Valentine's Outfit

Wouldn't this Lilly Elsa Top make the cutest Valentine's outfit?  My oh my wouldn't it even be better if we were somewhere tropical and could wear our white pants with it?!

Weekend with Mom

I really didn't mean to not blog for so long but last week I traveled Tuesday and got back really late Wednesday night.  Thursday I had a disease and thought I was going to die.  (I think it was just food poisoning from my Pennsylvania trip).  Friday morning my Mom flew in from Maryland and we did wedding stuff alllllll weekend.  Literally every hour haha!  It was SO fun and I can't wait to update you all!

Friday we went and tried possibly THE dress on again, looked at another bridesmaids dress and also checked out a stationery shop.  We then went to our reception site and met with our sweet planner Alisa and a florist.  Then we met with the venue guy Nathan who is hilarious.  He invited us for wine while we discussed.  Loved it.

We went home and Kevin got us some carry out for dinner and the three of us discussed all things wedding.  Bless Kevin's heart! :)

Saturday we had an appointment at Salutations to discuss more stationery then we came home and tried on more dresses at Hayden Olivia uptown.  Ahhh yall I found another dress I loved.  Shouldn't have even made the appointment, ha.  Then we decided we should try the one on from Friday again so we had a direct comparison.  Still like the original one! ;) 

Then we had another appointment with another florist which was good too.  It was 5:30pm so definitely time for a cocktail which Kevin had waiting on us when we walked in.  Mom said awwwww.  He took us out for a night out on the town to Vapianos (we love the place!), then to Carolina Ale House to watch the end of the NC State basketball game.

Us walking home after showing Mom some Charlotte nightlife!

BTW, we aren't sure who missed who more Mom or Dad.  He was back home in Maryland getting things done at his office.  We kept teasing him that we hoped he was working!

Sunday we went to Kevin's parents club for brunch with them.  My Mom loved seeing them and we got to catch up on all the wedding plans.  Mom also got to meet Kevin's precious niece Kendall which she loved!  After brunch we zoomed to Southpark because Mom had an appointment for Mother of the Bride dresses.  Sadly we didn't find anything.  Anyone have any suggestions?  She's tried Neiman, Nordstrom and a couple boutiques in Charlotte.  She wants to go back to Nitsa's as we briefly looked awhile back.  They weren't open on Sunday.  We'll go there next time she is here.

We stopped on our way home and picked up supplies for Hopsy's DIY wreath.  Mine is a little different but I followed her same directions found here.  Mom helped me and it was a fun lil project.  Yall know I'm the least crafty person EVER but even I could do this one!

Today (Monday) has also been a real treat.  Mom and I got to visit with my friend Kim (I call her Kimmy) and Jack.  Yall is he not the most precious little boy?!!!  He was sooooo good at brunch and we had such a nice visit with them.  He is 3 months old.

Now Mom and I are at the airport.  She is flying home and I'm getting to go with her as I have some work stuff to do again up north.  At least I get to stay at 'home home' instead of the nearest Hampton Inn.  Whew.  I'm glad to go home but I'm also thrilled to get back to Charlotte tomorrow night.  And I plan to stay for ummm well not even a week but hey, at least it's more than 3 days!

Hope you all are doing well!

Wings

On Sunday, we decided to cook some wings to have while we watched the football games.  I made two kinds, one just marinating them in Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce....

and the others were Garlic Parmesan Chicken Wings (recipe found here).  They were tasty.  I'm not one for a bunch of spice so these were perfect.

PS - we like to use our plastic plates every now and then!

This is the way I cooked both sets after I did some research online.  30 minutes at 375 degrees.  Flip them.  15 minutes at 375.  Broil at 500 for 3-4 minutes to crisp. 

Then for the garlic parmesan wings...

 - 1/2 cup butter, melted

 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder

 - 1/2 teaspoon onion salt

 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground

 - 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated

 - 24 chicken wings , nude, baked

1.  In a small bowl, melt butter in microwave

2.  Whisk into butter the garlic powder, onion salt and pepper

3.  Arrange hot, fresh-baked nude wings on a serving platter and drizzle with butter mixture.

4.  Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately

On My Mind

While I'm up north for work this week, I figured it'd be a good time to chat about something that's been on my mind lately.

friends and balance.

Like with everything, there is a healthy balance of hanging out with friends, hanging out with your sig other and having a little alone time. 

