannot hang like I used to. It also doesn't help that I'm the only sober person there… like I said, things are different these days. We headed home pretty early because it had been such a long day!

 Sunday we got up early and had a big breakfast before the Panther's game. Kate's brother, who she lives with, is Cam's personal assistant so we got the full treatment. It was so much fun going on the field and seeing firsthand how big those guys really are! Unfortunately we lost in the last 30 seconds but it was a great game and such a fun time. Monday morning we had breakfast with Garrett's granddad then headed home. It was a bummer spending all afternoon in the car on my birthday but we headed over to my mom's for dinner with both my family and my in-laws to celebrate. It was a perfect long weekend!

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Don't forget, you have 2 days left to enter the giveaway for a $300 Amazon gift card hosted by Annie from Home of Malone's and 16 other fab bloggers! The giveaway ends on Friday, November 18th, at midnight. Good luck!!

Hosted By:

Home of Malones

The Lovely Co-Hosts:

Davis Duo | Kids and Cabernet | East Coast Chic | Medicine and Manicures

Christina Lea | Dash of Pretty | Happily Ever Parker | Champagne Supernova

B Loved Boston | Borm and Co | Pampers and Pearls | Lovely Life Styling

Meet the Sullivan's | Katie Elizabeth | Tea Time for Tess | Down Home Damsel

 

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It's my birthday! + a GIVEAWAY!

Happy Monday friends! This Monday is bearable because it's my birthday! We spent such a fun weekend celebrating in Charlotte with my bff and are headed home soon to celebrate with my family tonight. We even got special treatment at the Panthers game yesterday and got to go on the field! I am so very thankful for another year and I pray for many, many more. My greatest birthday wish is growing in my belly, I have the most amazing husband, and the world's greatest friends and family. What more could I possibly ask for?!

Weekending (a few days late)!

This past weekend was good for my soul! It was extra hard waking up Monday morning because I was so sad the weekend was over. Friday night consisted of grabbing dinner, a trip to Lowe's, and in bed at 8:30pm to watch Blacklist. We are wild these days guys…

Saturday morning we were up early to make the 1.5 hour trip to see our cousins and meet their new baby! Emilia Ruth is absolutely perfect and I cannot wait for her and baby girl Davis to grow up together. I foresee so many play dates and holidays watching these two girls together.

 We also got to grab brunch at Tupelo Honey with our other cousins. I have been wanting to try this restaurant for so long and it did not disappoint! I got the eggs benedict and it was so yummy. Also, the homemade biscuits and jam were out of this world. A pregnant girl's dream.

Sunday morning we were up at the crack of dawn, thank you daylight savings time. We went ahead to early church, grocery store then met my in-laws for lunch. After lunch I had a baby shower to attend. One of my friends is due with a baby boy in December. Arranged marriage possibly?! Sunday night we  capped off a busy weekend by celebrating my mom's birthday. It was a great weekend!

Happy birthday mom!

Today is my mom's birthday and she deserves a post of her own. The most selfless, patient, caring, and thoughtful person I know. As you grow up you begin to realize how much you owe to your parents. My mom has been my rock my entire life, but especially over the past few years. I wouldn't have made it through PA school, IVF process, or many other hard moments without her. She is always thinking of others before herself.

I pray that I am half the mom to my daughter that my mom has been to me. Happy birthday momma, I love you!

Fof

[O N E]

Last weekend we celebrated my niece's fourth birthday. Saturday was her actual birthday so we had a small family get together and Sunday was her birthday party. It was at a pumpkin patch that had horse rides, bounce houses, hay rides, a petting zoo, and a lot of other fun activities for the kids to do. And her cake was so darn cute! I can't believe she is 4!

[T W O]

Speaking of my niece's birthday, one of the things we got her was the pie face game. Oh my gosh we were dyyyying laughing. My entire family sat around the table and played and tears were streaming we were laughing so hard! My niece loved it and kept yelling "HOORAY!" every time someone got pied. Highly recommend if you have kids that are old enough!

[T H R E E]

Last night my mom and I had a girls night. We went to a Christmas show at a neighbor's house then went out to dinner. The lady hosting the party makes these amazing, intricate gingerbread houses by hand. How gorgeous are they?! We all have them and we sit them out for decoration at Christmas.

