Girls Getaway with Emily Giffin!

This past Saturday was quite possibly one of the most exciting days I've had in a very long time, as I met my favorite author Emily Giffin! 

If you're not familiar with her writing, maybe you've heard of the movie Something Borrowed? Well, that awesome chick flick was based off of Emily's novel of the same name. :) (By the way, I recommend reading SOBO, and then reading Something Blue. Something Blue is the sequel to SOBO and is actually in the process of being made into a movie (YAY!). Emily told us Saturday that scripts were just sent to Kate Hudson (who plays Darcy) and John Kransinski (who plays Ethan) and Something Blue is REALLY happening! Without a doubt, Blue is my absolute favorite EG novel...although Where We Belong is a close second. ;))

May 2011...impatiently waiting for SOBO's release

I've been a fan of sweet Emily for years, and although I can't remember how I stumbled upon this fabulous author, I'm so thankful that I did. The way that she writes is absolutely inspiring, and the characters that she creates leave me speechless. Her ability to captivate real, raw human relationships makes reading her books something that I simply cannot live without. 

Okay, back to the event! 

On Saturday I headed downtown to the Gaillard Center for Emily's Girls Getaway event that included a question and answer segment and book signing, as well as tons of food, cocktails, and games. I asked Emily if she plans to re-visit the storyline from Where We Belong and she said yes! (If you'd like to see the Q&A segment, check out the live video from the Charleston event on her Facebook page. I asked my question around the 10:45 mark.) While I went by myself, I ended up meeting a sweet girl named Jessica, who was also there alone. We had a great time discussing our favorite books, authors, and our lives in general, and I'm thankful for this sweet new friend. 

Thanks to Jessica, I also got the moment I told Emily that baby number 3 is going to be named Ethan, which happens to be a character in Something Borrowed/Blue, and she was thrilled. :) 

A video posted by Lindsey (@lindseychristmas) on Jun 25, 2016 at 4:47pm PDT

Mrs. Giffin's newest novel, First Comes Love, comes out tomorrow but thanks to an awesome swag bag that I got for attending the event, I received an advance copy. 

And y'all. 

It's. 

So. 

Good. 

I started reading it yesterday and I seriously cannot put it down. Because it's a signed copy I'm trying not to beat it up too badly, but goodness I've taken that book with me everywhere! A story about sisters dealing with the anniversary of a family tragedy, both are at a crossroads in their life and are dealing with separate but similiar struggles. I haven't decided if I'm Team Josie or Team Meredith yet, but I'll keep you updated. :)

Boys mow the yard, Mom reads, Bella runs around. :)

Overall it was an absolutely lovely weekend, and while I felt horrible on Sunday due to a night of restless sleep, I'm looking forward to the very busy week ahead.

How was your weekend? 

Are you an Emily Giffin fan?

Weekend End Wrap-Up

This past weekend was one filled with tears (the good kind), exploring, resting, and relaxing.

On Friday, Keith and I headed out on an early date and saw the movie that I've been looking forward to for months, Me Before You. Having read the book, I knew what I was getting myself into, but that didn't stop me from sobbing the last 30 minutes of the film. This story is one of love and loss and is hauntingly beautiful, and I highly recommend watching it. However, maybe check it out on a Sunday afternoon instead of on a big Friday night. After the movie, Keith and I went out to dinner and both felt a bit exhausted and heavy after watching the ever delightful Louisa Clark and the handsome Will Traynor.

Silently sobbing makes for a good swollen face :)

We awoke on Saturday to a bright and sunny day, and decided to take the kids out and explore a bit of Charleston. While we always say that we live in Charleston, we actually live 20 minutes from downtown and don't venture out as often as we'd like. One of our favorite places, Cypress Gardens, was damaged during last year's massive flood and has yet to re-open, so we're always looking for new places to go with the kids.

Keith mentioned heading to Fort Moultrie, which is located in Sullivan's Island about 40 minutes from our house, and I hesitantly agreed. The only time we visited was years ago during the winter and we froze our butts off. However, this time around we had the most wonderful experience!

