Prepping for Travel!

I have two trips coming up in the next two weeks that I am so pumped about! This Thursday-Sunday I'll be heading to Richmond with Steven for a super fun weekend! Of course we'll be hitting up Short Pump, but also will make it to a Flying Squirrels game, Busch Gardens and...the first annual bacon festival! That should definitely be an experience ;) Then, next Friday, I'm headed to the BEACH! I'll be relaxing on the North Carolina shore for one week. I absolutely cannot wait!

 Got all the goods! Sunscreen, a good book, eye protection, Jacks and pretty nails are all essential!   My iPad will be nice to entertain me on rainy days, or when I run out of books I have one on there! Plus, I'll have to keep up with my school work...WOMP!   Starbucks is needed in the car. Always.
Running shoes are coming with me since I'm training this summer for two big races in the fall!
I just got a new striped beach tote that I lovvvve...I'll be sure to share a picture of it!     What are some of your summer travel essentials?

Yuengling Shamrock Anthem 1/2 Marathon

My second 1/2 marathon is in the books! Last Saturday we headed down to the 757 for race weekend. This was pretty much the best weekend ever...finishing out Spring break with a race & St. Patty's Day!   This was my brother James' first half-marathon which also made this very exciting. We picked a great race for his first! So flat. It was a nice relief from my hilly Blacksburg training runs.    For anyone looking to run their first half-marathon, or even just looking for a fun, fast race...this is it!   Our first green drinks of the weekend...and mimosas! When on vacation...

At the expo!

I can't see these things and not get a picture!

Haha this one cracks me up!

CAN YOU BELIEVE they had this shirt? Apparently I was the first Hokie fan to walk through! Of course I had to buy it.

Arriving at our hotel!

Didn't mind having this view from our room. Just wish it were warmer!

"Woohoo we're here!"

My outfit for the race. It was in the 40s, and yes the beginning was freezing, but I felt great while running! The headband is from bondiband (got it at the expo) and I loved it! Great no-slip, wide headband that you can use to cover your ears as well as keep your hair back.

6:45, ready to start!

I moved up to Corral 3 because...well, I do what I want. I tried to get up with my brother to find the 1:52 pacer but couldn't find him.

And, WE'RE DONE!

Reached our goals!

Official chip timing - was impressed to receive this in an email! This race was so organized.

With our sweet finishers blankets at the sand castle - those blankets were the PERFECT thing to receive...it was so windy/cold when we finished!

The perks of having Yuengling sponsor...4 free beers. Holla.

Very crowded beach tent! And this is only a fraction of the half-marathoners.

 Peeking down at the marathoners from our hotel!

Post race lunch at Beach Pub

More green drinks!

Went to the Virginia Aquarium!

So fun!

The river otters! My absolute favorite.

Last green drinks of the weekend at our hotel! These were so delish.

Overall I had an amazing weekend. I am so glad that I signed up for this race and pushed myself through the cold, sometimes snowy, training runs. It all paid off to reach my goal of running under 2 hours.   I'm already looking for my next race to sign up for in the upcoming months. Any suggestions? Also trying to decide whether I should take the leap into full marathon training. Any advice/suggestions would be appreciated :) Have a great Tuesday!

Fast-forward...to the BEACH!

I know many of my friends have exciting things coming up, whether it be a wedding, a new baby, graduation or a big trip. While I have graduation to look forward to, of course, my mind has recently been on one thing: the beach! My mom has booked a beach house in Avon for a week in June and - y'all I could NOT be more pumped.  I haven't spent a week at the beach in FAR too long! Last summer I didn't get to go anywhere near the beach! I am long overdue for some beach bummin'. Here are some pictures of the house we have rented -- it's called High Hopes. {And yes, Mom and I eliminated some of the houses just based on what they were called!}   Not sooooo cute on the front...

  But it has two decks! And those windows, yeah they face the ocean.

I can see myself sitting here, watching the waves, drinking a mimosa...

I'll be cookin' some grub in this kitchen! I love the breakfast bar. So beachy.

Call me a 5 year old but I kind of want dibs on a top bunk...I haven't slept in one since the 2nd grade, probably...