Kevin and I are very lucky and each have lots of friends.  This is something I really liked about Kevin when we first started dating because he could go have guy time and I could go have girl time.  We both value our relationships with our friends and think that guys nights and girls nights are very important.  I've always been thankful that we both are on the same page about this. 

Now that we're a little older we have quite a few couple friends too like I posted about yesterday.  This is great because we all enjoy spending time together.

But there are sooo many friends of ours that we want to get together with or they want to get together with us and we just don't have enough time.  I hate this.  But it's reality.  We all have lives to live, we all need time with our sig other, we all have to work, we all have other people to see.  It's seriously a joke at this point about our schedule.  People at my office kid me about how many wedding or baby showers I have in a weekend.  Kevin and I seriously schedule a couple months in advance.  I remember a point last summer where we had something every single weekend through Thanksgiving.  That my friends, is ridiculous.  Poor Kevin haha!

Please don't get me wrong....I'm soooo thankful for our friends and have no clue what we'd do without them.  But ahhh it's so frustrating to not always have time to go see or hang out with everyone.  And the worst part is I feel SO guilty about it.  All the time.  I just don't know what to do.

And the guest list for our wedding....HA.  That's a different story in itself.  I REALLY have no clue what to do about that.  It's unbelievable.  Would we invite everyone if we could?  Absolutely.  Have we won the lottery?  No.  :)  It's just going to be how it is and I pray that we don't hurt feelings. 

Anyway, this has just been on my mind.  Do any of you all feel like this sometimes? 

Triple Date

On Saturday night, we had a triple date with our friends Emily & Brett and Josh & Wendy.

You guys probably remember this crew because we go on triple dates with them a lot.  It's kinda become our lil tradition every few months that we either go to someone's house or go out to a restaurant.  This time we tried Hickory Tavern in the midtown area.  They just opened so it was fun for something different.

Me, Kevin, Josh holding sleepy Brooklyn, Wendy, Emily, Brett

And it's also been really cool because us as a group has changed so much over the years of doing this.  When we all started, Josh and Wendy were just married the year before.  Emily and Brett had been married a few years.  And of course Kevin and I were only dating.  Since then, Josh and Wendy have had a little girl, Emily is pregnant with a lil boy due April 1 and Kevin and I are finally engaged.

It's been just so funny how these little dinners have changed and soon we'll have two little ones with us!

PS - I haven't been able to comment on some of your blogs because of Blogger.  It tries to load the comment form and it won't come up.  Hopefully it gets fixed soon and meanwhile, please don't think I'm ignoring you all!

I've Been Tagged

The ever so sweet Glitterista and Sundresses and Smiles both tagged me in this game so I went ahead and answered their questions.  Thanks you two! :)

The rules:

1. You must post the rules.

2. Post eleven fun facts about yourself on the blog post.

3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and then create eleven new questions to ask the people you've been tagged.

4. Tag eleven people and link them in your post.

5. Let them know you've tagged them!!

Eleven fun facts about me:
Yall will get those fun facts below....sorry I don't have a ton of time today! ;)

Glitterista Questions:
1. What is your favorite month?  April (Spring and wedding date!)

2.What children's (or young adult) book would you like to re-read now?  I Think I Can, I Think I Can.  I'm drawing a blank!

3. What song do you play on repeat?  Anything Rascal Flatts or Randy Travis

4. If you had to dress head-to-toe in one color for the next month what would it be?  Blue or Black

5. What celebrity do others say you most resemble?  I have no idea!

6. What is the quality you most value in a significant other?  Hmm this is hard...respectful, genuine, hard-working, make you laugh.  Kevin. 

7. What language would you most like to learn?  I'm good with English!

8. If you could be any one character from a movie, tv show, play or book, who would it be and why?  Yall I'm terrible but I don't watch movies or any of that! 

9. Where would you like to go for your next vacation?  Hawaii or Anguilla

10. What's your favorite all-time Halloween costume?  Pippy Longstocking of course

11. If you had to change jobs tomorrow and could do anything you wanted, what would you do?  I love my job but it'd be fun to work for Lilly or J. Crew Corporate.

Sundresses and Smiles Questions:
1.  What is your favorite nail polish color?  OPI Sweetheart right now

2.  Silver or gold?  Gold, it's timeless.

3.  Last concert you went to?  Carrie Underwood I think?  Awesome show.  And I want her legs.

4.  Favorite make-up item?  Benefit Coralista Blush.

5.  Is there a show you stop everything to watch?  The Bachelor/Bachelorette.  Only show I watch...guilty pleasure.

6.  If you could have an unlimited supply of ONE brand of clothes (as in EVERY item that you wanted from that brand magically appeared in your closet), which brand would you choose?  J. Crew for being practical, Lilly for fun!

