Five on Friday

I'm linking up on this Halloween Friday for five on Friday. Thanks to the host: A.Liz Adventures, Carolina Charm, The Good Life, and Hello Happiness. They are always 4 of my favorite blogs to read!

One. Halloween 

Happy Halloween y'all! Lucky for me I get to spend this festive day with 19 first grade goblins. I'm sure the day will be full of sugar rushes and giggles. I have pumpkin dip and heading to Justin's parents house on the agenda for our Halloween night. Halloween movies and some treats make for a perfect Halloween in my book. No dressing up required(:

Two.  Henson 

Henson deserves a spot of his own. I  couldn't pick just one picture so I had to include several. The majority of my pictures these days are of him. He just has too much cuteness to handle! I can't imagine when I have a real child seeing how I treat him! He had his first tick bite and I went in to mom panic mode. He has become my furry child! Speaking of first he also made his first Reidsville trip and swam for the first time! I may be a little biased but I think he may be the best puppy in the WORLD. 

Three: Home

I was able to visit my parents house in Reidsville recently. I don't get home nearly as often as I would like to so when I do I truly treasure the visit. There is nothing like driving in to your home town after time away. It's so refreshing! I roll the windows down and cut the music up every time I'm pulling into town. Maybe it's a small town thing but it seems like time instantly slows down and life gets just a little bit easier. This trip was even sweeter because I had little man with me! Henson got to meet his grandparents and fur uncles (my parents basset hounds)! He slept for two days straight after all the playing he did over the weekend. 

Four. The Meaning of Marriage

I am SO excited to finally start the book The Meaning of Marriage. My sister gave me this book as a gift and I have been itching to get into it. I wanted school to calm down so I could really focus on it. (like school every really calms down, ha) I can't wait any longer so I'm starting it now! I've heard great things about it! Has anyone else ever read this book?

Five. These.Curtains.Now

Can someone please find me these curtains? Like now.. Oh how perfect they would be in my bedroom. We are slowly but surely working on the house. Our bedroom is complete enough for now so curtains will have to wait. Unless that is someone can find me these, in which case I would have to splurge and bring them home. (; 

Wedding Wednesday: Say Yes to the Dress

[yes, I know it's Thursday... I had this post all typed up and forgot to publish it yesterday. That's okay though.. who says you can't do wedding Wednesday a day late?! (; ]

It's official! I said "yes to the dress!" I went wedding dress shopping with a small group of the girls closest to me in my life. I have to admit I was a little nervous going into it. There is so much pressure on finding THE perfect dress. My nerves quickly went away though as I started looking at a gazillion gorgeous gowns. Going into it, I had a good idea of two styles of dresses that I liked but wanted to have an open mind. It turns out that one of the styles I thought I loved really didn't look that great on me. The other style though, oh my word... Love at first sight. Of course I can't tell you the exact dress/style but I will show you my inspiration photos to give you an idea! 

Okay, on to the big day! I took with me the most important girls in my life- my mom, sister, grandmother, best friend Ashley and family friends Linda and Carolina who are like a second mom/sister to me. It may seem like a lot of people but I couldn't imagine the day without them! We started the day off with a brunch at my parents house. Breakfast casserole, fruit, grits, mimosas... not the best thing for my figure but oh so good! My co-maid of honor, Ashley brought all of the bridesmaids (and the bride!) the most adorable "say yes to the dress" bags with monogrammed glasses inside. They came just in time for the mimosas! We then headed off to Greensboro to start our dress shopping. I ended up looking at three different stores. I found two dresses that I just LOVED. After a lot of comparing and analyzing the two dresses I knew without a doubt which one was perfect for me. ..just like that I had found my wedding dress! This is a day most girls dream of and I see why! It was such a special day. I know I will treasure the memory forever! 

Wedding Recap

I posted yesterday about my friend Sarah's bachelorette trip to Charleston, SC. Well, I'm back today with a recap of her wedding day! This wedding was so special! I am honored I was a part of Mike and Sarah's special day. You could truly see the love they have for one another! 

