Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Instagram Life – July 2014



The month of July was exactly what I wanted, a healthy combination of relaxed and productive. Between a wedding here, some renovation there and some boating in between, the month has been exactly what summertime is made of. I loved it!

August brings more home renovation, some more lake time, some Chicago time, and hopefully some NOLA time coupled with sister time! It’s going to fly by. People! Before we know it summer will be over! It’s a depressing thought I know! I plan on savoring every moment of it.


**   Established
**   Happy birthday America outfit
**   Tbt 4th of july 2010
**   Double yoga fun
**   Before the bathroom renovation! The “after” coming in August!
**   Donuts for days #ijustateabreakfastburrito
**   We celebrated one year in our home
**   #moving day! The GFS Home Office “shuffled” (everyone moved desks to align with our new structure)
**   Relaxed with some bubbly and sparkles

Monday, July 28, 2014

Mexico: The VACATION


A week ago, my husband and I traveled to Cancun, Mexico to celebrate a wedding. The groom is one of my husband's oldest and dearest friends. The boys met in Michigan during college. They lived together for a few years and to this day remain close, even though the two of them live thousands of miles apart. Mike was the first friend to come visit us in New Orleans when we made the move down here 7 years ago, and he gave the most heartfelt speech spoken at our wedding 4 years ago.

He's awesome.

Mike's bride is a lovely Michigan native herself, who I took to immediately. We have much in common and I already consider her one of my friends, even though we've only spent a few weekends together over the past few years. She fits in with the girls of the gang like a cashmere glove.

She's a doll.

Thanks to Mike & Katie's destination nuptials, we just wrapped up the first REAL vacation we've ever taken together and, what's more, it was the first vacation I've personally been on in 10 years!

Honestly, at this point, I could have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express in Memphis and been happy as long as it had a pool and limited access to work emails. But Mexico delivered beyond my expectations.

I don't think either of us realized how much we needed this vacation until that first watermelon mojito hit our lips at the Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun Resort.  The two of us had so much fun we barely knew what to do except melt in all-inclusive bliss.

Key Points...

-The group that gathered for the wedding remained intimate, consisting only of our closest friends and family of the groom.

-My loving husband upgraded us to a ocean view room. Swoon.

-All inclusive. Really don't need to elaborate on that one. It's for realz.

-Runs on the beach with my husband. Exercise + built-in sight seeing--check.

-A more graceful suntan than the one I get from racer back running tops and Nike shorts. I felt like a lady.

-Nonstop laughter. When you get this group of people together, there's no matching our hilariousness. We're just awesome.

On to the proof...




[Get over here, honey!]


Watermelon mojito x ?? 
Whatev...


Okay. So the palm trees weren't really a highlight for us since we already spend many weekends controlling them in our own backyard, but the salty breeze making them dance like this was certainly new.

I know. It's just coffee. 
But sitting at a beautiful, white table cloth-strewn table every morning being served dark, rich coffee with my husband somehow just made it taste better going down. 

Sensational breakfast buffet every morning. 
Sorry, mom & dad, but it put GLCC to shame.  

Yup. That's a pretty watermelon.











Wife: "I'm ready for dessert. Are you hungry?"
Husband: "Hon! 24 hour room service!"
Wife: "It's really part of the deal?"
Husband: "All inclusive. All. inclusive. Where's the menu? You call." 
Wife: "I want this one and this one. Ugh. I can't decide." 
Husband: "Cool. Get me one of each of those, too. We're not sharing. And order me a glass of milk."
Wife: "Okay. And I'm getting two of the chocolate cakes." 
Husband: "Duh."







No, no...please don't leave the pool to come inside to eat. 
We'll bring the fresh lunch buffet to you. 


And if you even TRY to say you're not hungry, we'll lure you with the smoky scent of BBQ.




 
The Room

The View from the Room


Bachelor-Bachelorette Dinner in a CAVE.
(Hint: Photos on the restaurant's website are much more beautiful. But for real, this place was legit.)







Later, this deck will be transformed into the site of the wedding dinner and reception. 

Next time...the WEDDING

25 Things You Don’t Know About Me


As you already know, I’m a girl that likes her US Weekly. I love What’s in my Bag, I love Stars, They’re Just Like Us. I love it all. I also love 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me, where the chosen person of the week reveals their deepest and darkest. Not really, they just talk randomly about their quirks, but still… it’s funny to get a look into the person behind the mask or whatever.


So, without further ado, here are 25 things that you don’t know about me (if you’re my family you know some…):



1.  I really want to own my own vespa (then learn how to drive it)

2.  The one thing I could eat everyday for the rest of my life would be sushi

3.  My biggest pet peeve is when people interrupt. Even though I find myself doing it also

4.  I still promise myself I'll learn how to skateboard one day


5.  My dream job would be booking musical talent at a record label in NYC

6.  My favorite personal feature is my blue eyes

7.   I secretly wish I was a natural (dark) brunette. But I still want my blue eyes

8.  I still have nightmares about my house catching on fire when I was a kid

9.  I could spend hours and hours with my iPod in Central Park. Nothing else necessary

10. If I could have one superpower it would be be to manipulate time. Start. Stop. Move

11. I wish I would have paid more attention to history in school

12. I'm working on being more outdoorsy

13. When red wine is offered I'll drink it but secretly hate it

14. I think it would have been amazing to live in the 60's

15. I sometimes think too much about the world ending

16. Even though at times it made high school tough, my gymnastics childhood is what I'm most proud of

17. I really want to climb a mountain


18. I despise canned tuna

19. I'm also not a fan of any kind of melon (besides Courtney's watermelon salsa of course!)

20. I daydream. A lot!


21. My biggest regret in life is that I didn't study abroad

22. I thought I could sing for a minute in high school then was told by friends that I could not (they were right)

23. Recently I have an unhealthy obsession with Nips

24. If I could be anyone for a day it would be Nina Dobrev

25. I really like business trips