7.  What is your favorite season, and why?  Spring - weather, feels fresh out, love the clothes.

8.  Would you rather work at an office or at home?  Home because I can manage my work without getting distracted.

9.  Do you tweet? If not, why?  Yes and I love it.  Much better than Facebook and I feel like I'm sorta in the know.

10.  What's your lucky number?  16....was my number in high school sports and for lacrosse at NC State.

11.  What is your least favorite chore?  Vacuuming but I love when it's done because everything feels cleaner.


Bless your heart if you got to the end of this thing!  :)  I tag whoever would like to participate and you can pick any 11 of the above 22 questions!

Spring

Yall is it terrible I'm already looking forward to Spring?  Winter has hardly even started in Charlotte but I cannot wait for the next season!  I'm not really a winter person, I love Spring weather - days are longer, the clothes and being outside more. 

I'm one of those that saves gift cards.  Are you all that type or do you go spend them right away?  This year I received a couple really nice gift cards for Christmas and I cannot wait to use them on Spring clothes.  I've basically decided since living in Charlotte that I don't need many sweaters, heck I hardly wear a coat except out at night walking around downtown.  And of course when I go up north for work.  So why not save the gift cards for pretty spring pieces?! 

Like this one...

Or a new Lilly dress for a wedding event...

Lilly Sloane Dress in Bright Navy Touchy Feely

What are you looking forward to with Spring around the corner?

Happy Weekend!

Running in the Morning

Let's preface this by saying - I love sleep and I love to run, always have.  Both keep me sane and nice.  And they both attempt to keep me less stressed.

I never dreamed that I'd ever ever ever run at 6am.  I like sleep wayyyy too much.  But yall, I'm totally loving this 6am running stuff!  We've done it for about 5 months now and I can't even go back to the usual after work stuff.  Here are my top five reasons:

1.  You are productive before most people wake up.

2.  You get to see the sunrise and it's gorgeous against the uptown buildings.

3.  You burn off what you need to be burning off, not what you ate all day. 

4.  You're done with your exercise by 7:30am!  And have your whole day ahead of you!  And your metabolism is high!

5.  You can come home, cook dinner and eat at a normal time, not 8 or 9pm.  And you can spend time with your friends or sig other.  ....instead of wasting an hour or two of your evening by going to the gym.

Warning - you must go with a friend because you aren't allowed to run in the dark outside by yourself!  I cannot believe the number of girls we see by themselves in the dark.  Are you crazy?!!!

Yes, Mom and Dad, we are aware of our surroundings and Tara brings mace.  And we sprint when we see sketchballs.  And we always have a place of business in mind to run into if they chase us! :)

I encourage yall to get up on it and exercise however works for you.  We don't always have great runs or workouts but as my Dad says, "at least you got out there."  It's better than nothing and it'll keep you healthy and make ya live longer!  Fit it in your schedule....I get that people are busy, I'm busy.  But fit it in.  It's important.

Wedding Wednesday - What's Done So Far

I'm on the road again today so this will be short and sweet but I thought an update on wedding planning was in order!

1.  I've booked the band!  Still Cruzin' (AKA - The Party Band of the South).  Thanks to Katie for recommending these guys.  Evidently they put on a heckuva show at her wedding and some of her friends have booked them since her big day!  I cannot wait!  Yall they have five lead vocalists!

2.  Church is done but you all already knew that.

3.  Photographer - Terra Bailey.  She is the sweetest lady ever and her work is fabulous.  My very helpful and smart cousin Laura reviewed a million photographers work for us and she approved of Terra's!  Laura worked with a photographer in Atlanta so she knows what to look for.  Thank you Laura SO much!

4.  We're pretty much set on the venue but need to work out details.  Mom is coming down in 1.5 weeks and we're going to get lots of things done, including this.

5.  Dress - I'm pretty sure I know which one I'm going to get but I want to try lots of others on between now and the designer's trunk show late February.  Therefore, I'm trying one on in Baltimore on Tuesday while I'm there for work and Mom and I are going to two other places in Charlotte when she comes here.  I have time so why not be completely sure?!

