Friday Favorites!

I feel like this week flew in a sense and at the same time dragged on and on. Either way, this was a tragic week for our country. My thoughts and prayers have been with West, Texas and Boston all week, as well as all those impacted by both events. I just cant even begin to imagine dealing with either. I am beyond glad they finally captured the second bomber. Now I hope it's a quick process to get some answers and then put him in the chair. My heart mourns for the country right now, but remembers that the Lord is in control and has a plan.

Despite everything going on in the country, I was blessed enough to have a pretty good week.

1) Brads Show- Last Friday night I got to go watch Brad play at a local pub. I havnt seen him play (except in our apartment) since we got back! So it was nice to jam out to his tunes and see some friends!

2) Monday off- I had Monday off since I worked the weekend. John had it off too! Always a treat :D We hung out Sunday night when he got off, so we slept in on Monday. Then we took Carter to the dog park. He found a lab he got along well with. When the lab left Carter actually whimpered! It broke my heart. We asked him if he wanted to go home and he ran to the gate ready to leave. LOL. He's never done that before! haha Anyway, then finished the last two episodes we had left of Weeds EVER! and were seriously disappointed :(. Then we cleaned out our guest room. Yes, people. This actually happened and it look 10x better!!!

3) Guest Room- It deserves it's own favorite! It looks SO much better and we even hung pictures!! it's the only room that has pictures hung in it- but thats okay! haha. It still needs a little work, but it is SO much better! Pictures to come soon :D

4) Wed- I got off early wednesday for working extra over the weekend. (I chose Wed because John was off work). John and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and go kayaking!! It was our first time going in Raleigh and first time with Carter. Not so sure about taking Carter again. haha! He was very uneasy about the kayak moving. and really- how do you keep a lab who LOVES water, out of it? silly us. I had to hold him so that left John to paddle by himself. We stopped across the lake from where we parked and let Carter swim. I forgot how much he just loves it. He wore himself out and actually fell asleep in the car on the way home! haha SO much fun :D I cant wait to go kayaking more.

5) Calm My Anxious Heart- I started an individual bible study about a week ago. I find I need some sort of guidance when it comes to reading the bible, otherwise I never know where to start and get overwhelmed. This one is perfect for me now- we all know how anxious I can be about everything! haha. I'll let you know how it goes!

6) MY SISTER GETS MARRIED NEXT WEEK!- I just cant believe it. My mind just cant grasp that my baby sister is getting married! AH! So excited for her :D


Not so favorites-

1) We've had TONS of spiders in our apartment. I dont know why or where they are coming from, but pest control is coming next week. I seriously found 6 in the apartment in 1 day. Just crawling around. They are big too. blah!

2) Of course all the tragedy. Lots of prayers being sent up.

Epic Weekend :D

Two weekends ago Krystal and Josh came down to visit! They got here Thursday night and John was able to work it out where he didnt have to go back to work after his dinner break. Krystal and I decided to make enchiladas for dinner and then we hung out and caught up for the night. We also taught them Dutch Blitz! Of course Carter was SO excited for Bailey to visit. They played all night long. Unfortunately, I had to work Friday so I headed to bed a little earlier than everyone else.

Friday I was able to leave a little early (YAY!) and we hit up Lonerider Brewery and were able to take a private tour! It was PACKED. Neat tour though! It's also only 2 minutes from where we live. Roth is right near us too, so after Lonerider we stopped by there. Their beer was not good at all. They had cornhole outside, so that was neat, but I dont think we will go back there. For dinner we went to Carolina Ale house and then headed back to our place and invited Hutch to come over. He is so sweet and brought us a game! Cards Against Humanity is TONS of fun, so we ended up playing it for a few hours.
Inside the brewery

 At dinner! This is why we love them...

 Tuckered out from playint so hard! They only cuddled for a minute.

 Snuggling with Aunt Krystal!

Saturday morning I had to get up super duper early for my 5k! Color Mania was a lot of fun- I met up with Jennie O and one of her friends. They moved the run to Time Warner Pavillion and in my opinion didnt do a good job setting up the route. We ended up running on gravel, which is real hard to run on! It also wasnt timed, which was fine because there were so many people there that slowed you down, plus you had to slow down to get color thrown on you! That was my favorite part. haha. I spun around to make sure it got all over me! At the end they give you a pack to throw on your friends, so we got even more color all over us. It was a lot of fun.

Before the run...

After! 

 This is why I love her! LOL

After I got back from my race, I took a small nap and then we headed out to Fuquay to do lunch and the Aviator Brew tour. We met up with Brittany and Lee and got lunch at the Aviator Smokehouse- it was DELICIOUS!! Then we headed to the tour. I had a groupon that expired soon, so that was exciting that we got to use it before it did. The tour was amazing. Best tour I've ever been to. Very informative and educational. Plus the owner gave the tour and he was really funny and gave us lots of history. Very cool place for sure!
                                                     Sample of their beers...

 Delicious food!

                                                                Tour Time!

After the tour we headed back to our apartment because John had to go to work. I had planned a surprise party for him and Brad for that night! It was surprise for just John though. So we had to get ready for that.I kept it a secret for a few weeks! But then of course Krystal and I were talking about it in the car and he overheard us and found out. haha. He was actually really glad because he doesnt love surprises and he could be excited for it. Let me tell you- our friends are AH-MAZING! They all agreed to start a party at midnight for them. Krystal and I made some snacks and Jenny brought a cake. We spent the night/morning hanging out and playing games. Cards against humanity is a little more difficult with 10 people- but still so much fun. And the night wouldnt be compelte without Brad playing for us! It was a TON of fun :D Love our friends to death for doing that for him :D

LOVE THIS GUY! :D

 And this one!

