Destin Recap

Our week long vacation in Destin was oh-so-nice and relaxing. Just what I needed! We spent most of our week laying on the beach, playing bocce ball, a little bit of shopping, and a whole lot of R & R. Love me some vacay...

Tanning by the emerald waters...

And reading in the pool...

Life is good :)

Destin Bound

Life has been super busy lately and a much needed vacay is in store. I'm Destin bound on Friday afternoon for a full week of rest, relaxation, and fun! I've never been to the Florida panhandle before and cannot wait to experience the clear blue. Sunshine, good reads, and afternoon drinks anyone? yes, please. So for all of you bloggers, have any of you ever been to Destin? Any good tips on restaurants, bars, things to do? Please share! 

Just a few of my beach essentials...

Carolina Cup

Carolina Cup is this weekend, and that means lots of Lilly, Vineyard Vines, and Southern Tide! Unfortunately, I will not be attending this year since I'll be moving and boyfriend is running in the Cooper River Bridge Run. Side Note: Why is the Cup always planned on the same weekend as the Bridge Run? You wouldn't think that they would plan two of South Carolina's largest events on the same weekend...just sayin. But anyways, we had so much fun at the race with the law school last year and were in good company! So get out your best Lilly, tie one on and hit the track.

What will you be wearing to Carolina Cup?

{Carolina Cup 2010}

{my favorite longchamp tote, and perfect for the race!}

GREEN!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As I've mentioned before, green is one of my favorite colors, so naturally I LOVE St. Patrick's Day. Remember to watch out for any leprechauns and sport your green today! And if you find a pot of gold, send some luck my way! Wishing I was in Savannah today celebrating among the green fountains...

How are you celebrating the luck of the Irish?

{p.s. I know I've been MIA in the blog world lately, but I'll be back soon. promise.

I'm in the process of packing everything up and moving to a new apartment.

so much to do, so little time.}

Daytona Recap

What a weekend. I can honestly say I never thought I would have that much fun at a Nascar race. We had a non-stop party for 3 days. To recap some highlights: Saturday night we went out to eat at Gene's Steak House for boyfriend's 25th birthday. While there, Richard Childress who owns RCR racing ate at the table behind us. sweet. On Sunday we geared up for the race and took a limo to the race track. limo? Yes, I realize we looked slightly ridiculous. I sported my J. Crew and Citizens. hehe. I was wide eyed and in my own little ADHD land. There was SO much to look at and so much going on. Brad Paisley gave an awesome performance before the race started. It was definately a huge thrill seeing all the cars fly at 200 mph and it was so LOUD. I officially want to be a racecar driver. I wanna go fast. Congrats to Trevor Bayne for winning the Daytona 500 on his 20th birthday and being the youngest to ever win! how cool is that?!

 I got to wear these cool headphones and listen

to the driver's talk to each other over their radios.

On the 3rd lap, everyone had a moment of silence and

saluted a "3" in rememberance of Dale Earnhardt.

The only sound was the cars racing by. Very cool.

 

 Celebrating boyfriend's 25th birthday at the race! 

 Here they come, vroom vroom!

Classic Race Fan: mullet (check), Nascar t-shirt (check),

jorts (check), socks with no shoes? (check)

500 Fast Lane

True Life: I'm going to the Daytona 500. I'm living life in the fast lane this weekend and heading to FL with boyfriend to attend the Daytona 500. This will be my first ever Nascar experience and race. While I have no clue what to expect, I am looking forward to some quality people watching. I've heard I won't be let down. After a long debate about what exactly does one pack for the 500, I decided to poll my friends. Here are a few of the responses (hilarious):

• 1. wife beaters, jean shorts, trucker hat, and a cooler of bud light
• 2. Cut off shorts and a ripped TShirt and a leather jacket?
• 3. extra hold hairspray for an extreme version of the drunk poof
• 4. pbr and lots of it
• 5. You can leave your bra at home!

I'm sure this is going to be interesting, to say the least. Maybe I'll get lucky and meet Dale, hah! Have any of you ever been to a race? What did you pack?!

Back from Steamboat!

I'm backkk! Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year! I joined boyfriend's family in Steamboat for 10 days full of lots of snow, skiing, and awesome adventures. Here are my top 10 favorite memories from the trip:

1. It snowed 23 inches while we were there!
2. We went to a natural hot springs one day that was over 102 degrees and surrounded by 3 feet of snow. It was a true "winter wonderland".
3. Drinking strawberry light margaritas at Rio (strawberry mixed with lime = bliss).
4. Beating boyfriend in the "mancala" championship. I think we played this almost everyday.
5. Snow tubing at Saddleback Ranch.
6. Getting lunch at an old fashioned soda counter. Complete with pharmacy and all!
7. Being my 2nd time skiing ever, I finally went down all blue slopes. No more green for me!
8. Ringing in the New Year in -9 degree weather with a champagne toast.
9. Skiing in to Slopeside for afternoon lunch breaks. Love ski-in, ski-out restaurants.
10. Inadvertantly skiing moguls and busting it = priceless.

 top of the mountain

 hot springs

 downtown Steamboat

 so much snow!

snow tubing @ saddleback ranch

Holiday Hustle & Bustle

In just 4 short days I'll be hitting the slopes in Steamboat, CO. Between now and then I will be very merrily celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Packing, presents, and re-packing..oh how i love the hustle and bustle of the holidays! Merry Christmas to all of you and hope you have a wonderful, blessed holiday season!

flashback to college: senior year semiformal!

