move it

Whew, we made it through the weekend! I have two best friends that are willing to put up with me for the next month and a half until I move. The big move was suppose to be Friday, but was pushed to Saturday, then finally 3/4 moved in Sunday. Since this was move #5, I decided to compile a list of tips for moving.

1) Organize your belongings into breakable and non-breakable stacks.

2) Put labels on the outside of boxes for easy access.

3) Throw away/give away as much as you can! For real, you don't need 10 plates, coffee mugs, etc for 2 people. Be realistic. You can wash. As for clothes, if you're in college, you shouldn't be wearing tees and pants from high school. Donate them to good will.

I asked Lauren and Sarah to share their tips:

1) Don't bring your mother.

2) Be generous to the trash can.

3) Pack an emergency bag because you never know when your move in/out date will move.

4) When unpacking, organize your kitchen cabinets on the counter before you put them in the cabinet.

5) Wash your feet before you get in bed the first night.

This is lots of progress. The living room was packed full of boxes, boxes, and guess what? More boxes.

Sweet friends, Lauren and Sarah.

Cool barista in the kitchen.

this weekend.

Woohoo, we made it to Friday! I have to say after a nice, long week off in paradise, getting back in to reality was a struggle. But, we made it! This week has been full of catching up . . . in work and friends. Last night some friends and I went to the midnight premier of The Dark Knight Rises and it was awesome! You have got to go see it. It was nearly three hours long, but it went by so fast!

Midnight premier complete with pre-movie entertainment of charades, a large soda, cookie dough bites, popcorn, and Sarah's batman tee.

 I have to work a little over the weekend, but have lots of exciting plans . . .

Attempting a DIY on this necklace.

Workwear inspiration for my internship. Nothing like a simple silhouette with black skinnies, classic trench, and nude pumps.

Making these healthy, crispy edamame bites for snacking over the weekend.

Still dreaming I'm back in St. Thomas . . . oh how I wish!

Other noteworthies . . .

An interesting article on why it's hard to make friends over 30.

Song of the weekend.

Yummy greek skewers.

Cool cars in NYC.

Have you checked out Chat with Julie this week?

Pretty notecards that make me want to write more often.

Spotted for fall.

What French women know.

How to make homemade pasta.

It'd like to add these wellies to my rainy day wardrobe.

family vacation

As promised, today I am sharing about our {more than likely last} family vacation with just the five of us before Josh starting college next year and Jessica getting married and myself being out on my own. I had a blast! I've never been a beach lover {I know, crazy, but I got burnt out on the beach because that's where we always went. Every. Single. Year. It just got old.} But St. Thomas changed my mind. It was absolutely gorgeous. Seriously, these pictures have no filter, it really is this picture perfect and postcard-like in reality.

Just a little info on St. Thomas. I had never been to the Caribbean before so I didn't know what to expect. We had a great tour guide Annie who helped out on where to go, what to do and that kind of thing, but she filled us in on the culture of St. Thomas and a little of its history. St. Thomas really is a melting pot of all sorts of people and cultures. Annie said that it would be rare if we met a person that originated in St. Thomas. People from all over the world, mostly Arabs, surrounding islanders, and Americans make up the island. Most of the food is imported which is why it is 40% to 50% more than what you pay here in the States. For example, it was $22.99/lb for chicken. Talk about becoming a vegetarian! Rum is super cheap, especially Cruzan because it's made in the Virgin Islands. They drive on the left side of the road, and they don't stop at stop signs. The people in general are nice, but you have to remember to use your manners. They have all religions as well.  Find more information here if you'd like to know more.

Day One: Sunday
We took a little over 3 hour flight from Atlanta to St. Thomas. Got settled in and went grocery shopping at K-Mart {which is one of 3 grocery stores they had on our side of the island} and my favorite place Gourmet Gallery {which I would compare as a super small replica of Whole Foods, but not as nice}.

view from the room

our condo for the week

Day Two/Three: Monday/Tuesday
Went sight seeing around our condo and soaked in the sun on the Caribbean beach.

iguana's everywhere.