I set up a mimosa bar for the bridesmaids to kick off the wedding day. We were able to eat and sip our drinks at the house while we had our hair done and got ready. I think everyone needed a little something to ease the nerves before the big day! (; 

Have a little faith & if that doesn't work, have a lot of mimosas

It's hard to see here but we had peach, orange and grapefruit juice for the drinks

some of the girls getting ready!

with the maid of honor and bride to be! 

all of the bridesmaids 

After a fun filled morning getting ready for the big event it was time to load up the car and head to Sarah's church. I don't have a ton of pictures from the ceremony and reception because I was so busy and having a ball! I can promise you though it was the most gorgeous wedding EVER! The ceremony was sweet and sincere. I might have even shed a tear as Sarah walked down the aisle. The food was delicious at the reception and the dance floor was full all night. I call that a success! 

With my main squeeze (:

This picture isn't the best quality but it's all of our ECU girls back together! 

I had to sneak a picture of Henson in here somewhere. I was missing him up a storm all weekend and couldn't wait to get home to him!!  

I still can't believe one of my best friends is married! I'm so happy for you Mike and Sarah!! 

Charleston Bachelorette Weekend

A little over a month ago one of my friends celebrated their Bachelorette Party in Charleston, SC. With the sweetest bride to be and the southern charm of Charleston the weekend turned out absolutely perfect! I just love that town and especially being there with such good friends! We all arrived at different times Friday so we had more of a low key night grabbing dinner and celebrating at the hotel. 

 I just loved these adorable lingerie sugar cookies and diamond ring pretzel rolls! 

 Morning after kit made by the maid of honor complete with gatorade, snacks and tylenol. Just what the doctor called for! 

 All the girls before heading out for the day

On Saturday we woke up bright and early to make our way to Wadmalaw Island home of Irvin Vineyards and Firefly distillery. This was SUCH a fun trip, especially with a group of girls. Anyone looking for a fun activity around Charleston I highly recommend visiting the distillery/vineyard! We reserved transportation to carry us around all day. David, our awesome driver picked us up right on time complete with mimosas ready to go. The vineyard and distillery are located right beside each other. The land is absolutely breathtaking with rows of vineyards, live oak trees, a tire swing and barn styled buildings. We started out low key with a wine tasting and shopping at the gift shop. We then had a little bit more fun visiting the distillery and just hanging around enjoying the live music. It was by far the best part of the weekend!  

After resting up we headed out again that night for a very nice dinner and bar hopping out on the town. It happened to be restaurant week which meant lots of delicious food options. 

It was the perfect weekend! I'm a little late on my post so the gorgeous bride to be has already had her wedding and is enjoying married life. I'll be back to recap the wedding day! 

Fall on the front porch

This past weekend was the first time it truly felt like fall in the Carolina's. October rolled around, the temperature dropped and mums are right around every corner. There is something so refreshing about the season. I love everything fall has to bring! This weekend Justin and I decided to stay home to relax and work around the house some. It was the absolute perfect weekend in my opinion! We cleaned the house AND our cars, spent lots of time with Henson, made a big pot of spaghetti and got the front porch ready for fall. 

I knew before we even found this house that I wanted rocking chairs on the front porch. It was just a matter of waiting for the right time to get them. We knew we couldn't have pumpkins and flowers on the front porch without any rocking chairs to sit and view them in! We found the perfect chairs at Home Depot. I am in l-o-v-e. Now to just find a little table to put in the middle. 

Of course Henson had to check out the pumpkins.

Every time I walk outside and see the mums, pumpkins and rocking chairs my heart smiles!! Happy girl! Fall please take your time.. (:

Meet Henson

Happy Monday friends! I know post these days have been few and far between. I've been so busy enjoying all the joys of life- getting settled in the house, teaching, wedding festivities for a friend and with HENSON. This little goober was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I just love him so! After a little begging and constantly showing Justin pictures of lab puppies I convinced him to let us get one. I found Henson- a chocolate lab puppy, and it was love at first sight. He is ten weeks old and full of energy and cuteness. (That's a word right?) Get ready for picture overload!

 first picture on the car ride home

How can you not just sigh "awww" after all that cuteness?! Welcome to the family Henson!