[F O U R]

My niece really wanted to be Rapunzel for Halloween, wig and all. My sister gave in and let her and oh my gosh I was dying over her all night long. Every time I looked at her with that ridiculous wig I would laugh. She was sweating by the end of the night! And my nephew as a puppy… so stinking cute.

[F I V E]

My cousin that I hosted a baby shower for had her baby on Monday! Her name is Emilia Ruth and I am so in love!! They live an hour and a half away but we are making the drive tomorrow to meet her and I cannot wait. Look at her wearing the gown I gave her, I die!

Linking up with April and Amanda

Pregnancy update: weeks 19-22

How far along?

22 weeks

Size of baby?
A spaghetti squash

Movement?

YES! All the time! Especially right when I get in bed at night. It's like clockwork... she starts going crazy and flipping all around. Garrett can feel her kicks and flips and we just love it. I am constantly pressing on my belly to feel her move.

Symptoms?

Last weekend after I left the gym I had a really sharp pain in my lower abdomen on the right side. It came and went all day but kept me up throughout the night. I seriously thought I had appendicitis, it was so scary! The next morning I called the on call doctor and she said it sounded like a pulled muscle and that I needed to rest and take it easy for a few days. Sure enough it feels much better.

I've been having some indigestion but not too bad. Mainly if I eat something right before I get in bed at night. Also, I'm getting these awful spider veins on my thighs... glamorous. Luckily my dermatologist said she can laser them off down the road ;) Seriously though I'm not complaining about a thing! All of these changes my body is going through will be so worth it.

Sleep?
Sleeping decent thanks to my body pillow. I wake up usually twice a nice to pee. I'm usually a stomach sleeper which is out of the question at this point so that's been a hard adjustment.

Gender?
A GIRL! Love her so much already!

Weight gain?
About 9 lbs.

Cravings/aversions?
Loving any and all food, seriously. My sweet tooth has been out of control lately. I'm always hungry but then I get full really quickly.

Maternity clothes?
Have only bought maternity jeans and just making due with the rest of my clothes. Work clothes have been the biggest struggle so far because I refuse to spend a lot of money on maternity dress pants so I have been a) wearing my pants unbuttoned at work or b) wearing scrubs. I have a feeling scrubs will be on constant rotation in a few weeks. Also, workout clothes are becoming a struggle. Not sure whether to attempt to pull the band on my leggings over my belly or fold it down. In desperate need of some maternity workout leggings!

Hubby?
So excited. Loves feeling her kick and calling her by name. He always checks on me and asks, "How are my girls doing?" Melt me. She is beyond lucky to have him as her dad.

Nursery?
We got our furniture!!! We got our crib, dresser, and bookshelf from Restoration Hardware and they delivered it at 9:30pm on Tuesday night. Wtf? I am usually in bed for at least an hour by that point. But I absolutely love it! That's all we have done and I am so overwhelmed by everything else. I don't even know where to start looking for crib bedding, curtains, wall décor, etc. I am seriously considering just paying someone to decorate the entire room for me haha

Best part of the week?
We have a regular check-up at our OB today. Praying that everything goes great! Every week we reach is a huge milestone to me.

Looking forward to?

Being pregnant at Thanksgiving because I get to wear stretchy pants and eat for two! We have so many fun things in the next two months. Headed to Charlotte next weekend to stay with my best friend and go to a Panthers game, a girls weekend at the lake the weekend after that, then Thanksgiving! Time is just flying by. This is my absolute favorite time of year and being pregnant makes it even better!

Anchor Beads trunk show

Last week I helped host an Anchor Beads trunk show. I have mentioned my precious neighbor who lost her battle with leukemia on this blog multiple times. Through her entire treatment process Georgia's family clung to the verse Hebrews 6:19, "Hope anchors the soul". When Georgia lost her battle in December of last year her mom started Anchor Beads to help raise money for childhood cancer research.

I have been a huge fan of Anchor Beads since Georgia's sweet mom, Amber, started making these necklaces after her daughter's death. I am a fan not only because they are raising money to find a cure for cancer but because these necklaces are gorgeous. So very well-made and of great quality. The antler and tassel necklaces look almost exactly like Twine & Twig for a fraction of the price. I have so many of these necklaces and I can't wait to add even more to my collection!

Head over to Anchor Beads website and browse around. If you see a necklace in one of my pictures that you love but don't see it on the website, email me or Amber and she can custom make any necklace you want!