Okay, YES. Me. This deck. A beach read. A margarita. KTHANKSBYE!

I'll be heading for those stairs every day! So happy that we'll be so close to the ocean. Gonna be tannin' for dayyyys...

Another plus -- it's pet friendly! Which means Sadie girl gets to come :) I think we'll have some extended family there as well. It's going to be great! Is it weird that I've already thought about things I'm going to wear?
AHHHH can it be June already!? Plus this means ONE WEEK off from work! Besides the boo-boo to my paycheck, I could not be more excited.   Anyone else going to be in the OBX this June? I would lovvvve to see some friends!

Now, I return to the rainy, dreary day that is Blacksburg...I'll keep dreamin' :)

Find me...

...at Ashley's blog today! Covering some back to school essentials!
This week I'm in Fairfax//D.C. area with Steven.
I'll return shortly!

Charlotte Getaway

When I got my summer schedule and saw three whole days off, I knew that I wanted to get out of Blacksburg! We toyed with lots of options - going to the beach, going to Williamsburg, going to Roanoke, etc - but ultimately, after multiple IKEA conversations at work, we decided to go to one of my favorite cities - Charlotte!Our first stop was the game in Martinsville on Thursday night. On the way, Mom and I stopped at The Bread Basket for some goodies!

If you are ever in town and want some delicious candies, trail mixes, sandwiches, gluten-free anything, etc. you should stop in! It's a little amish bakery and if I had to guess I'd say they had 100 candies to choose from! You can even get gummy bears by the color, like a bag of just reds! Or blues! Or greens! Yum! I got gummy butterflies and for Steven I got blueberry yogurt covered pretzels and peanut butter/chocolate buckeyes!
The game was a lot of fun since they won :) and they had fireworks! It was like the 4th of July all over again! These were much better because Steven was able to come and watch them with me in the stands.

  Mom and I then headed to Winston-Salem for the night instead of driving late into the night.   The next morning, we hopped on the road and headed to Charlotte! It wasn't a very long drive, which was nice since we were a little tired from getting in late to WS. Our first stop was IKEA. We decided that it's hard not to like IKEA. Even if you don't like the more modern look to their furniture, all of the little things they have for organization, decoration, etc are just too fun! Plus they have great prices. It would be difficult to go inside and not buy anything.

 Mom and I both had really good luck! I mostly got things for my apartment next year...I'm excited to move in and put them to use! We also got to enjoy their food court. I got the Swedish meatballs which were very good! However, the best part of our meal was the chocolate/almond/toffee cake. O.M.G. SO. GOOD.
Our hotel in Charlotte was right across the street from SouthPark Mall, which was perfect since that's where we were headed! It was a gorgeous hotel with a bar and a pool just waiting for us!We had dinner at the California Pizza Kitchen - one of my faves - and then walked around to look at the stores. Shopping occurred on Saturday!

Of course I spent some quality time here! I even found an adorable Callie skirt in Doodle Bug Daisy on sale!My other purchases included an adorable fish flag shirt (like on Claire's blog!) and new hat from Vineyard Vines and some earrings from Francesca's Collection! Man, I wish I had one of those stores closer to me! They have soooo many things that I love. 
After some shopping and some lunch, we headed back to Martinsville for a double header on Saturday night. When we arrived at 6:20 it was 99 degrees and felt like 102. Yucky conditions to be playing OR watching baseball, but what can I say...we're dedicated fans.A walk off RBI won them the first game in the bottom of the 7th - which was awesome! Then, to add more excitement to the night, the second game went into 10 innings! For those that don't know, a typical double header has two 7 inning games, so it really went into 3 extra innings, not 1 like it would appear for a regular game.And as if it weren't late enough, the game got delayed because a bug flew into the ear of one of the other team's players! They couldn't get it out and he ended up going to the hospital.It was crazy! Thankfully, they won the second game too so it's not like we waited around for nothing! Whew! I had such a wonderful weekend, but it went by way too fast. I would have loved one more day in Charlotte and one more day at home with Steven before going back to work! Oh well. Like we say - you get what you get and you don't throw a fit! :) I'm thankful for my three days off!
 Hope everyone is off to a great start to the week!

