Currently...

Thanks to my sweet friend, Mary-Katherine over at Gold-Hatted Lover for the inspiration behind today's post! You can view her past 'currently' post here and I hope you enjoy because I plan to start incorporating more types of these posts in the future. Any feedback is welcomed!

Obsessing...over this hot pink scalloped swimsuit from Everything But Water.
Excited...to be marrying my best friend come June 2015!
Listening...to every song by Sam Smith. Swooning over his voice in this song especially...
Loving...the fact that it's almost fall and I fill my house with fall scented candles.
Preparing...a care package I plan to send to one of my friends who needs a little pick-me-up!
Anticipating...Will and I flying out to Houston, TX this Thursday to look at apartments!
Buying...nothing and saving every penny I have to go towards wedding related items we need.
Watching...reruns of Live with Kelly and Michael.
Trying...healthier food options and trying to become less of a picky eater! Change is hard!
Located...in Charlotte, NC and more specifically curled up on my couch with Miller.
Needing...more hours in the day to get everything I want to completed.
Girl-Crushing...over Natalie Dormer AND Julie Roberts. Did you see them at The Emmy's? Gorg!
Reading...The Nesting Place by Myquillyn Smith
Behind...on reading all the blogs I follow daily.
Stressing...over the little things. Doesn't everyone?
Wanting...to go on a cruise. Will has never been on one!
Celebrating...the fact that today is a NEW day.

And before heading out this morning to start my day, I wanted to remind everyone to link-up to today's link-up party WYWW (see below)! Today I am featuring two posts. The first is from All Kinds of Things Blog on Toddler Chores and What That Looks Like and the second is from Seeking Lavender Lane Blog on How To Cover Thrift Store Books with Fabric!

And if you're like me at all and sometimes have a hard time trying to figure out what to blog about, then why not participate in The Blog-tember Challenge? Go check out my friend Bailey's blog over at Brave Love for more details!

An InLinkz Link-up

Road Trips & The Ice Bucket Challenge

So I started off my week by hitting the snooze button a few too many times, hence my late start to the day resulting in not having time before work to write a blog post yesterday. Whoops! But it's never to late to give a quick recap of my weekend...

Late in the week last week I made a last minute decision to leave Miller and Will behind in Charlotte (insert guys night) to go to Winston-Salem to visit Kate and her sweet new pup Raleigh! Not only was she the cutest little girl ever, but so well trained for only being 10 weeks old.

Late Friday night, Kate and I went to District Roof Top Bar and Grille for dinner were we caught up on life and then enjoyed yummy dessert at Sweet Potatoes before heading back to Kate's house to sip on some wine, curled up on the couch and enjoyed much needed girl time.

Early Saturday morning, I drove back to Charlotte and Will and I got brunch at Nan and Byron's. I highly recommend this place if you have never been before! Because Will and I have been traveling every single weekend, we decide to have a slow rest of the day and let's just say I thoroughly enjoyed it! Being able to lay on the couch, catching up on a few past episodes of Suits was just what we needed. Later that night we went to dinner at Noodle's and then went over to my coworker and friend Allison's new apartment which was beyond adorable. Allison feel free to come decorate my place anytime you want!

Sunday was pretty much like Saturday but more time was spent at home. Will had to go into work so I did some laundry and other household "chores" that needed to be done. Monday was here before I knew it, but I was excited for five o'clock to roll around so that Caitlin and I could head to Blo Charlotte, a blow dry bar on Selwyn Avenue. You can't miss them when trying to find their location because of their bright pink sign out front. But what were Caitlin and I doing here you might ask? We were not there just to get our hair done, but to take part in the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge!

I found out Blo Charlotte was offering free blowouts to anyone who took the challenge outside their salon, and not only that, but they too donated the cost of each blowout to the ALS foundation! Caitlin and I also contributed money to the foundation and even though we were nervous about the water being ice cold (which is was) we were extremely excited to help spread the word about ALS and it's deadliness. To see Caitlin and I do the Ice Bucket Challenge, you can view it here for the full video!

After completing the challenge, the wonderful ladies at Blo gave us the most wonderful blowouts! I selected the Pillow Talk style from the hair menu and Cait got the Holly Would look. We were in and out in under an hour so for those of you who would love to participate, give the girls over at Blo Charlotte a call and pick a time to make a visit. And if you give them a call by the end of the first week in September, you can take part in the Ice Bucket Challenge like we did.  

Later that day, I went home and made dinner and watched the Emmy's which was really good this year! Later this week I will do a post on all of my favorite looks from the Red Carpet. I'd be interested in knowing who you thought was best dressed this year so leave a comment and let me know!

