Yes way, Vacay

Hey y'all!

Sammy and I are back in North Carolina from a beautiful, wonderful, magnificent, (insert every positive adjective here) trip to Jupiter, Florida! We had so, so, so much fun and it was so, so, so needed.

We were blessed with a free place to stay and we still can't get over what an actual blessing it was. Shoutout to you, Ms. Kathy, for being such an awesome host and letting us live in your home for a few days!! You made our whole entire trip!

Chase, Sam's husband, is in Florida for the summer for an internship at Roger Dean Stadium, so we went to visit him and see what he's been up to! He's basically a local now. He showed us around and took us to so many yummy places to eat! We went to a beautiful place called Blowing Rock Park and the view of the ocean was gorgeous. We did not want to leave.

While he was at work, Sam and I spent most of our time by any body of water we could get to! We went to Juno Beach, the Blue Heron Bridge, and the pool. I wanted all. of. the. sunshine. The Blue Heron Bridge was my favorite! We were able to swim in the clear water and see tons of fish and a few starfish. Sam and her family dive there every year, so she took me to see the area. It's amazing. The only thing that wasn't ideal was the parking, but we made it work! We were all able to catch fireworks at Roger Dean Stadium and doing a little shopping around town. Naturally, I brought home the perfect little pair of mermaid studs.

The plane rides there and back were quick and they totally beat driving 10+ hours there! We got back home around 11:00pm last night and we were hit with reality fast...setting an alarm clock for work last night was not fun.

I didn't get a load of pictures, but I managed to snap some. I also linked the two suits I brought with me because they are the comfiest and perfect for any beach vacay! I hope y'all had a safe and funny 4th!!

(P.S. Thanks for snapping all those pics of Sammy and I too, Chase!!)

 Navy + White suit // Similar Mermaid suit

Blowing Rock Park

               Juno Beach Café - YUMMY

Summer Sandal Fav

Hey y'all!!

Coming at you with another summer sandal favorite. These White Mountain beauts have been on my feet everyday since I've gotten them. I was excited to share with y'all because they are on sale now! *squeal*

They are super comfortable and have the cutest detail- look at that braided side strap! They're available in 6 different colors...which is super dangerous because now I want them all! Mine were scooped from Famous Footwear and that's the site they're currently on sale at. I've linked them below!

[click here for your new fav sandals]

Life Updates:

Hello 207

I'm a first grade teacher!

Hello 207

Y'all! Once again, I'm bursting. Bursting with excitement, a wee bit of panic, happy dances, joyful tears. Today in itself has been such a wild ride and it's only noon!

I'm speechless (in the best way) by the sight of my first classroom. As soon as I turned the corner and entered room 207, I was instantly amazed. I was at the school at 7:45 this morning giddy to see what room I'm calling home this school year. It. Is. Beautiful.

Can you imagine all of the laughter and learning that is going to happen in this room? I'm blown away by the room size...most importantly what am I going to put in there??? Remember that wee bit of panic I mentioned earlier?

I can't wait to put some major elbow grease into this space. I'm teetering on ideas and Pinterest is giving me too many to choose from! Ah! I love that there is color on two of the walls and cubbies for my littles to tuck their backpacks into. I'm bursting with excitement!!

I already feel so welcome and comfortable. I was able to meet some of the staff members today and they were the sweetest and so helpful. I got my copier code...who knew that would bring so much excitement with it? I'm organizing a list of school supplies I'll need. Y'all, this is just such a wonderful time. I'm stoked. Stay tuned to see 207!

P.S. I signed for my first apartment today!! Waiting on application approval now and an official move-in date. Ah!

I'm a first grade teacher!

It's official, y'all! As of this morning, I am a first grade teacher! This was such a suspenseful 3 weeks since the interview and a lot practicing patience has happened. I believe I've said a little prayer every time I've thought about it, so every minute of every day? I had little hints here and there that I had the position, but nothing's official until it is...and it is!!

I'm beyond excited. I can't wait to meet the littles and settle into a classroom. I have so many ideas going through my head of what I want my classroom to look like. Y'all know I love a good "theme" in any room. I go tomorrow to see what classroom I will start my teaching career in!! *squeal*

I was telling a friend that during the entire interview I felt so at peace and heard. I knew that was where I was supposed to be. I'm so grateful! I'm bursting, y'all!

Read about this presh letter board here!

More exciting news...I go to turn in an application for my first apartment tomorrow! WHAT?! This week has turned into one giant blessing. Lots of milestones, emotions, planning. Again, I'm bursting, y'all! I toured this apartment last weekend and I think it's so perfect. It's less than 10 minutes from the school I will be teaching at (shoutout mom for the timing experiment) and only 30 minutes from my parents. Yes, that was a criteria. Most importantly, I've already mentally started decorated in my mind. *happy dance*

The apartment complex is in such a cute little nook of Leland, tucked away from the busy highway and tiny enough to feel homey, but large enough to feel a tad bigger than a shoebox. So many changes are coming within the next two months and I can't wait to see them unfold!

In the meantime, if you have any unwanted children's books, send them my way! I'm in the process of building a classroom library and any addition would be helpful and much appreciated. Stay tuned for classroom and apartment news!

Next stop: Florida

Hey hey readers!!