4th recap & mini vacation

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I sure did!

After waking up and running some errands, my family and I went downtown for our town's annual 4th of July parade.  This year, mom's school had a part in the parade so she and Sadie were decked in HAE purple & a bit of red, white and blue!

Gap was having a huge sale this week, and for once I was actually successful! Usually it's hit or miss at Gap. Not sure why, but sometimes their stuff fits funny!This time, I found too many things that I wanted and had to vote some things out!I did keep an outfit perfect for the 4th!

The red and white striped top ended up only being $3 and the navy skirt ended up being around $15! Score!
After the parade I headed down to Asheboro, NC for Steven's game! Unfortunately, after leading for most of the game, the Mustangs lost 3-2. Although the score wasn't so great, the game was fun! There was a huge crowd - over 3,000 - and fireworks after the game!

When I was younger, I was terrified of fireworks. Thankfully I got over that fear! I love them now!
Today we're heading down for Martinsville's fireworks night and hopefully a win!Since I have Wed-Fri off from work (hallelujah) Mom & I are taking a mini vacation down to Charlotte!After the game we're staying in Winston-Salem for the night and then heading to IKEA and SouthPark for some weekend shopping :)So excited to get out of Blacksburg for a couple of days!
Happy Thursday!

Ten on Tuesday & Giveaway

It's such a nice day in VA today. It feels like summer and where am I? You guessed it...stuck in class! :( At least I get to spend time in between class outside :) and in Panera to study and have nom noms

Linking up with Roots and Rings for Ten on Tuesday :)

1. You're packing for a week long vacation, do you pack ahead of time or wait until the last possible minute to pack?
I wait until almost the last possible minute. I usually pack the day/night before we leave!

2. Are you a light or heavy packer?
HEAVY! There is no doubt about that. I have never gone anywhere with only one bag...not possible.

3. What are your favorite road trip snacks?
Trail mix, Chex Mix Bold Party Blend, and Red Bull


4. Do you take any reading material along?
Yes. I usually take a novel or two (in case I get bored of one) and magazines. I don't usually get carsick so I can read on the road, but I lovvve to sleep in the car...so usually, my reading material doesn't get too much attention.

5. Do you prefer to drive or fly to your vacation destination?
If I had the choice, I would fly! It gets you there quicker and you don't have to worry about traffic/car troubles/putting mileage on your car. Instead you get to worry about delayed flights and lost luggage...haha


6. What is your favorite time of the year to take your vacation?
Summer :) Or going somewhere warm during the winter, since I don't like to be cold!

7. Where is your favorite place to vacation?
The beach! Which is of course not my brothers' or boyfriend's first pick...lucky me :P

8. You are vacationing in the mountains, what is your favorite thing to do while there?
Make a campfire and then make smores!

9. You are at the beach for your vacation, do you like to take it easy on the beach or play all day in the water?
I am definitely 50/50 on this one. I love going to the beach and I usually start off laying out tanning/reading, then when I get really hot I run and jump in the water and swim around and catch waves. Then I go back and lay out to dry and have a snack. Then, repeat. I LOVE IT!

10. While you're on vacation, do you prefer to eat out every night or cook some of your own meals?
Both. If it's a short stay, I prefer to eat out because it's easier and one of the best parts about going somewhere on vacation is trying their signature restaurant spots! If it's a long stay (1 week or more) it makes sense economically to make your breakfast and maybe lunch, then go out for dinners.


Ahh...now I'm in the mood to vacation! If I could teleport, I'd be in OBX right now.
Momma and I are trying to plan a trip to Austin, but it's difficult to find a good amount of time to go that fits everyone's schedules! It's tough once everyone is out of high school!


Lastly, one of my favorite blogs, Sweet Southern Prep, is hosting an awesome giveaway! A Kelly Ripa Skinny Sideways Cross Necklace from Gems in Vogue.

It's different from the traditional cross necklace but I like it! Go check out her blog to enter before Sat, Oct 29 :)

Also check out just another preppy shopaholic for another great giveaway! A design-your-own pashmina scarf from Marley Lilly!! LOVE THOSE!

I hope everyone can go out and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!
xoxo,