To learn more about the Ice Bucket Challenge or to gain a better understanding of what the ALS Association is, visit their website for all the details and information one needs to know.

Friday Favorites

This weekend is the first weekend all month that Will and I are in Charlotte. Traveling every weekend seemed fun the first two weekends and has now become so tiring! I'm really looking forward to taking things slow over the next couple of days, doing nothing and can't wait to spend some much needed one on one time with my fiance! Ahh...fiance...I love saying that word.

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On another note, lately I've been having a hard time staying focused and utilizing my time how I should. With so much going on, I need to find something to get me back on track. The Pomodoro Technique could possibly do the trick.

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And have y'all seen this proposal video? It will make you pull out the tissues and smile so big it hurts. If you are a fan of love stories and gestures so thoughtful and sweet, then this one you'll be sure to enjoy.

Before I go and get ready to start the day, I just had to share this phone case that I ordered and can not wait for it to arrive! It reminds me of summer time and who doesn't love touches of gold? But my favorite aspect of the phone case are the pineapples! Did you know that pineapple's represents southern hospitality? You can learn more about the symbolism of the Pineapple here if you are interested!     

 

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! After work I am headed to Winston-Salem for the night to visit one of my best friends Kate and I can't wait meet the sweet little girl Raleigh! She is the newest addition to the Reid clan and looks like the cutest little thing I've seen form her photos! And this will be the first time I will see their new home. Stay tuned for next week where I'll give a recap of what I did over the weekend!

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A Dave Ramsey Experience

Happy Hump Day! Today I wanted to change things up a little bit and talk about something that has honestly changed my life for the better and has given me a new perspective on things...this would be Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class that I took a few last year. First off, let me tell you a little about who Dave Ramsey is. Dave is an American financial author, radio host, television personality, and motivational speaker. His shows and writing strongly focus on helping individuals get out of debt.

 

I first learned of who he was while I was reading Nancy Ray's blog post here on becoming debt free. I've never personally been in extreme debt, but do know of  individuals who have been, and it's just something I never want to face myself. After reading Nancy's blog post, I got to thinking that you can never be too prepared when it comes to the future and how you handle your money. My family was always fine financially, and had just enough to make ends meet. But when it came to having extra money to give back to the church or enough money to make those home repairs that were needed or to go on that vacation that was very much deserved, the money just wasn't always right there when they would need it.

Now that I'm older and look back over all the years that I lived at home, I see all the sacrifices my parents made for our family and for us to be financially stable, and I just want a future in which I can give back, not only to them, but in more ways then I can think of at this very moment.

Okay, so now that you have some background information, let me tell you about FPU! Financial Peace University is a plan for our money. "It's teaches God's way of handling money. Through video teaching, class discussions and interactive small group activities, FPU presents biblical, practical steps to get from where you are to where you've dreamed you could be. This plan will show you how to get rid of debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and much more". (I gathered all this information from Dave Ramsey's website.)

Right around the same time that I found out about Dave Ramsey, the church that I was attending had posted on their website about offering the FPU class. Was that a sign that I should sign up? I had no idea. I talked to Will about taking the class and he was in agreement that it would be worth my time and money. So I signed up for the nine week class that met on Tuesdays for about an hour each week and was ready to see all that I was going learn and be challenged by.

Now if I went into detail on everything I learned from the class, this post would turn into a short story, so I am not going to do that to you! :) I will share The Baby Steps and information on the chapters though and leave the rest up to you to discover!

Dave Ramsey has created a list of seven baby steps that he feels will help guide you towards getting out of debt and reaching financial peace one step at a time. There is no time frame for how quickly you must complete the baby steps, but he does recommend very strongly that you complete the baby steps IN ORDER. Below is the list of baby steps. At the time that I completed the class, I was at baby step number four but when I made the move to Charlotte, I was back down at number three but am strongly moving forward! And keep in mind, you don't have to be married, have kids or experiencing debt to do the baby steps! ANYONE and EVERYONE benefit at working through these steps and I personally feel it's never to early to prepare for your future. You can read more about each baby step here in more detail.

Seven Baby Steps

1.Take $1,000 and start an Emergency Fund

2. Pay off all debt using the Debt Snowball

3. Put 3-6 months of expenses into savings

4. Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pretax retirement

5. College funding for children/future children

6. Pay off your home early

7. Build wealth and give!

Every week, our class would meet and go over one chapter from the video and book and then do a discussion towards the end. Some of the chapters were really easy to understand, while others seemed more difficult for me to grasp. I think the breakdown of each chapter was done really well and I have already revisited some of the topics from the book with Will since we've been in Charlotte.