Arabella has been taking very unpredictable naps and ended up sleeping for most of the time, so she missed out on exploring the fort and checking out the cannons. We ended up wandering around the front of the fort and discovered a path to Sullivan's Beach!

Our little Bella Reese woke up to see one of favorite places (if not her favorite!) and loved hanging out in the water. After spending time at Ft. Moultire, we stopped for lunch and ice cream, Toys R Us, and headed home to relax for the rest of the evening.

On Sunday, I woke up feeling a bit sore and had a pretty intense backache. I think the combination of walking a little too much and riding in Keith's lifted truck made this happen, but I was still feeling okay. Then, my sweet Gavin tried to give me a kiss and accidentally head-butted me in the nose. Now, as a mom I've been head-butted plenty of times before, but this time was incredibly painful. I immediately burst into tears and checked for blood, because I was sure that my nose was broken. Luckily, there was no blood and if anything my nose is only bruised, but the headache it caused lasted for most of the day. :( Gavin felt horrible but I assured him that it was okay, but I was pretty much useless the rest of the day. We did get to watch Djokovic win the French Open (GO DJOK!!!!) and that was awesome.

I also watched the Miss USA pageant and really enjoyed seeing how diverse and intelligent this year's contestant were. Pageants get a lot of heat for being just "beauty pageants", and yes these women are beautiful, but they are also strong and intelligent and fearless. I follow a lot of the contestants and pageant sites on Instagram and my favorites going in to the competition were South Carolina, South Dakota, and Hawaii. After the initial introductions, I was also rooting for D.C. to win because I admire her service in the Army. 

District of Columbia, Hawaii, South Carolina, and South Dakota

All of my favorites made it to the Top 10, except South Carolina who made it to the Top 15. Each year I watch this and it is clear that you must have confidence and poise to make it to the interview, but if you bomb said interview then you're toast! Alabama and California were fan favorites and doing so well, and then their answers were lacking and a bit painful to watch and they did not move forward. 

It does seem a bit convenient that the military contestant was asked a question about the government allowing women to fight in combat, while Hawaii was asked who she was going to vote for (Clinton vs. Trump...really????). Both contestants handled the questions well, but I do think Hawaii had an unfair advantage that may have cost her the crown. 

Overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I am so thankful that I get to do life with these people!

How was your weekend? 

What did you do?

Belated Weekend Wrap-Up

For Memorial Day Weekend I spent my time in Atlanta with my sweet husband. He has been there every week, Monday through Friday,  for work. It was unbelievably pleasant to be with him for 3+ days in a row. It kills me that I am home now without him, but luckily I will see him Friday after work. Here are a few pictures to recap our time together. 

My handsome man getting ready for work. :) I loved watching him in the mornings...he's so cute! :)))

 

 We went to a Braves game and had a fantastic time! 

What does a Yankee fan wear to a Braves game?

 My handy dandy Red Sox suck shirt, of course!

Before the game. He hates taking pictures. I love it. Bahahahha look at his face!

I. love. baseball. *sigh*

My father/mother-in-law and Keith!

Victory!!! Braves won 2-1 in an exciting game!

We also went to the Aquarium!

KC 

Moi

Penguins!!!

I <3 penguins.

My sweet with the albino alligator...who is whiter?

ATL! :) 

 Exhausted after a long day.

Atlanta...I love you!

I was in Atlanta from Friday until Tuesday (I took an extra 2 days off of work) and there was so much more to it than what these pictures show. The quality time that I was able to spend with my husband was priceless, and I cannot wait until things with his work change so that we can finally be together for more than just the weekends.

Happy Thursday sweet readers! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend!

A Wordy Miscellany Monday

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* This weekend was the kind that I wish happened more often. It was relaxing but yet productive. Keith and I spent some wonderful, quality time together, watched a movie, watched some football, did our homework, went to church, I finished editing a wedding, Keith spent time with his small group, and I used my new crock pot. *sigh* It was lovely.

