New Year's Resolutions

Every year I tell myself that I will follow through with the New Year's resolutions that I come up with, but in all seriousness, I've never stuck with them. But this year will be different! This year, the boyfriend and I plan to come up with a list that we will combine and put up somewhere in our condo so that we can see see it everyday and be held accountable by each other. Some things on the list will be sentimental, others practical and personal. And I know coming up with New Year's Resolutions isn't for everyone, and it's certainly not mandatory to do, but it will be fun to see what all we can accomplish in 2014 if we can just stick.with.it. So here are a few of the resolutions that I came up with. We are still getting our list put together, so this isn't final product :)

1. Come up with a work out routine that I can stick with

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2. Never go to sleep in a bad mood or without saying "I Love You" first

3. Have quite time reading the Bible or some sort of devotional daily

4. Attend a Blog Conference of some sort

5. Cherish and appreciate the friendships I have

6. Go on more spontaneous dates with Will

7. Learn to cook and make dinner at least three times a week

8. Spend more quality time with both Will's family and mine

9. Read one new book each month

10. Practice patience

11. Wear my retainer more (yes, I made this a resolution)

12. Prepare and enjoy all of the seasons leading up to becoming a Mackvick ;)

Christmas Recap Part 2

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day so far! It felt so weird having to get back into the routine of waking up to my phone going off, reminding me that it's time to get out of bed and get ready for WORK! Blah...I was just getting into the habit of sleeping in, watching Good Morning America and staying in my PJ's until 10:00 AM!

This whole week is going to be busy BUT I did want to share some photos from the second half of my Christmas which was spent with both Will's Mom and Dad's family! Even though we had to do a LOT of driving (some places in NC being Greensboro, Raleigh, Clayton and Wilson) it was so much fun to get to see everyone that is important to Will. Like I mentioned in previous posts, this was the first year that I didn't spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with my family...and you know what? I had a wonderful holiday even though I wasn't with my parents. I think Will and I have finally found something that will work! Spending Thanksgiving with my family and Christmas with Will's. :)  

Christmas Recap Part 1

There is nothing like going home for the holidays, even if it's only for one day. Getting to walk through the door and hug on my parents is something I always look forward to. Along with our tradition of going out to eat when I visit (and every Friday and Saturday night) and getting to catch my family up on Will and I's daily outings in Charlotte! The day before Christmas Eve, Will and I drove to Greensboro to visit with my parents and Uncle Perry. 

This year was the FIRST year that I didn't spend Christmas Eve or Christmas Day with my family and although it was very odd and at times different, I think I did a great job enjoying myself and loved getting to see each and every important person in our lives. Some of the things I cherished most from celebrating Christmas with my family and Will this year include:

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls with Chocolate Chips

Dad playing with his new Yo-Yo while sporting his new vest

Momma getting excited for their maid/house cleaning service Will and I gifted them with

Testing out more settings on my DSLR camera ;)

Shopping at Fleet Plummer were I stock up on Christmas decorations each year

Cowboy Boot Stockings

My parents gifting Will with his first pair of L.L.Bean Boots

Having both of my parents home and in good health (Mom even had hand surgery that morning!)

Dad making reservations and taking us all out to a delicious dinner 

Being surprised with my Grandmother's wedding ring...something I will always treasure

Be on the lookout Monday for my Christmas Recap Part 2 about the rest of my holiday spent with Will's family (filled with even more photos)! But in the meantime, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! I am so glad to be back to blogging, but soaked up every minute I was away relaxing :)

 

An Asheville Adventure

When I think about the Biltmore House, I think of elegance and charm. A place that was certainly made for entertaining and parties. A place that family and friends could easily go to and catch up on  much needed R&R. And the Biltmore House isn't an ordinary house filled with history...It's an estate that was lived in by one of the best-known families in America; the Vanderbilts.

Y'all, I am not exaggerating when I say that this place is breathtaking, especially when decorated for the holidays. It's BEAUTIFUL to say the least, and I was lucky enough to get to go with Will this past weekend as a late Birthday present!! And to top things off, before Will and I headed out of town, one of my best friends Alyssa came by my office before I got off work and brought me Starbucks :) What a great way to start the weekend!