Charleston: Most Attractive People

Why do I love living in Charleston so much? Charleston was recently rated No. 1 Most Attractive People in America's Favorite Cities 2010 survey! The article states "This South Carolina city bumped off perennial winner Miami this year; have the good-looking people really migrated north? Charlestonians also score high for friendliness, rank second for their classic sense of style, and even make the top 10 for intelligence. To see if it’s all true, just stroll the streets of this quaint city, which also ranks No. 1 for its noteworthy neighborhoods."

Other most attractive cities included San Diego, Savannah, Miami and Salt Lake City to name a few. Props to Charleston for acheiving sexy status...

Bama Bound

Well it looks like my blogging has been non-existant lately...thanks to football season. This weekend I'm off to see the Alabama Crimson Tide battle the Penn State Nittany Lions. I cannot wait to get to Tuscaloosa and divulge in some Dreamland BBQ, yumm! Boyfriend is also going to take me to the Bear Byrant Museum for the first time. For those who are not familiar with the man, the myth, the legend that is Bear Bryant..he is the most "winningest" coach in the history of college football. And his houndstooth fedora inspired Alabama's gameday attire to what it is today. Hope everyone has a wondeful football weekend, Roll Tide & Go Tigers!

Charleston Eats

A local Charleston favorite, Hominy Grill, hit the big times recently when it's infamous shrimp and grits was awarded one of "America's 10 Best Regional Classics" by the Food Network! I'm a huge fan of Hominy's breakfast and it never disappoints. Check out the article and be sure to tune in on September 20-23 at 9pm. Eat beforehand.

Pickin' & Grinnin'

Happy Friday! I'm off to Lake Rabun (again) for an action packed weekend on the water. With the annual Beach Music Bash* tomorrow night, I'm sure there will be plenty of shagging on the boulevard with mr. sixty minute man. Oh domino, here's to another weekend of making memories. And not wrecking golf carts...

*formerly known as "pickin' & grinnin"

I'm on Lake Time

I'm off to Lake Rabun, GA with boyfriend for the weekend for some much needed R&R. Nothing better than hanging out on the boathouse in the afternoon, listening to some Old Crow and drinking a Red Stripe. If you need me, I'll be on lake time...

Fantastical

M-I-C...K-E-Y...M-O-U-S-E! I am a Disney fanatic..like seriously obsessed. So naturally I jumped at the opportunity to park-hop it around Disney for a day with boyfriend. We spent a HOT Florida day trekking it through Hollywood Studios (MGM), Epcot & Magic Kingdom. Some of my favorite things included Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, Epcot's World Showcase, & The Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom! Seeing Tinkerbelle fly out of Cinderella's castle was the icing on the cake to our 14-hour day at Disney. How fantastical!

(Row 1) Tower of Terror, Singing in the Rain in MGM

(Row 2) Boyfriend with Pink PowerRanger (his idea), Mickey's Sorcerer Hat

Scene It

On our way back from Florida, we decided to take the scenic route and drive home through St. Augustine. Did you know that St. Augustine is the oldest city in America? While boyfriend gave me a history lesson, I spotted this gorgeous lighthouse and just had to jump out and snap a few pictures. This has got to be one of my all time favorites because of the patriotic red, white & blue!

Heading South

My bags are packed...and I'm heading south!

Off to Florida for a poolside lounging, beach sunbathing, bocce ball-ing packed weekend. Anddd the best part?!? I may spot Mr. Mickey Mouse himself while I'm there. That's right, a little trip to Disney is in order for Saturday!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend filled with some quality R&R!

Hop Frog & The Sleeper

This week has literally flown by. I've been busy at work (what else is new?) and preparing for some weekend guests! My long time best friend, Buckhead Belle, is venturing to Charleston this weekend and bringing along another favorite, AAL! Since AAL has never been to the lowcountry before (gasp!), we will be doing some fun exploring and sight seeing. Plans are in order for a trip to Poe's Tavern. If you've never been to Poe's Tavern on Sullivan's Island, then you MUST go next time you're in Charleston. The restaurant spins off of Edgar Allen Poe* and everything on the menu is named after one of his works. My personal favorite is the "Tell-Tale Heart", a grilled chicken sandwich with a fried egg, applewood bacon, and cheddar cheese. yummmm.

*Fun Lowcountry Fact: Did you know that Poe served in the Army at Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island?

Lowcountry Lighthouse

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I was so excited to see the Morris Island Lighthouse featured in last month's issue of Coastal Living. This lighthouse is a trademark to Charleston and has such a weathered charm. Located off the shore of Folly Beach, the lighthouse has been standing since 1876. If a visit to the lowcountry is in your future, make a trip to Folly Beach and check out this historical gem. Or go by boat and enjoy a day filled with sunshine and pina coladas on Morris Island! Cheers to that!

Travel in Style

Oh, how I would love to have this roller suitcase from Halsea. All of the prints are coastal inspired and so much fun! It makes you want to plan a trip just so you can bring along the adorable suitcase. The luggage shown above is from their "Little Harbor Travel Collection", which is my favorite*. Go on...plan a mini vacay!

*you all know I love a good lattice print