6.  Florists - we're meeting with two the weekend Mom is here.

7.  Stationery - we're meeting with Salutations here in Charlotte when Mom is here.  She also has a place back home in Maryland she is going to get pricing from.

8.  Cake - we'll get to this eventually but I have a couple places already picked out.  And I already know what we want the cake to look like and flavors.

9.  Room blocks - those are done but we can't book actual rooms until 1 year out.

10.  Gifts - this week I've been brainstorming hostess and wedding party gifts.  It'd probably help if we asked the wedding party but we haven't gotten there yet.

I think I've gotten a lot of things done but there are lots of details to fill in!  What am I missing yall?!  Are there other things you would like to hear about next Wednesday?

Lindsay and Vlad Engagement

I received the best phone call last night around 8:30pm that my bestest from 3 years old had gotten engaged! 

Congratulations to Lindsay and Vlad!  We are SO happy for you both and knew it was a matter of time.  You two are perfect together!

Isn't her cushion cut ring stunning?!  Bling bling my friends!

She had no idea it was coming....they talk about it a lot but he is still in school for dermotology.  This was a typical Monday night and Lindsay thought she was going to his house for a movie night and take out dinner... He evidently lead her over to a posterboard of all the notes she had left him in chronological order and the last one was dated yesterday and was blank.  He wrote on it "will you marry me" and got down on one knee.  SO adorable!  Then he had Del Friscos brought in and they enjoyed it in an apartment that holds so many of their memories.  Vlad is so very thoughtful and seriously the nicest guy.

We wish you both the very best!  Cheers to you both and enjoy your engagement!

Baby Shower and Low Key Weekend

We went to Kevin's hometown on Friday night and had dinner at the cutest little restaurant with his parents.  Their specialty is French Onion Soup.  It was perfect for a chilly day and end of the week treat.  We also got salads to go with it.  Yum.  The best part was that we got to catch up with his parents which is great to do!

We both felt pretty crummy with our colds so we headed to Wal-Mart on the way home to pick up OJ, fruit to make smoothies, Claritin D and Niquil.  We had most of this stuff but needed more...we knew we didn't want to go back out once we were home for the weekend. 

I slept 13 hours on Friday night thanks to basically not sleeping for 2 weeks and going too many places.  It.was.wonderful. to get that much sleep in. 

We rallied for a baby shower for some Avenue friends and it was held on the 10th floor common area so we just had to slip downstairs. 

They served lasagna, meatballs, garlic knots and salad.  It was a hearty meal and it was so tasty.

We loved seeing all of our neighbors and... some of our ex-neighbors.  Yes, Josh and Wendy moved across the street after they sold their place.  We're sad but glad they are still close to us.

Kevin and I.  We went home right after the shower and crashed. 

I did get up and run with Tara on Sunday morning, boy that was not very fun.  I mean we had fun running and chatting but I couldn't breathe.  I was a mess and glad to be home when we were finished.  It was good to get some of the congestion out of me but yuck!  Ha!

We got our chores done mid-day and I made chili to sizzle until an early dinner.  It was so nice to simply rest and recoup.  Hopefully this week isn't as nuts.  We'll see!

Random Friday

Hope you all have had a nice week!  Been busy here but I'm getting my act back together.  Remind me to not do 5 different trips in 8 days ever again.

 - I need to get back on the train of menu planning.  I plan to start Sunday assuming Kevin and I are both over this cold we have.  Right now nothing tastes good except the smoothies he makes me.

 - I haven't run in an entire week and I'm about to go crazy!

 - It was SUPER windy here last night in Charlotte.  Windy + high rise condo = no sleep.

 - Are any of yall on a spending freeze?  I'm trying to be so good since the holidays and so far I've done well.  I like to start the year off right with all that!

 - Kevin and I talked wedding stuff last night.  We discussed wedding party numbers (still haven't decided on big or super small), rehearsal dinner options and stationery.  He cracked up at the stationery meeting I told him about that Mom and I are going to in a couple weeks.  He thinks that sort of stuff is outrageous.  But come on, we aren't sending an evite out for the wedding!  It must be pretty!

 - We haven't even really had a winter in Charlotte but it's suppose to get colder this weekend.  I'm already ready for Spring.  Come quickly March!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend my friends! 

BCS National Championship

I promise this is the last New Orleans post!

