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.

Happy Friday!

Woohoo it's Friday {and it's not the weekend for me yet}! I'm still working through the weekend, but not too much! It's time to get celebrate summer in this unbearable heat sitting pootside reading emails and books . . . or at least that is the plan for today! What are you're plans? We have a visitor in town for the weekend, so we're showing how Tuscaloosa really lives. I plan on stopping by a new farmers market down by the river early Saturday morning. I can't wait to dig in the fresh veggies, fruits, and flowers!

Here are a few posts from around the web you might enjoy . . .

How to throw a perfect luau this summer. I'm especially loving the Lava Flow cocktail.

Song of the weekend

Hilarious tip for men

New blog that I love . . . be sure to look at her wedding, it's to die for!

This would be a pretty view.

Would you/have you/are you reading Fifty Shades of Grey? What are your thoughts on this steamy trilogy?

What to do with a pallet.

How gorgeous is this dress? Closet must have!

Do or Don't: glitter converse

Confession #1: I loved Olivia Palermo on The City. Her socialite attitude makes me laugh and sometimes {more often than not} she's a bit ridiculous. I think she is very stylish and is someone I look to for inspiration.
Confession #2: I want her pink glitter Converse shoes

So the question is . . . would you ever wear them? I love how loud the pink glitter stands out. Youcan make an oridinary tee look dressy with these. Or throw them on with a leather jacket for a darker look. I also love these black ones, which I'd probably get because they're more versatile.

DIY necklace

I love craft nights, especially ones shared with some great friends and funny conversation. A couple nights ago, we did just this. My two friends decided to paint canvas, but since I'm in a temporary room and because I'll be leaving for NYC in less than 4 months {!!!} I decided to make something I'd get more use out of . . . so a necklace would be it! I went to Michaels and literally spent almost an hour deciding on which beads I should get. I couldn't find beads that I absolutely loved so I just settled for some chunky red pendants. Then I needed a filler so I found some soft gold glass beads.

 The process was easy . . . I just strung hemp cording and beads in a pattern and made two of the same strings. In my case, I strung six pendants per string.

 Next, I connected the two strings with more beads, and voila! A cute new necklace to add to my collection. I guess I can add jewelry designer to my resume right?!

mr. & mrs. sandkuhl

One of my really good friends Casey got married on Saturday! She was the first one of our group of friends, so it was so exciting to see this next chapter of her life start!
Which by the way, here's their backstory in a short paragraph . . .
Casey went over to Spain on a summer mission trip 2 years ago. While there, a friend that she made named Toby from Germany had a friend come visit for 10 days, Simeon. During those 10 days, Simeon and Casey fell for each other. Over the next year they kept in contact via Skype, phone calls, and a few visits to each others countries. A year from the day they met, Simeon proposed in Spain. A year later, June 2, 2012 they married!
It has been an incredible journey for all of Casey's friends to watch and I can't wait to see how they're love and devotion to Christ molds their long future together. The wedding was held at her lake house on Lake Martin with beautiful details, delicious food, a killer band {wish I had dancing pictures, they would have been priceless!}, fireworks, sparklers, and tons of laughter! Here are a couple shots I got before the dancing shoes came on!

pink skinnies

I have a new love . . . pink skinnies I scored at Gap. They're super comfortable and it's a nice pop of color. I was browsing around the store the other day and saw these. Typically I would have just walked past them. I don't wear much color {although I'm really working on that} and because I have never been a huge fan of pink. But let me tell you, I tried them on and there was no looking back. I feel in love! They're fun, adventurous, and now a staple in my summer wardrobe. Yesterday I paired them with a look chambray top and sandals. Adding a little color to my wardrobe was quite refreshing. I also think they added a little pep in my step!