Weekend Shenanigans

It's moving week y'all! Pretty much every day last week I spent packing boxes and moving them to the townhouse after work. To be honest, I really hate packing. It stresses me out having to go through everything we own while trying to also find a way to cram all of our stuff into the fifty or so cardboard boxes that we got for packing. On a more positive note, having access to our new home two weeks before we offically move in (this FRIDAY) has truly been a blessing since it's allowed us to spread out the moving process over the course of days instead of all at once.

Since my week was so busy, one of my best friends Kate (who came to visit for the weekend) and I decided to take a more relaxed approach towards our Friday-Sunday plans, but saved a few hours on Saturday to go over bachelorette plans with my maid-of-honor! Kate and another best friend of mine Caitlin still have planning to do but I'm so excited and thankful that I have a wedding party who want to shower me with lot's of love!

About love, my dog Miller is IN LOVE with Kate...but seriously...there was not a single moment when he was not by her side, or trying to give her kisses, and would even wake her up in the mornings...and it was kind of the most precious thing I've ever seen. Sorry Miller, she's married! #puppycrush #humangirlfriend. 

I forgot to mention that we woke up to no power at my condo on Saturday morning, which was fine since we had planned to be out of the house all day, but when we got back that evening the power was still out but we had a backup plan. Well, Kate is the one who can actually take the credit for it...but we picked up a pizza, took it to the townhouse (which still lacked furniture) and watched Julie and Julia on my laptop. Even though it might not have been the most comfy way to watch a movie, I couldn't think of a better way to end our girls weekend together.

I hope y'all had a great weekend! Does anyone have anything fun or exciting going on this week or coming weekend? If y'all could be praying for a peace of mind for me this week that would be great! I feel like there is SO much left to do to prepare for our move, but I know that one way or another we will get it all done and all will be well!

The Power of a Half Hour: A Book Review

For the longest time I've felt that there are never enough hours in the day, especially these past few weeks as Will and I have been preparing for our move to the new townhouse! There are some days were I feel like my to-do list is growing before my eyes. And other days I feel I am behind on more then I'd like to admit. Why does it seem that there is not enough time in a day to spend relaxing or catching up with family and close friends? I could go on...but can you relate?

Last month, I read a book by Tommy Barnett called The Power of a Half Hour. The title sounded interesting so I put in my order and patiently waited for it to arrive. To be quite honest, December was such a busy and chaotic month for me that I forgot I even ordered the book until it arrived on my doorstep about a week or two later. The first thought that came through my head as I opened it up to the first page was, "Why did I even order this if I don't even have time to read it?'. But on the first page I saw that Joyce Meyer had given praise of the book so I continued.

"The Power of a Half Hour is full of unique, practical, and God-inspired truths to keep your time focused on all that God has called you to do. If you apply these principles, I believe it will bring renewed purpose and inspiration to your life". Instantly, after reading what Joyce thought of the book, I knew this would be something I needed to make time to read, and it was and so I did. Knowing that 2015 was right around the corner reminded me of the fresh start I could have in the New Year so that was another motivator to read the book as soon as I could.

This book is both inspirational and practical. So far it has helped me to realize how I can better my faith, become more productive, and live more intentionally with the time that I have. I learned that I wasn't using all of my time meaningfully and because of that, wasn't presently aware of all of that things God was trying to show me. When I fill my time with nonsense thoughts, and waste away hours worrying (which results in only doing half has good of a job a I can be doing) I'm not truly utilizing my time the way God wants me to.

I've got about two chapters left to go before I finish this book, but think it's an awesome read!

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review. However, all opinions are my own.

Girls Weekend

Sometimes all you need is girl time and that's just what I got to enjoy this past weekend. Friday afternoon I drove to Apex, NC where I started my weekend off with my wedding day hair and makeup trial. If you are in need of a talented team to handle your hair or makeup for any occasion, then I highly recommend checking out Makeup By Ashley Mooney! Ashley and her team are not only full of dedication, but they are talented and sweeter then words can describe. When I arrived at Ashley's house, she greeted me with a big ole' hug and offered me some bubbly after introducing me to Tachsha (my hair stylist) and Paula (my makeup artist) and sitting me down to get to work. For the next few hours we talked all things wedding plans while I was transformed into what I would call a princess because that's exactly how I felt!

After being pampered and finalizing the look I wanted for the wedding day, I headed to Raleigh to spend the rest of the weekend with one of my bridesmaids Amanda! I love spending time with her because we always want to do the exact same thing...relax, go down memory lane (this time it lead us on a quick trip to our old school Peace College), do a little shopping and enjoy a good meal or two (dessert is always included).

After enjoying some much needed low-key girl time, I made my way back to Charlotte just in time for Will and I to head to The York's house to watch the Green Bay vs. Seattle game. We ate some good food, watched our pups chase each other, and even though Seattle won, Green Bay kicked butt and played their hearts out! It was SUCH a close game, but there is always next year, GB! I'll have a cheese head ready and waiting for you...

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend as well and are able to enjoy your Monday and the rest of your week! In other news, Will and I were given early access to our new townhouse and will be able to slowly start moving and unpacking a bunch of boxes this week which is a huge plus in our book! Stay tuned for more updates in the coming month on our transition into our new home!

Top 10 Golden Globe Looks

When it comes to fashion do's and don't, you can always count on seeing it on the Red Carpet. Watching the Red Carpet is probably my favorite part of any award show by far. There's something about getting to see celebrities struck their stuff and showoff designer's favorite pieces along with some of the most amazing jewels that seem to always leave me making a list of my all time favorite looks...so that's exactly what I did.