* The movie that we watched was Avatar, and I am a bit embarrassed to say that this was my first time seeing it. I tend to be that person that doesn't see those "talked about" movies until way later (I've yet to see Inception)  but I'm going to work on that. Anyway, Avatar was great! I truly enjoyed this movie and am glad that I finally had another James Cameron experience. According to IMDB, there's going to be an Avatar 2 and 3 in a few years...can't waiiiiit!

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* Remember last semester when Statistics broke my heart? Remember how I said in round two that I'm going to own this class? Well, I am. This first two weeks of class are already finished, and I've made nothing but A's. :)  This is a drastic improvement from the last class, and it has to do with my new sense of determination and my new professor. Each week we are required to answer a discussion post question. For week one I used the exact same answer I'd written in the previous class, and received an A+ as opposed to a B-. Hmmm...

* Have you guys ever heard of SparkPeople? It's a free online diet and fitness community that I absolutely adore. I've done their program a few times, but have always fallen off the wagon. Sticking to my 2011 goals and my 30 Before 30 goal of meeting my target weight, I rejoined Spark. This past week I've stuck to the nutrition guide and will begin the fitness program this week. While I haven't weighed myself yet, my pants are already fitting a bit looser. :D YAY!

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* Speaking of my 30 Before 30, I've decided to make a little change. After much thought, I'm going to remove #18, Read 50 of Time's Top 100 books. This goal only requires that I read 10 of the listed books a year, but after just reading over the list I felt a bit nauseous. This is not something that I think I'd enjoy, nonetheless, happily accomplish. So I am replacing #18 with "Take a dance class." This could be ballet, swing, or modern...with Keith or by myself. :) Additionally, I'm going to increase #17, Watch 100 of IMDB's Top 250 movies, to Watch 155 of the Top 250.

Enjoy your Monday lovelies! 

Oh Happy (Mon)Day!

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* Keith and I had a truly fantastic weekend! We left Charleston at 6am Saturday morning and headed to Atlanta for the Law School Forum. We arrived at the forum around 11:30am and stayed there for about 2.5 hours. I really didn't know what to expect, but there were a ton of potential law students there and it was pretty crowded. Keith and I got a lot of information from my top law schools and were able to speak with a few reps at their tables. We had good, bad, and funny experiences, and tomorrow’s post will be all about the forum and our new perspectives on my top schools. :o)

On Sunday we were able to get an extra hour of sleep thanks to daylight savings (woop woop!) and got ready for church. We headed over to Andy Stanley’s church, North Point for their last Sunday morning service. All I have to say is “wow”. This church is completely amazing. Without getting into too much detail, I have been struggling lately and being at North Point was a gigantic breath of fresh air. I was moved to tears during worship, and really felt God comfort me. I felt like I was sitting in His hands, and that everything is going to be more than okay. The message was called “Game Plan”, and was focused on careers. (I’d say it was a coincidence that Keith and I were there for this message, but God definitely planned this one, and we couldn't help but smile.) Andy spoke about being content in our current situations, and told us that often times, new opportunities arise through our current opportunities. He also asked a question that convicted Keith and I. He said “Are you preparing for the next opportunity or just waiting for it? So. powerful.

I feel completely rejuvenated, and Keith and I have set our “Game Plan” into action. This weekend was such a blessing and I am super excited to see what happens. Praise Him!

* Only 16 more days until Keith and I are back in the bayou (AKA Louisiana) for Thanksgiving! YAY! I can’t wait to see my family and friends!

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* My trash the dress session was planned for October 30^th, but unfortunately did not happen. I was so upset about this, but my awesome photographer, Kristen Pace, allowed us to reschedule! We will now be trashing my dress in April in celebration of our first year of marriage! (Our anniversary is on March 7^th) I am hoping to do a successful cartwheel...in my wedding dress and a jumping shot. Lol should be interesting...

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* Keith and I have been talking a lot lately about our current lifestyle, and how we would both like to be healthier. We have decided to start working out together in the mornings before work. (6am-7am) While this is going to be very challenging, we’re both excited to start our day early with each other, and to get in better shape!

