Instagram Photo Dump: 4

Are we friends on Instagram? No? Follow me here. Here are some of my favorite shots from the past month!

1. Enjoying a glass of wine on our back porch.

2. Afternoon date with my Hubby, Jurassic Park in 3D!

3. Midday coffee break.

4. My pretty puppy!

5. Miley was so pissed that she couldn't catch that lizard!

6. Taking a walk on the beach.

7. I waited for 15 minutes in the Starbucks drive thru for this. So worth it!

8. We've been veggie for 3 weeks now! And this soy sausage was delish!

9. Celebrating Cinco de Mayo!

10. Taking a lunch time stroll with Jena.

11. Me, Miley and my new haircut!

12. Nana turned 95! Wish I could have been there to celebrate!

13. A family dinner date to Sonic!

Currently...Hellooooo Thursday!

 

Happy Thursday! I've been looking forward to this day since Monday! I had a half day, I have tomorrow off...and it was my last day at my current job! A new adventure begins Monday and I can not wait!

reading my budget. Seriously, I spend way too much of my spare time budgeting. I'm really starting crunch the numbers. Danny gets out in less than 2 months, I just lost a little bit of my pay, we'll have to start paying for insurance out of pocket. I seriously don't like being an adult sometimes...
writing an e-mail to the Wine and Design company in Wilmington.
listening to Dr. Oz. Today he is talking about Angelina Jolie and her boobs. Not that that's surprising..everyone is talking about that this week.
thinking that I was probably a little offensive on Twitter today. I don't have a filter. Sorry!
smelling Nothing at all.
wishing that we had the winning lotto ticket. How awesome would that be?
hoping I like my new job.
wearing Flip flops, jeans, black tank and plaid. Actually...see photo above!
loving that the scale is 4lbs less than it was on Monday. I love my treadmill!
wanting Miley to stop barking. This time of the day is awful, she barks at everything.
needing a crystal ball. I'd like to see the future!
feeling Good. And you?
clicking through my calendar. I'd be lost without my Google calendar!

A Dining Experience!

If you know me, you know I love food. And this past Saturday I had a fabulous food experience with my friend Laura. For my birthday Laura and her husband took me to two different restaurants..so it was no surprise to me when she had elaborate plans for our Saturday dinner!

Our first stop was to a wine shop, Temptations Everyday Gourmet. This small hole in the wall shop was a huge surprise to me. I've driven past it a million times but have never even noticed it! We started our night off with a cheese platter, risotto cake and a great glass of Riesling. I even tried pimento cheese for the first time, and (no shocker here) and loved it! We had great conversation, drooled over all the food and even left with 3 bottles of wine each! 

The next stop was Catch. Now, I haven't watched Top Chef in a long time but this restaurant is owned by season 9 contestant Chef Keith Rhodes, so I was pretty excited to be eating there. We sat at the bar, planned to order just appetizers, but once we saw the menu...we knew we wanted more! We had the crispy duck with mac and cheese. Holy crap. AMAZING!! And our drinks? We had cucumber margaritas. Quite possibly the most delicious and most refreshing drink ever.

It was absolutely gorgeous out Saturday night, so before dessert we walked around downtown. We went into a few stores, peoples watched and had a few laughs. At some point we decided another drink was in order and we wanted dessert...we ended up at Little Dipper, my favorite fondue place. We sat on the patio, listened to some live music, ordered strawberry margs and had a yummy peanut butter chocolate fondue. It was such a great way to end a fantastic night!

Someday we'll get a good picture!

It was such a fun night! The next time me and Hubby have a date night, I already told him it was going to be an all night experience! Now I just need to find three fabulous restaurants to visit!

Spicy Orzo Salad

Sooooo....you know you're slacking on the blog when people actually start requesting blogs. I just haven't been too into lately. But you know what I have been into? Healthy eating. Five days a week we go vegetarian. It's healthy, yummy, and seriously...it's been really easy on the pocketbook! Here's one of my favorites.