 Day Four: Wednesday
Took a 20 minute ferry ride over to St. John's which was equally beautiful! We drove around the island and looked at ancient ruins, took a short cut through a half paved/half rock drive along the cliffs and almost ran off the road several times. Seriously, thank the heavens for a four wheel drive. Then we settled at Hawksnest Bay.

squinty eyes = not cute

dinner back in St. Thomas on the bay

Day Five: Thursday

This was my favorite part of the trip hands down. We went on The Cat and sailed to Buck Island and went snorkeling with sea turtles, coral, and schools of pretty fish! Sea turtles are becoming extinct so it's such an incredible view. We saw about 6 turtles from ages 2-19. Our guides told us that we shouldn't get within 5 feet of them because then they leave. But at one point of our swimming around a tiny turtle swam up in between my sister and I, literally 2 feet away from each of us to get air. It was so cool! 

spot the sea turtle!

This was our awesome crew: Joe, Jordan, and Matt. They were so fun, personable,  and all so friendly! It was cool that they were all from the U.S. as well! Joe from New Jersey, Jordan from Oklahoma, and Matt from Texas!
Please excuse my grossness from swimming all day and curly hair. Air dried hair is not a cute look for me either.

beautiful sunset

Day Six: Friday

Started the day off by going on a morning walk by the sea. I could get used to that, especially with this view . . .

We took a ride over to town to do a bit of shopping in the outdoor market. I didn't take any pictures, sadly, but just picture a smaller Chinatown. Nothing fancy just t-shirts, and cheap knockoffs. We also drove over to the north side of the island which hosts the Atlantic ocean. After that we spent the remainder of the day at the beach, soaking in the last bit of sunshine we got before leaving Sunday morning.

Needless to say, St. Thomas was memorable, stunning, and I think I left a little of my heart there. I can't wait to go back!

glasses

I love wearing glasses. They're an accessory that are fun and anyone can pull them off. You can find them in all shades of colors, although I tend to like tortoise and black more. I have a pair {that I describe below} and kind of want another pair just to interchange.

standard black

cool light brown hue, but the frame is a little big for me

And these I've got to have with just a little smaller frame. How cute is the pattern?

A while back I was deciding on which pair of glasses I wanted. After much debate, I settled on the Apprentice from Lookmatic. They're fun and quirky and mine are perscription, so I always throw them on when I don't feel like putting in my contacts or want an urban look.

twenties

- travel the world
- fall in love
- stay up late
- find real friends
- dance on tables
- finish school, forever
- start a family
- live in a different city
- love your job
- drink a bottle of wine, by yourself

st. thomas

Bye for a week Alabama! I'm heading to St. Thomas with the family for a week!

I am super excited about this family vacation because it's the first one that all five of us have been to in about three years. And because it will be the last one with just the five. It's bittersweet because we're all getting older and a year from now we're going to be all over the place. Josh will be getting ready for college {What?!?! When did he get so old? Oh right, I am too}. Jessica will be getting married next summer and stationed with Jesse somewhere. As for me, well who knows where I'll be. Nashville, NYC, California, Texas, or even Birmingham. I can't wait to see what the Lord's plan is going to be and what he places in front of me. 'Til then, have a wonderful weekend. And not to worry, regular postings next week!

animal shelter

A couple days ago my friend Sarah and I were running some errands and ended up going to visit the animal shelter. Not a good thing for us. I wanted to take them all home with me! I'm a huge dog lover and definitely want one {or two} when I eventually get a house. Look at all these cute little faces, how could you not fall in love?!

this little girl was my favorite

This picture does Sugar {that's what his name tag said} no justice. When he jumped up, he was as tall as I am {almost 5'6}!

 Are y'all animal lovers too? I'm not really a cat person, but show me a puppy and I'm in love! My sister would beg to differ because I'm not to keen on her two huge labs. Don't get me wrong Jess, I love Oaklee and Ozzie, but when they slobber everywhere and get hair on everything I touch {or don't touch} I'm not a fan.