Sunday we slept in some (we didnt go to bed until 5!) and just chilled out the rest of the day until John had to go to work. Such a fun weekend :D Times like these I know we made the right decision moving back- nothing like being able to have a quick visit with friends AND to be able to celebrate your birthday with good friends :D

Friday Favorites!!

Praise the Lord for Fridays! haha.

1) Johns Birthday!- See previous post- but birthdays are always fun! :D And now John is finally the same age as me and can stop making fun of me! haha.


2) The wedding- again it has its own post, but it was SO much fun.

3) Benefits- YAY! For being here for 90+ days now. I cannot believe how fast the time has flown. I cant believe we have been gone from Miami that long already! John and I ended up doing dental, life insurance, and short-term disability (for when we decided to have a baby). We are going to hold out on medical since my company is getting a new plan in June. We will just stick with our individual plan now. It feels good to have some life insurance and short-term now though! I feel better if we were to get pregnant, now I'll be able to stay home a little longer with the baby! and of course having life insurance is always reassuring!

4) Krystal, Josh, and Bailey- they are here for the weekend! They got in yesterday :D Carter and Bailey have already managed to wear themselves out! They are ADORABLE together :D Looking forward to a fun-filled weekend with them!

5) Umstead- We had some really nice weather this week and when I got off work, John had the idea to grab some dinner and take it to Umstead! We took Carter- he was SO excited! We ate some dinner and then walked around some. It was really nice. I look forward to when we can do it more as it warms up!

Park FUN!

6) Settlement- We finally settled on a price for the car. It wasnt exactly what we wanted, but it was close. Honestly, at this point I am just ready to be done with that part and buy a new car. Sharing a car with opposite hours is really hard. haha. So it's a favorite because it's one part down in this mess of everything!

7) I joined Twitter. I did it. Finally. I dont know how to use it, but it's done. haha. @amartin621!

I'm VERY excited about this weekend :D Happy Friday Y'all!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST HUSBAND IN THE WORLD! :D

Easter was also John's birthday this year. I knew we would be out of town at the wedding, so I decided to give him his birthday present, or at least one of them, early. I decided I wanted to get him a tent for camping. We both really want to go again and having our own tent would help with that! haha. Plus, John really loves the outdoors and now that we are back in NC, we can actually go camping more frequently.

However, I didnt want to pick out the tent myself, because I know nothing of tents or the outdoors. haha. SO with the help of Krystal, I decided that setting up a "camp site" in our living room would be a neat way to give him his present without actually giving it to him. haha. I wrote a poem in his card that he opened so he had to guess what his present was. He was real excited :D So now we need to pick out a tent!

Our "Camp Site"

Sunday after we got back from the wedding, Johns actual birthday, we got birthday milkshakes and lounged. Then we went to dinner at his parents. They made ribs- YUM! Then we opened presents. His parents got him a camping stove to go with the tent! SO EXCITED to go camping now! haha Then I gave him his second present from me:

Lots of love in this guy! haha. I think it turned out really well. I just need to put a hook on the back still so we can hang it. :D

This weekend Krystal and Josh are coming to town and we are going to continue celebrating his birthday :D I'll share more on that after this weekend! haha.

Anyway, happy birthday boo! :D I love you to the moon and back :D

Wedding Fun!

John and I went out of town this past weekend to celebrate two of our friends getting married! The wedding wasnt far, it was is Washington, NC. So we got up Saturday, took Carter to the grandparents (he was spending the night with them), and then headed out. The wedding was tiny, it was in her family church, so we actually didnt get to see them get married, but we got to celebrate with them at the reception.

The reception was gorgeous. It was in her dad's backyard. Very country wedding and the weather was perfect!! John and I met up with some friends and hung out until the wedding party got there. I had actually never met the bride in person, she is an amaznigly sweet girl and I foresee us being very good friends! John and the groom are good friends though. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and share their special day. The food was AMAZING. Pulled Pork of course! The decorations were beautiful too. After dinner, they had a band play. They were a VERY good local country band. They switched between that and some dancing music and we danced the night away. SO. MUCH. FUN. It really was some of the most fun I've had in awhile. Much needed for sure :D

Reception Area

 Adorable- they hung their engagment pictures from it!

 Beautiful outdoor sitting area...

 Centerpieces- love the stump!

                                            

 First dance!

 Me and my boo :D

 The beautiful bride!

 Jenny and Brad...

 They are hilarious together

Their Get Away!

After the wedding was over and the bride and groom made their exit, John and I were debating about whether or not to drive back to Raleigh or stay in Greenville. We actually ended up staying at the bride and groom's house! haha. We were going to get a hotel room, but one of our other friends was staying at their house and said we could crash there too. The next morning the bride and groom came home and brought us breakfast! haha. I felt so bad! They werent leaving for their honeymoon until the next night. They are really some of the sweetest people I have ever met. I very much look forward to hanging out with soon!

Anyway, Travis and Jessica- your wedding was beautiful and I am SO happy for you both. CONGRATS! :D

Daniela Mia Hoagland!!

My beautiful cousin had her baby!! Mommy and baby are both healthy :D Thanks for all of your prayers!

Meet Daniela Mia Hoagland!!! 6 lbs. 13 oz. 20.5 inches and basically perfect!!!

The sweet family!

I am beyond happy for them. Christina and I are the same age, so it's been neat going through life's stages together. It's still SO hard to believe that we are both married, grown up, and now she has a baby of her own!! CRAZY! Praise the Lord for this little miracle though. I cannot wait to meet her and squeeze those sweet little cheeks!!!

LOVE YOU ALL!!