Spicy Orzo Salad

1 cup orzo, uncooked

1 cup frozen corn, thawed and drained

Container of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1/4 cup almond milk

Juice of one lemon

Cilantro, chopped

Juice of one lime

2Tbsp sour cream

2Tbsp mayonaise

1tsp chili powder

Salt and pepper

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 avocado, cut into wedges

1. Cook orzo according to directions, drain and rinse. Place orzo, corn, tomatoes and beans in a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl combine milk, lemon, cilantro, lime, sour cream, mayo and spices. Mix well. Pour over orzo and toss to combine. Serve with avocado. Enjoy!

(adapted from Cooking Light recipe)

Kenny Concert!

After months and months of waiting this weekend was finally the Kenny Chesney concert! For months we were planning this day - we were planning for sunny weather, cold drinks and sundresses. Who would have thought that it would still be freezing in May!

Saturday morning Jena picked me up bright and early...she even came prepared with iced coffee! We made the 4 hour trek down to Columbia. It was rainy and windy the entire time...but we were crossing our fingers that it would clear up. 

By the time we got down there we were starving! So, we headed to the Flying Saucer for a yummy lunch and a drink. They had so many beers here! And they had a creative anti-pasto-like meal. Thank goodness it was delicious...because as it turns out, it's the only thing I ate all day. After that we headed to World of Beer for another pint...and to be able to say we've been to one. And holy crap they have so much beer! We shocked by the amount of taps and the cooler...it was huge!!!

After checking into the hotel, we called up the cab and made our way to the concert. Before the concert even started Craig Morgan was outside doing a little preshow. Is there no open container law in SC? So much public drinking! Then we made our way into the stadium, got a beer and found our seats!

It rained off and on the entire night. Kasey Musgraves and Eli Young Band were really good. Zac Brown Band was AWESOME, my favorite of the night. And Kenny Chesney was just "eh." This was my 18th time seeing him so I know he can do better! He didn't even sing many songs. We had a ton of fun, but I'm not sure it was actually worth...it was so freakin' cold and rainy!!

And then the real "fun" started. The concert was over around 10:30, we made our way to the streets to find a cab. We wandered up and down the streets knocking on the windows of empty cabs, being turned down in the freakin' pouring rain. Cops were no help. Cab companies weren't answering the phones. And no one wanted to help us. It was awful. After an hour and a half of walking in the pouring rain we saw two girls and a guy get into cab. We asked if we could join them and thank God they said yes. And they were going to a hotel super close to us. I am so thankful for those people, they totally didn't have to overcrowd their taxi, but we did pay the fare! I just couldn't wait to get home and put on my pjs!!

Saturday morning we had some breakfast, got some Starbucks and made the trek home. The GPS took us on the strangest route...but we eventually made it!!

It was a weekend full of memories FOR SURE, I'm just not sure me and Jena will be going to Columbia again anytime soon!

Spa Day!

Over the weekend I got the girls together for another great day together! This month we headed to the spa for a day of pampering. We had the whole package - hour long Swedish massage, lavender pedicure and manicure. And it was awesome! We had yummy snacks, lots of laughs, and a ton of girl time.

The spa day also marked my 18th bloggy love meet up! I was finally able to meet Jennifer from Marine Wife, Mommy & Life.

After the spa we headed out for some lunch and drinks...and more girl time. This has probably been my favorite girls day so far! My massage was amazing...I wish I could do it every week!

A Year of Gratitude: Lindsey

Last month my Mom was the recipient of the gratitude card. I think I made her day with it, she may or may not have shed a tear! I'm glad I was able to make her feel special with a little card.

This month, for the fourth card, I sent it to my friend Lindsey. Me and Lindsey have been friends f-o-r-e-v-e-r. Way back in kindergarten we used to walk to school together. Told ya, forever! We were friends all throughout school, even though we didn't really hangout with the same crowds. She was a bridesmaid and awesome speech giver at our wedding. And since I've moved to North Carolina she has been the only friend to come visit...sometimes more than once a year!

But really, the reason Lindsey received this months card is because she is a fantastic friend. We always pick up right where we left off. When I'm home she doesn't rely on me to make plans, she'll pick up the phone and say "I'm headed over to pick you up, lets go to lunch." And when she pulls in the driveway she looks at me and says "are we drinking today?" and when I say "yes" she says, "good, cuz if you said no...I was going to suggests brunch so we could have mimosas."

That, right there, ladies and gentlemen.....is a great friend!

Thank you, Lindsey, for being you!