Weekending

This weekend marked the end of my Christmas break from at work and I am SO sad to see it go. The time off was much needed and enjoyed. We kicked off our weekend a day early, since New Years Eve fell on a Thursday. I had three of my friends from college come into town with their husbands as well as a few other friends over at our house on NYE. We cooked oysters, ate way too spicy Texas chili (this was my mistake-- I tried a new recipe and it was SO spicy!!) and popped lots of champagne. We had a party bus rented out for the night to take us around town. This was SO much fun! We were able to blast music, dance around and spend time with each other bar hopping without any worry of having to find a cab. 

In Southport.. it's just gorgeous there! 

New Years day we rested up and enjoyed the traditional meal of black eyed peas, collard greens, pork and cornbread with Justin's family. We did the same thing last year on New Years day and had a very blessed 2015 so let's hope the luck continues in 2016! We also opened an envelope that has been sealed since Jan 1st of last year. Everyone in his family wrote their wish for the upcoming year and then it stayed sealed until this year when we opened them up to see if our goal had come true. A new tradition in the making! Saturday we met my mom in Southport for lunch and then headed on to Wilmington to celebrate Christmas with Justin's side of the family that we had not celebrated with yet. It was a very nice weekend that I am SO sad to see go! 

We also ended the weekend with the best news ever!! One of my friends and a bridesmaid in my wedding got engaged! Congratulations Jessica! Let the festivities begin! 

Bring it on 2016!

As 2015 comes to a close I can't help but look back at the past year and smile. I had a very blessed year as I married my best friend! Justin and I continued to make our house a home, and celebrated with three of our friends at their weddings. It was definitely the year of weddings! Most weekends in 2015 were filled with bridal showers, bachelorette parties, wedding dress shopping, and weddings. As busy as it was I wouldn't trade it for anything! I am SO excited to see what 2016 has in store for us! 

I have been doing a lot of thinking about what is important to me in the upcoming year and came up with a few New Years Resolutions. 

1. Slow down and enjoy the moment. 

2. Exercise more

3. Work less, family more. 

4. Dig into my new devotional- Savor 

5. Cook more

6. Stop worrying about things that don't matter

7. Spend more quality time with J- more date nights! 

..and that's it! Nothing crazy but all things that are important to me in the upcoming year 

I hope you all had a fun and safe New Years Eve! We had several friends come into town to celebrate with oysters, champagne, and a party bus. So much fun!! 

Healthy Eating

Okay, It's January which means I have come full circle with my eating choices. Let me explain, The past 4+ years I always start out January motivated to change my eating habits. Partly to shape up and partly to feel better and over all live a healthier lifestyle. So January, I'm motivated and going strong. I keep it up all winter and even through the summer. Then.... August hits and we head back to school. The working until dark, bringing loads of work home nightly, back to packing a lunch, the stress of starting a new school year hits full force. If you are an elementary school teacher I'm sure you understand. Starting a new school year is incredibly time consuming. So guess what takes a back seat? Eating healthy! All of a sudden I find myself eating quick and easy meals with no thought to nutrition. The school year starts to slow down a little by October but by then I have already slipped back into bad eating habits. That continues until January when I realize just how little energy I have and how my pants are fitting just a little bit snug..... all the motivation I need to start the circle back over with a change in my diet. Does anyone else drastically change their eating based on the time of year?

Anywho, with 2015 just beginning and three weddings this year.. MY own, and a bridesmaid and matron of honor in 2 others, I have all the motivation I need to start a diet plan..NOW. Last year I started eating clean, read here. Needless to say I slipped off that bandwagon but when I was going strong I dropped several pounds and more importantly felt amazing. I was no longer exhausted at 2:00... my energy level was just unreal. So I plan to go back to eating like that but with a few changes. I'm putting my "eating plan" into writing to try to keep myself accountable. Here is my "plan" I came up with: 

1. NO more processed foods. I know there is nothing healthy about hot pockets and frozen pizza. 

2. Drink more water. I try to walk around with a water bottle all the time. Water plays a huge roll in our bodies!! Need more convincing? Read here. 

3. Eat more fruits and veggies. This is where clean eating comes in. I would like the majority of my food to consist of fruits and vegetables. I've tried it and I know eating this way is good for my body in more ways that one. 

4. Eat lean meats. When I followed my clean eating plan last year it was a whole foods plant based diet. Which basically means eat your fruits and veggies but no meat. I'm not looking to go back to not eating meat however I do think there are health benefits to choosing lean cuts of meat. 

That's it! Nothing too crazy but 4 steps that I think can make a huge difference! I still plan to allow cheat meals and desserts every now and then-- just in moderation. If you have made a similar change in your diet I would love to hear about it! 

2015 Resolution

It's that time! The time where every blogger evaluates their life and shares their goals and resolutions for the new year. Ready, set, go.. 
My 2015 Resolution: 

This year I'm working hard to find balance in my life. I know I have many blessings in my life such as my family, friends, job, house, etc. I can sometimes get caught up in one area and neglect other areas of my day to day life. For example it's easy to get caught up in work and completely toss eating healthy out the window. Or maybe one morning decide keeping a clean house overrules making it to church. I am an all in type of girl.. If I'm going to teach I want to do it well, if I'm going to have a house, it needs to be clean, the list goes on. While I think all of these things are important this is the year I want to prioritize. I think if I can do some planning I can accomplish SO much more without all of the stress. So, how do I plan to do this? 

Plan, plan, plan and prioritize! Number one on the list is getting involved in our church. No more to do list topping church and less going out of town on unnecessary trips that causes us to be gone on Sunday morning. I would love to get involved with a small group this year and really make my devotional a daily part of my day! 

As far as work, I have no intention to not give my job 100%. I do plan to find some BALANCE though. When you teach it is SO easy to let work takeover your life. I am going to start working smarter, not harder. My kids need all of my attention but when it comes to after school hours so does my fiance, family and my own sanity.  

I'd like to find balance in my food choices. I want to make sure I am eating MOST of my meals healthy with more fruits and vegetables but not get so caught up in it that I don't allow treats and occasional not so healthy, but oh so good meals. I would be very happy with a 80/20 balance... 80% of meals with lean meats/fruits/veggies and the other 20% with whatever my little heart desires. (: 

Last, I really want to work on keeping a positive attitude in stressful situations. Things happen and life goes on. These words really stuck with me in this Oprah interview. Check it out here. "Either pray or worry, don't do both" That is so so so true... I need to remember that once I've prayed it's in God's hands from there. 

So that's it.. It's not the end all be all but I know if I could accomplish some of these goals a balanced life will come. What are your goals or resolutions this year? 

2014 in Review

2014 has been a year to remember for me. When I sit back to reflect I can't believe how many things changed in the past year! I moved out of my house in Greenville, started teaching first grade at a new school at the beach, got engaged to my best friend, bought our first house, and welcomed the SWEETEST chocolate lab into our home! I have to thank Him for all of the blessings that have come our way! Cheers to an AMAZING 2014 and hopefully an even better 2015. 

Here are the top 5 post of 2014 on this little ole' blog based on the number of page views. They just so happen to be my favorite as well! 

Our Engagement 

Wedding Wednesday- The Venue 

Meet Henson

Fall on the Front Porch

Apple Dip- Thank you Gift 

I hope you have a safe and happy New Years Eve!