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* Beginning in December, I will begin my LSAT study schedule of 15 hours per week. In addition to my regular homework, this is going to be really tough. But there is nothing I can't do with God on my side, so I'm reading to tackle this challenge! Depending on how well I do on my practice tests, I will most likely be enrolling in a prep course in February. I’ll be taking the LSAT in June 2011, but since my GPA isn’t amazing, I will definitely need a strong score to be admitted to my top schools and to qualify for scholarships. This is going to be quite a journey, and I’m so glad I get to share it with all of you! Prayers are always appreciated!

Have a great Monday, lovelies!

Cabin Trip Recap

Sunday evening Keith and I returned home from our 4 day trip to the mountains! I wanted to write this recap on Monday, but getting back to reality was a bit tough. School started again, and so did work, laundry, responsibility, etc.

So, here we go with the recap!

We left Thursday morning around 9am and picked up our bro/sis-in-law, Stephen and Ivey. We arrived at about 4:30ish thanks to a few construction traffic stops and the GPS taking us on a tiny back road, and again on a tiny mountain road. (Gotta love being GPS-dependent) Once we made it to the cabin we were blown away. It was gorgeous!

Our cabin in the middle, morning view on the left, night view on the right

Keith and I at the cabin.

Us with Stephen and Ivey...being nerds. :o)

We took it easy Thursday night and settled in, went to the grocery store, and cooked yummy fajitas! On Friday we headed to the National Park. A lady in the gift shop told us that there was a waterfall only 15 minutes from the shop, so we decided to check it out. Little did we know that we'd end up hiking an unnecessary 2-ish steep miles (that's what it felt like anyway) only to discover that we were on the wrong path. When we finally re-routed, we found the "waterfall".

The "waterfall"

After this, we decided to head over to a real waterfall. We hiked 2.6 miles round trip, and were much pleased with this one.

Top - Keith and I with the gorgeous view on the way to the waterfall; @ the waterfall
Bottom - Waterfall; Stephen and Ivey

Our friends Chad and Melissa arrived in TN around 5ish. That night we headed out to dinner and had a blast. We ate at Johnny Carino's and it was delicious! After dinner we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few items...although I can't remember why now. :o)

Keith and I, Stephen and Ivey, Chad and Melissa

When we arrived at Kroger all 6 of us walked up to this door and stood there for quite a few seconds wondering why it wouldn't open. Chad even tried to pry it open...please look at the blue sign on the door. Lol, "Here's your sign."

On Saturday we headed into Gatlinburg and our first stop was Ober Gatlinburg (OG). It was so much fun! We road the tram, the scenic chairs, and the Alpine Slide. It was awesome!

Top - A cabin made to resemble a Barbie doll house; View from the tram
Bottom - Riding the scenery chairs at OG; KC and I on the tram

Chad and Melissa, Stephen and Ivey, Keith and I

The boys getting ready to ride the Alpine Slide...they were REALLY excited about it!

After OG, we headed to Calhoun's for lunch, and once again, the food was delicious! We roamed around Gatlinburg and enjoyed the day.

Top - Us at lunch (KC/me, Chad/Mel, Stephen/Ivey)
Bottom - Us posing at our "cabin neighborhood" entrance

A beautiful picture from the Thomas Kinkade Gallery.

That night we cooked dinner at the cabin and there was an intense Scrabble game going on. The guys ended up outside smoking cigars and the girls stayed in and watched America's Funniest Home Videos. :o) All in all it was a long, great day/night.

Sunday morning we packed up and said goodbye to our lovely cabin...but not without taking a few pictures. :o)

Keith and Chad with their jumping picture...we never got a group one :o(
Don't they look like Batman and Robin? :o)

We had breakfast at the Old Mill Restaurant and then headed back to Charleston.

Overall it was a pretty good trip. When I was younger my family would go vacation with all of my cousins, but this was my first time going on vacation with a group of friends. There were definitely some pros and cons to this, but I'm glad we went. I really enjoyed the company, but I think next time Keith and I will be going alone. :o)