Julia Goldani Telles wore a gorgeous dress in my favorite shade of blue. I fell in love with Julia's feminine look immediately. And let's take a second to talk about my favorite part of this dress...the neckline! Simply stunning.

I am usually not a fan of anything yellow, especially clothing, but Jenna Dewan-Tatum wore a Carolina Herrera gown that looked perfect on her. The shade of yellow was not overbearing and played nicely with Jenna's dark hair and bold eye makeup.

Claire Danes always stands out from others in terms of Red Carpet looks, and did not disappoint in this category. Claire wore Valentino, and while some might say her look is a bit busy, I think it's fantastic. The nude lip and blue jewelry top it off wonderfully.

In the past I haven't always loved Ellie Kemper's choice of attire but this year she nailed it! The patterns on her dress are what caught my eye the first time I saw it, but the more I look at the picture, I notice how perfect the gown fits Ellie.

Dakota Johnson looked stunning in this sparkly silver number which screams 50 Shades of Grey. I asked Will which was his favorite and he said "this one is pretty cool". I'd have to agree and say that I am in love with Dakota's strapless dress which I would totally wear to a holiday party...or any sort of event for that matter. And that slit adds just a tad of sexy flare.

Kelsey Grammer's daughter, Greer Grammer, was named Miss Golden Globes and looked beautiful handing out trophies to all of the winners last night. When I look at Kelsey I think feminine. The color combination of this Lorena Sarbu gown is perfection.

Brooke Anderson rocked this LBD which didn't even need jewelry to make it stand out. Sometimes, in my opinion, simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

This Reem Acra gown on Anna Feris is heavenly. It's defiantly not a color that everyone can pull off but Anna does it really well.

Oh Camila Alves! This number by Monique Lhuillier is timeless and absolutely amazing. There's not one thing I don't love about this look, but my all time favorite is the back of the gown detailing. I couldn't find a picture of it but you just have to trust me that it was something you'd remember too.

Katie Holmes wore Marchesa and sported a more simple look for the Golden Globes. It seems that strapless gowns were popular this year but one thing is for sure and that's the fact that Katie would look great in anything she wore. She's a classic and so is this dress.

So what's your favorite look?
What other looks caught you eye?
Leave me a comment and let me know.

5 Favorite Day Planners

Another year has come and gone and I can't believe it's already the 2nd day of 2015! Do you already have meetings to prepare for, deadlines to meet, or any fun and exciting events for the year popping up in your schedule? I sure do! From your daily to-do's to year-end goals, a planner can make the year go a lot smoother. Over the years I have used a number of different planners and wanted to share a few of my personal favorites (in no particular order)!

1. The Whitney English Day Planner ($59) is not only durable but oh so cute! With a handful of options to choose from, you can't go wrong with whatever you pick. One of the reasons I love this planner is because of it's layout. Not only does this planner come with a yearly and monthly view, but it also features a full page for each day of the week with the weekend on a combined page. This is extremely helpful for individuals like me that like to have that extra space to jot down random notes and reminders! But what I really enjoy about his planner are all of the the mini components that Whitney carefully thought out and included on each of the daily pages. For instance, the box were you can write down the things your thankful for...which is something you can look back on at the start of a New Year. It's the little things like that that make me really love this planner.

sources

2. The Erin Condren Life Planner ($50) and all of her products are one-of-a-kind. Why? Because you have the option of customizing them and making them your own! Want a planner that not everyone else has already and is one that you love 100%? Then a planner by Erin Condren is for you. And even if you aren't in need of a new planner right now, the website is just as fun to browse!

source

3. Oh Emily Ley ($58) I just adore you and your Simplified Planner. I can't tell you how many compliments I've received and the number of times I've been asked where I got my planner from that's how awesome it is. Last year I used the 'Happy Stripe' one and it's probably my favorite of them all. There are a number of reasons why I've really enjoyed the Simplified Planner but the number one reason is because it's SIMPLE! Every day of the year is condensed to one page each, and on each page you can find a calendar marked by the hour, a to-do list, a notes section and room to list out your dinner plans. 

sources

4. The planner that I've been carrying around recently is the Lilly Pulitzer Large Agenda ($28). It's one of the cheaper options but still just as good as the others. This planner is very colorful and always seems to help brighten my mood when I have to open up my planner to a particular day and notice how much I have going on. Some of the things I enjoy about this planner are the elastic band closure, the colorful Lilly graphics and the stickers included. And the fact that the planner is 17 months long because I can use it all the way until the end of 2015 which makes it very convenient.

source

5. Last but not least we have the momAgenda/myAgenda Day Planner ($43). This was one of the first planners I ever used and still have it stored away somewhere in my closet. I loved this planner because it is so different from all the others I have ever used. The one thing that makes it stand out is it's durability. It's so sturdy and will last for however long you have it! And it's made for Type A and busy people which means it's packed full of space to fill in. Not only that but it comes with an address book in the back, and places to fill in medical information, birthdays, favorite websites, etc. This planner has it all. And the colors and prints you can choose from are all amazing.

sources

I'm sure there are other great planners that I have not even heard, but these are ones that I have personally used and loved. Have you ever used any of the ones I featured? What are some of your favorites? I'd love to know so feel free to leave a comment letting me know what I should consider for my next planner!