Sorry I've been M.I.A. this week. It's been very lackluster and I didn't even feel inspired to do a 'Word Wednesday' yesterday. I think it's this weather! It's currently 59 degrees...in June...in North Carolina...on the coast. I can't deal! *dramatic*

I do have some exciting summer plans to share! Sammy and I are flying to Florida in July!! I'm so excited. Sam's husband, Chase, is in Florida this summer for a really cool internship at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter. His birthday is on July 4th, so we get to celebrate him and the holiday in Florida! So much fun is to be had. This will be my second time traveling by plane! [First plane trip here]

We're going to be there almost 5 full days, so if you have any suggestions on cool things to do, we're open to hearing them!! Sam and her family go to Florida every year for Christmas, so that have an awesome must-do list. We plan on being on the beach and eating a lot of food!

Just a little life update and to know I'm still here! I think in the next couple of weeks I'll be able to spill the beans on another HUGE life event, but for now this will have to hold you over. I know, you're on the edge of your seat.

Anyway, we would love any things-to-do ideas if you have them! Chase has a full list of ideas that we are excited to tackle too!! Of course you can expect a full run down of what we did when we get back! I love a good travel blog post.

Word Wednesday: Volume 3

Hey y'all!!

I am one of the biggest advocates for staying in your own bubble, familiarity, and habitat. I don't really do things that challenge my comfort level...because who wants to be uncomfortable? Over the weekend, I stepped out of my comfort zone majorly and acted my age instead of the usual age of 80+ I like to act.

Surprisingly, I had the most fun I've had in such a long time. I met new people, made new friends and stayed out later than I should have, but it was worth it. I know what you're thinking, DUH GIRL. I know, I know. I've heard it all before.

To be honest, I thought I was going to have a horrible time, feel super uncomfortable, and go home early, JUST because it was something I never experienced. I'm learning to step out of my comfort zone and not jump into bed at 9:00 on a Friday night. If you're in a similar spot, I encourage you to do the same. It might be a total flop or you might instantly know what you're doing next weekend again. Either way, you know for next time and you grow a little in the process.

Tips for stepping out of your bubble:

• Get you a friend (Sammy, the real MVP) who will make a code word with you for when y'all are ready to get the heck out of there. Let's be real, we've all done this. We didn't use it because we were having fun, but it's saved for next time.
• Don't make up your mind about how you feel as soon as you walk in the door, let it sink in. You'll end up staying for hours and not even realize you said, "I wanted to be in bed by midnight" until you get home well after midnight.
• Let yourself have fun, friend. You deserve it.

Big shoutout to the one who drug Sam and I out of our comfort mansions-of-zones. Thanks for sticking with us and being so encouraging!

If you liked this post, you may also like:

Word Wednesday: Volume 2

Word Wednesday: Volume 1

DO YA THING, B

Hey y'all!!

I jumped on the Trend Train real hard. I have been OBSESSED with everyone's Instagram pictures of the letter board-inspirational quote combo lately. I was bitten by the letter board bug this weekend and I had. to. have. one.

Does anyone else follow Whoa, wait. Walmart? on Insta? If you don't, you need to! I am an avid Walmart shopper, literally one of my favorite places. No shame. These ladies search Walmart for the best finds and they reposted a photo about a week ago of Walmart carrying...LETTER BOARDS! I wanted to hop in the car so fast and drive as quickly as possible to Walmart and snag one...which I did.

I took to Pinterest to find the perfect first quote to tack on the board. One of my most pinned quotes is of course about Beyoncé. I landed on one of my more sassier choices: Do ya thing, B. *hair flip*

I love this little board. It comes with over 100 letters and best of all, it was only $10! It is felt with grooves the letters cling between and it looked good pretty much anywhere I sat it. It was adorable on the kitchen counter, but I couldn't get a good picture due to the lack of light.

I'm saving it for my future apartment, but couldn't resist testing it out and attempting to style it. We have very little natural light in our house, so I had to get creative. My room is the brightest because of the gigantic window, so I jacked the curtains up and attempted to reflect as much light as possible.

I did catch myself laughing at the aftermath of this "styled" photo. I had a real-life-blogger moment and had to snap a semi-embarrassing picture of my room.

My usual white comforter is in the wash because Messi, my pup, decided to throw up on it yesterday. It's temporarily replaced with a bright and flowery patchwork bedspread by grandma made me when I was in middle school. Messi is staring out of the wide open window with the blinds pulled as tight as possible to let as much light in the room and the curtains are out of sight and pushed as far as they can go to the left. Oh yeah, I can't forget the glamorous dog kennel in the corner stacked with everything that was on the table that is now styled for this particular post. I was trying to drink my hot coffee as fast as I could because I decided to snap these pics when I should have been getting dressed for work.

In all seriousness, these hectic mornings are my favorite. I was still dressed and out the door when I was supposed to be and I actually had time for a second cup of coffee. I guess this quote really was inspirational.

I hope everyone takes the time to think about the meaning behind Memorial Day today. I'm guilty of thinking about a three day weekend instead of why we have a three day weekend. Thank you to everyone who has served, is serving, and will serve in the United States' armed forces. Today we focus on the ones who fought and gave their lives for this country. Make it a safe and memorable day.