 

When we arrived at the Biltmore, it was raining. My mood made a quick change from happy to pure frustration as I was really looking forward to taking pictures outside, and getting to explore the gardens...but plans had to change and Will did a great job trying to lift my spirits back up and kept reminding me of how awesome the Butler Tour we were going to take was going to be!

Like usual, Will was right. The Butler Tour ended up being so much fun and really interesting! We got to go behind-the-scenes and see unrestored rooms and mechanical areas not open to public on the regular house tour. It was so neat to learn about how the technology ran and was operated back in the early 1900s and I particularly liked getting to see the Butler's Pantry that was filled with all the dishware that the family used for parties and meals. There was even a meal planner/diary that we got to look through to see how many individuals were present at each meal, and what was being served that day/night to eat and drink!

After touring the Biltmore, Will and I headed to Antler Hill Village where we stopped by Cedric's Tavern for a late lunch and then some light shopping. As you can tell by the picture below, we had to find ways to entertain ourselves because of the rainy weather.

And no trip to Asheville is complete without breakfast at Tupelo Honey which I swear has the best biscuits and sweet potato pancakes in town!

So even though the weather got in the way of Will and I being able to do more Christmas shopping and enjoying the outdoors, our time together in Asheville was well worth it! Sometimes the holidays get the best of us. We get so caught up in buying presents and running errands that we often forget about showing love and attention to those closest to us. Our trip gave both of us the quality time we needed along with a handful of hours in the car getting to talk and catch up with one another. Oh! And if you are ever in North Carolina, I highly recommend visiting the Biltmore.

  

Let the Christmas Celebrations Begin!

Merry (early) Christmas and Happy Holidays, sweet friends and followers of SSM :) I just wanted to stop by and say hi before the craziness of the holiday season really picks up! Even though this week will be filled with hours upon hours of traveling and riding in cars, I'm so excited about seeing and catching up with family and friends that I've been out of touch with these past few months.

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Because the next couple of days will be busy, you won't be seeing any blog posts from me...(I hope you all understand)! I'll be catching up on sleep, eating lots of delicious homemade meals, laughing and reminiscing on all the memories made in 2013 and enjoying my time away from work. But be sure to check out Instagram and Twitter because I will be posting lot's of photos and updates throughout the week for you all to enjoy!

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I'll also spend some time tonight and tomorrow drafting up a few posts that will go live next week...so I have lot's of things I'm looking forward to sharing soon <3 OH! One last thing! My sweet blog friend Lisa from Showered with Design is away for the week so I decided to guest blog for her today on New Years Resolutions! Be sure to check it out here.

5 on Friday

It's finally Friday, which means we get to kickoff the weekend in only a few hours! For some reason, I haven't been feeling all that productive this week. Maybe it's because I feel like I have a million things I need to get done but not enough hours to do everything I need to. OR maybe I'm just really excited about Christmas and excited about having a few days off from work. Either way, there is so much to look forward to with what's left of December, and hope you are equally as ready for 2014! So, to jump start the weekend, I thought I would go ahead and share my 5 on Friday along with the other linkups that I regularly participate in :) Hope you enjoy what I have to share today! TGIF!

ONE
Will and I are heading to Asheville, NC first thing Saturday morning and I can't wait to go back to the Biltmore and go on the Butler Tour! Right around this time last year, Will and I spent about three full days exploring Asheville together and had an absolute blast. On our agenda this year is a stop at Tupelo Honey for breakfast on Sunday morning and shopping on Lexington Avenue.

TWO

Because of Will's job, his schedule often means that we have to eat dinner separately. Last night however, Will got off work early, went by the grocery store and came home and made us "BFD" (breakfast for dinner). Our meal was SO yummy and consisted of OJ, bacon, pancakes with blueberries and scrambled eggs with cheese! I was one happy camper and thoroughly enjoyed getting to relax and spend time with my other half.

THREE
New Year's Resolutions. Every year I say I will make them and never do. But this year will be different. This time, Will and I both have decided that we want to come up with a list of things to accomplish and do a better job at in 2014. So on NYE, we are going to sit down and come up with a master list that we can later put up somewhere in our condo that will help hold us accountable and can easily been seen everyday throughout the year!

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FOUR & FIVE

Christmas is only five days away. And taking a walk through memory lane can be quite fun! Below are a few of my favorite photos of the holiday season through the years...

2008

2009

2010

2011