Last weekend, my friend, Catie, and I had a girls' night with dinner and a show. Catie was one of my college roommates and, even thought we talk and text often, we haven't had a lot of one on one time in a while. It was so nice to laugh and talk and have fun together for the evening. It always seems like the weirdest, funniest things happen to us when we're together, and last Friday night proved to bring us just those things!
We saw our good friend, Courtney, perform in her show, Crossing Delancey, and were blown away by her performance. Courtney is ALWAYS amazing and it was a treat to watch her perform.
So proud of Courtney!!!
And here is a dance pose picture in the making....
Nailed it! ;)
We were all best college buddies, so it was so fun to catch up and talk about EVERYTHING after the show. I definitely missed my 10pm bedtime curfew, but.....worth it.
I think we're all the same in that, during the frigid winter months, we just want to be cozy!!! We had an ice storm in freezing weather on Monday and sunshine with 60 degree weather on Tuesday, so I thought this might just be the perfect outfit for dealing with this North Carolina weather.
My friend, Sara, just because a consultant with LulaRoe Clothing, and I'm like....(dancing lady, high five, thumbs up emojis). She said that LulaRoe is known for the leggings, but I've only tried the Amelias (here and here). I loved the Amelia dresses and knew I had to get a pair of those softer than butter leggings. Worth it! They are amazing.
The cool thing about these clothes is that they're always coming out with new patterns in all the neat styles. If you're interested in getting some cute clothes, definitely join Sara's FB group so you can browse her online shop (or her in-home boutique if you're local). She has some great stuff!
For snacking, I obviously prefer Dove chocolate, but I realize that can't happen all day every day. We've recently been getting a bag of these mini mandarin oranges and they go so fast in my house now. They're easy to peel and easy to eat and we all love them.
Tarte mascara. The mascara I've used in the past has always been decent to borderline terrible. Before my show a few weeks ago, (which, I'm working on getting a video!), a team of professionals came in to do our hair and makeup. The lady who did my makeup suggested this mascara and I bought it for myself for a birthday treat. It is amazing. Hands down the best mascara I've ever worn.
Ok, this show is amazing. We've been doing a lot of work downstairs in our living room and office. Painting, moving furniture around, and de-cluttering. While we've been working, we've been watching this show and we all love it!! They do fun challenges and I so wish I was one of the judges....mmmmm. Afterwards we always end up wanting a treat of some kind. My boys watching the show....
Walker now wants to open up his own doughnut shop and I'm totally loving that idea.
My hands are superrrr sensitive, so I typically stick with my Cetaphil lotion, but this lotion from Bath and Body Works is fantastic. It smells amazing and actually helps with my crazy sensitive, winter time hands.
Happy Valentine's Day this weekend!! Another thing I've been loving is the LDS Church's Instagram page....they've been hosting a #loveoneanother challenge with beautiful challenges like, "today, say thank you to someone", "today, speak kindly". I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!
I set a major/not so major, but important, goal for myself last week. I've been feeling for the past little while that I just could not catch up. At the end of the day, even though it would be well after midnight, I felt like I still had tons of things to do.
Something needed to change. So! I thought about it and prayed about it, and realized that in order to keep my sanity and to become a better mom and person overall, I needed to start waking up before the kids do every morning for personal scripture study and alone time....which meant that I needed to start going to bed a ton earlier.
I'm happy to report that today, I'm 3 for 3 on keeping my goal. Oh yeah!!
2 days of the week, I take a 530am class at the gym and get home to do scripture study before the boys wake up. Well, before they're allowed to come out of their room....they wake up way too early. (This alarm clock for the boys has been a morning life saver.) And on the other days, I set my alarm for 620am to head downstairs and read.
Yes, it's only Wednesday, but I'm really hoping I can make this a habit, because these past few days have been so rewarding. I feel like I have a better handle on all my responsibilities, that I'm enjoying everything so much more, and surprisingly, I get things done before 10pm every night. (and if I don't, oh well! it has to wait because sleep is top priority.)
I hope y'all are having a great week! Have you set any personal goals for yourself this week?!
We went to Disney World back in December and I'm just getting to all the fun pictures from our trip. Better late than never, right?!
Here a few of my very favorite moments from our trip, and if you're planning a trip soon, I highly recommend these restaurants/rides/experiences!
1. The first thing would be the pool. ^ It's always interesting that you can go anywhere in the world, but the kids reallyyyyyy love the pool the most. The Grand Floridian, where we stayed, has an amazing one that really shallow (as you can see), so the kids can play and splash and have fun without me being too nervous.
2. The Garden Grill Restaurant at Epcot
They serve the food at this restaurant family style, and it's fantastic. The characters come around and give the kids (and grandparents^) lots of fun, individual attention and photo opportunities. Walker fell in love with these characters. I have to get him a stuffed animal chipmunk soon...he'd love that. The only thing about this restaurant...it rotates ever so slightly in a circle. I literally had no idea it was rotating, (and was totally fine) until we realized towards the end of lunch that we were in a different location. I started feeling slightly woozy in the head like I was on a boat.....but I definitely didn't feel that way until I knew it was happening. The mind does crazy things!!! Loved this experience and the restaurant.
And since we're on food... My brother can joke on this show all he wants (yes, it's a little cheesy), but I LOVE the Hoop-De-Doo Musical Review. The food is amazing and the show is a ton of fun. Also, we sat at these long tables, and Noel and I somehow ended up alone at a table, so it was like a little mini date.
Ok, this was so fun for the boys (and for me, honestly), and this is my favorite picture of all time. After the boys got dressed in their Jedi robes, they were having a full-blown trivia smack down with the other kids. Their faces pretty much say it all, as in...they knew the most about Star Wars, and how dare anyone else challenge them. If you have a young Jedi who wants to dress up and fight Darth Vader, just go straight to this place (right beside Indiana Jones) as soon as you get into Hollywood Studios, and grab a ticket that allows your child to participate.
5. Boat Ride from Grand Floridian
There's a boat ride that docks from and circles around the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian Resort, and the Magic Kingdom. I love it so much. It's simple and easy, but allows you to see the resorts and Disney World from a different angle. Also, if the weather is nice, it's so relaxing.
6. Expedition Everest
We've always loved this ride, and this go around we went through it twice in a row (benefits of getting to the park super early!) My brother, James, filmed the entire ride this time...oh my gosh (you hear me in the back the whole time saying, "James!!! put the phone down, you're going to lose itttt!!!!), but watching it back was hilarious. Definitely ride this!
7. Walking around Epcot
A Disney trip can make you feel like you need to do everything you possibly can. There is so much to see, seeing everything is impossible!!! (top tip for ya!) One of my favorite afternoons during our trip was walking around leisurely at Epcot. We didn't have any set plans so we stopped to watch a band playing in the street, watched a miniature train set, played the drums, chased lizards, and just kinda took everything in. I highly recommend taking an entire morning or afternoon to just relax and walk around to see what you can see!
8. Minnie Ears
My sister found the cutest shop for Mickey/Minnie ears and we rotated them throughout the week. Jessica's picture with her ears was featured on their Instagram page (isn't she adorable?!)
Disney World is such a blast, and creates such fun memories....grateful that I have those with my family. I especially loved taking my kids at this age. Everything is so magical to them right now, and it's such a treat to see everything through their eyes.
What are your favorite rides and restaurants at Disney?!