We received a police escort to the Superdome on Monday afternoon....there were about 7 or 8 buses of Allstate folks and about 20 police officers stopping all traffic in New Orleans for us to get to the game.  It was insane!  People were videoing our buses going by and taking pictures.

All the media as we pulled up to the dome.  Of course we had prime parking.

Walking into the Pre Game Party that Allstate put on for us.

They had a bunch of stationed food and open bar.  The CEO spoke and Kevin even got his picture with him afterwards.  Nice guy!

We entered the game through this lil entrance from the tailgate room and our seats were crazy.  Club level, 3rd row.  Unreal.  This was seriously the experience of a lifetime.  Maybe not the best game to watch but the treatment we received and the energy in the building was unbelievable. 

Kevin and I.  We had to wear those beads that showed our tickets at all time.  I didn't put mine on til the last minute when they forced me to...it was so ugly and did not match my outfit! ;)  I'm sorta kidding.

When the teams were announced and came out, they shot off mini fire works.  The Mercedes symbol actually hangs down from the roof.

Game time!

Halftime LSU band!

It was quite the production and Allstate had lots of marketing going on in this place!

We had a wonderful time and are so thankful for the experience.  The Superdome was SO loud it was almost deafening.  What an event to remember!

Then we cruised back to The Roosevelt Waldorf Astoria which was also a phenomenol hotel. 

We flew back Tuesday afternoon.  It was a fabulous trip and once in a lifetime.  Thank you to Kevin for working hard to win it!

New Orleans Part Two

Sunday afternoon we roamed around more of New Orleans.  We checked out Cafe Du Monde of course.

Then we got ready for dinner at Muriels.  Boy was it tasty!  I got the filet this night and Kevin got the fish.  Everything was amazing but the bread pudding was phenomenol.  I don't even like bread pudding but this was off the charts.

We headed back to the hotel bar and met up with some of our (now) friends who were also there for the same Allstate trip.  The Sazerac is the "Official Cocktail of New Orleans" so of course I had to try it.  I might have had 5 sips.  Look what's in it!

Needless to say we rested Sunday morning before a great brunch where we saw Dennis again.  He was so sweet. 

Next up, the big event...including a police escort to the game, a ridiculous tailgate and perfect seats. 

We got back to Charlotte earlier this evening and I'm currently unpacking and repacking for a work trip tomorrow... so I'll catch up with yall on Thursday!  After that I think my life is going to get back to normal.  I hope so! :)

New Orleans so far

We're having a great time so far in New Orleans.  We got in yesterday morning and went and explored.  Of course had a hurricane at Pat O'Briens then ran around the Bourbon Street area.  It was chaos haha!

We had a nice dinner at Arnaud's last night that Allstate treated us too.  We had cocktail hour on a private balcony overlooking Bourbon Street.

We're staying at The Roosevelt which is a Waldorf Astoria - yall it's fabulous and has lots of luxuries!  I just pulled out the hair dryer to use and it's a T3, my favorite and the one I use at home.  Can't beat the Ferragamo bath products either!

While we were in the lobby this morning Dennis Haysbert walked by.  He's the guy you see in all of the Allstate commercials and Kevin and I had just talked about him.  I saw a guy walking towards us and I just randomly said, "what if that's him" to Kevin.  Kevin said, "IT IS!"  Anyway we kindly asked him if we could take a picture.  SUPER nice guy.  We're maybe going to frame it and post it in Kevin's office.  Pretty cool!

We've walked lots streets of New Orleans and of course had a stop at Cafe du Monde.  The Alabama boys were loading up from the Marriott and heading somewhere so we got to see all that commotion this afternoon.

We're getting ready for another nice dinner we've been invited to tonight then tomorrow we have a breakfast and start tailgating for the game! 

Hope you guys have had a good weekend and start to the week!

Pad Thai Recipe

Wednesday night I made Pad Thai.  I've made it many times before but it's just never that great.  This was my most favorite recipe yet.  We used Annie Chun's (green box) Brown Rice Noodles to start and the recipe on the back.  I always tweak recipes and try to make them less fat.  This made 4 servings.

Ingredients:

 - 4 tbsp. veg or canola oil.  I only used 2

 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

 - 4 shallots, thinly sliced (I didn't have these)

 - 8-10 shrimp or cubed chicken (I just use a frozen pound of shrimp from Wal-Mart - don't judge they're $5/lb. and good!)