 Chapters and Topics

1. Super Saving- Common Sense for Your Dollars and Cents

2. Relating with Money- Nerds and Free Spirits Unite!

3. Cash Flow Planning- The Nuts and Bolts of Budgeting

4. Dumping Debt- Breaking the Chains of Debt

5. Buyer Beware- The Power of Marketing on your Buying Decisions (This chapter was extremely helpful when preparing my move from Raleigh to Charlotte with Will and looking for a place for us to rent!)

6. The Role of Insurance- Protecting your Health, Family and Finances

7.Retirement and College Planning- Mastering the Alphabet Soup of Investing

8. Real Estate and Mortgages- Keeping the American Dream From Becoming a Nightmare

9. The Great Misunderstanding- Unleashing the Power of Generous Giving

I hope that this post wasn't a bore to you all! Preparing for the future is so important to me as I am a big planner and really think that Dave Ramsey is a wise man with a whole bunch of knowledge that he is willing to share. Visit his website to learn more and see if a church or organization near you is offering the FPU class. I couldn't give it more of a positive review then I already have!

An InLinkz Link-up

Yes To The Dress

This past weekend was not only productive, but also a huge success. Friday morning I had three appointments in Raleigh and Cary to look at and try on wedding dresses so I decided it would make the most sense to head to Greensboro Thursday night where my parents live! I am a huge homebody so being back in the city that I grew up in always does my soul good. Because Friday was going to be such a busy day, I relaxed as much as possible and called it a night way before 9:00 PM.

Bright and early on Friday morning, Mom and I headed to Cary where we met Mary Lou (Will's mom) and my dear friend Amanda (one of my bridesmaids) at Lana Addison Bridal for my first bridal appointment. I loved that the boutique was a full-service bridal salon but on the smaller size so that I wasn't overwhelmed by all the things that caught my eye.

After handing out glasses of wine and bottles of water, we were taken back to the dressing room were I began trying on dresses. The few requirements that I had for a dress were that it was not strapless, was not bright white, had a sweetheart neckline, was lightweight, and made of lace. Michaela, the sweet girl who worked with me brought back a handful of dresses for me to try on, but told me that she had one particular dress in mind she wanted me to try on...but another girl had it in the other dressing room...so we waited for the opportunity to get it, and in the meantime, tried on two other dresses she had pulled.

Let's just say the first dress did not fit me in any of the right places and the fabric from the second dress made me itch really bad. Although the second dress was beautiful, I knew that being uncomfortable was something I just couldn't settle for. Moments passed by as I was getting out of the second dress when another girl brings in the third dress, one by Amy Kuschel. It's was a 1940's inspired number and one that is in my opinion gorgeous from head to toe. It exceeded all of my expectations and more and I couldn't wait to try it on.

After slipping on the dress and pinning it back to fit my body, it only took me seeing myself in the mirror and the reactions from my "support team" before saying YES to the dress. I spun around so many times in that beauty and felt like a true princess for the 30 or so minutes that it was mine. Oh and the Lord was on our side that morning because I got my veil for free too! At Lana Addison's, if you purchase your dress on your first visit, they give you a store credit (usually around $300) towards a veil, jewelry or something along those lines, but the veil I had on was way over $300 but went perfect with my dress that they said I could have it for free! Amen!!

After filling out paperwork and making the first payment, it was time to eat lunch and celebrate! Mom, Mary Lou, Amanda and I walked down to a cute little restaurant in Cary called Serendipity, enjoyed deli sandwiches and talked in more detail about wedding plans.

Lucky for us, we didn't have to go dress shopping at the other two stores after lunch, so I called and cancelled the appointments I had previously made and decided instead of driving straight to Greensboro, to make a quick stop in Raleigh to surprise my old co-workers that I worked with before moving to Charlotte! I had a great time seeing familiar faces and showing off my engagement ring and our mini-road trip ended much too soon.

Mom and I made it back to Greensboro around 3:00 in the afternoon and were exhausted. I napped, and when I woke up it was time to head to Dinner. One of the many things I love about my family is that when we go out to eat, we usually get dessert afterwards, so I was excited when Dad took us to get ice cream at a new little ice cream shop down the road from their house after a delicious dinner at my favorite mexican restaurant called La Bamba.

Saturday rolled around and Mom and I got our nails done and spent the rest of the day painting mason jars, Cheerwine bottles and doing other miscellaneous DIY projects for the wedding. Since Will and I are moving to Houston AND planning a wedding at the same time, we are trying to be very cautious with how we spend our money so a little DIY crafts never hurt nobody. And I think using mason jars will help give off the rustic feel that I want our wedding to be based off of.

I hope you all had a great weekend too! Were you able to relax? Were you busy running errands or able to spend time with family and friends? Whatever you did, I hope you enjoyed it.