 - 2 eggs, lightly beaten

 - 1 package of noodles (8 oz), cooked, drained and rinsed

 - 1 cup fresh bean sprouts (I didn't have these either)

Sauce (mix ingredients):

 - 4 tbsp. lime or lemon juice (I used lime)

 - 3 tbsp. fish sauce

 - 3 tbsp. sugar (I used splenda)

 - 1-2 pinches crushed chilies or pepper flakes

Garnish:

 - 2 tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped (I didn't have this)

 - 3 tbsp. roasted peanuts, crushed

 - 3 tbsp. scallions, thinly sliced

 - 1 lime, cut in wedges

 - we like sweet chili sauce too!

Directions:  Heat wok or pan over high heat.  Add 2 tbsp. oil (I used 1), garlic, shallots and shrimp or chicken.  Cook until meat is opaque, set aside.  Add remaining 2 tbsp. oil and 2 eggs, then scramble.  Reduce heat to low; add sauce and noodles.  Toss until well mixed.  Add meat and bean sprouts.  Toss well.  Garnish how you like!

We're so lucky.

Yesterday I traveled up to outside of Blacksburg, Virginia for work.  I don't like to put the small town name just in case someone searches...  Today I am probably in the air as we speak to outside of DC for a quick day trip to look at a building we're constructing.  Tomorrow I'm going to Boone area for another day trip.  Saturday Kevin and I fly down to New Orleans for the BCS National Championship game (on Monday night) until Tuesday.  Next Wednesday/Thursday I'm back in the air again to VA Beach.  Whew.  I'm glad I got that out there so I remember where to go this next week! 

But that's not what I wanted to talk about today.  Well it sorta is but anyway....

Yall know I travel for work.  Well I usually go to really small towns up and down the east coast from Massachusetts down to South Carolina.  Towns that are 45 minutes from a Wal-Mart or Target.  Towns that have zero chain restaurants like Applebees.  Towns that have so many trailers and the poverty is so great.

But in these towns, life is easy.  I LOVE it.  Everyone is so nice.  Today I was taking some pictures and this man came up to me just to say hi and told me to have a good day.  Genuine. 

As you may know, I go to these towns to look at potential sites for some retailers we develop for.  When we tell them that it is a possibility that our tenant may come to town, you should see the look on their face.  They just get so excited.  If I told you the tenant, you probably haven't been to one, maybe you have but it isn't where you all go shop for clothes.  But these people are soooo excited just to have somewhere for clothes and necessities.  They are excited about the possibility of bringing 20 jobs to their community.  I can't imagine. 

(And I must say after I went into the store when I started working on them, they are pretty cool...and have anything you need!)

Anyway, the point is, I've been reminded many times over the last 5 years as I go visit these small towns or drive through certain areas of the country -  we are so lucky.  So lucky. 

One of my favorite quotes of Kevin's is - "The more you have, the more complicated your life is."  It's true. 

I just love going to these places, seeing new things, meeting new people and getting back to reality.  I think we all get wrapped up in where we live, what we wear, who we associate with....I'm challenging myself this year to really not care about how pretty my living room is or what so and so will think of what I wear.  It isn't about that. 

Lilly Sale and Bachelor

What did you all rack up in the Lilly sales?  I got up at midnight and searched around the shops but didn't find anything that was an amazing deal so I went back to bed.  But then....LillyPulitzer.com's sale at 8am-ish this morning came on and I couldn't help myself.  They deals were great and it makes me not want to make the effort to go to the Warehouse Sales any more.  Same prices and convenience of my own home (or office!).   

 Plus, my brother and SIL had given me a gift card for my birthday so I was able to use it on a dress and a shirt.  Talk about making a gift card go a long way - use it on LP's sales!  I was thrilled to scoop up the above dress, 3 shirts and another Stephanie shift.  I think I can wear all of it year round which justifies it.  I hope to save some of the pieces for some wedding events this year! ;)

Who watched The Bachelor last night?  What do you all think of Ben?  I'm not the hugest fan but he's better than having to hear Jake.  I'd still rather look at Brad over Ben or Jake.  :)  The girls seem pretty wild but I'm sure they were all nervous and probably drank their nervousness away (or so they thought).  I liked Kacie from TN and Nicki from TX.  There were a couple others too but I can't remember their names.  Oh I liked Lindzi that came in on the horse as well. 

Kacie B.

Ahhh I wish I hadn't read Reality Steve because I already know what happens.  My mouth is sealed! 

What are yall's thoughts?!  Tell me what you got at the Lilly sale too!