In Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites!

As always, I am linking up with ErikaNarci, and Andrea for Friday Favorites! 


1. Strawberries! 
I have been eating this very meal every single day this week - bagel with strawberry cream cheese and fresh cut strawberries. I can NOT get enough. I don't have pregnancy cravings, I have pregnancy obsessions. 


And speaking of strawberry.. THIS strawberry licorice is the best licorice I have ever had in my life. It is a bajillion times better than twizzlers. I don't know where they sell it; this bag came from the movies.. but I gotta find some more!



2. We're paying off the car!!!
We loaded Ester up (my 2005 Equinox) and pulled her all the way across the country only for her to die on the 405 two weeks after getting to California. So we spent my 24th birthday car shopping! Now 18 months later, we are making the final payment!!! We financed the car for 6 years, but who wants to pay all of that interest!? Every time I got a raise we never altered our way of life, we simply put all of the extra money towards the car.. and tax returns, AND work bonuses. Seriously, any time we had extra money, it went towards the car. NOW it feels AMAZING to be making the last payment and all of that extra money can go into savings and investments!! 



3. Amazon Pantry
I discovered a really cool feature of Amazon Prime this week - Amazon pantry. They have pretty much any nonperishable food item or household good you can think of on the site. You have your "shopping box" and it tells you what percentage of the box is full with each addition. Whatever fits in this HUGE box ships for $5!! So naturally, I had 35 pounds of G2 and Powerade Zero delivered to my door :) 




4. Work Parties! 
We are super spoiled at work.. We have catered breakfast and lunch as well as unlimited snacks and drinks. So it's not like we NEED more snacks around work, but it's always fun to have some parties to change things up. Today we had a going away party with breakfast sandwiches and donuts. THEN this afternoon we had our Volunteer Fair with an ice cream bar. This momma was in food heaven! 





5. THIS guy! 
AJ seriously goes above and beyond for me. I use to walk to and from work every day, but since I have been pregnant he has driven me a LOT more. And meets me at the farmers market to buy ridiculous amounts of strawberries in the middle of the day, and drives to get me Chick-fil-A and bring it to me at work and gets me tums in the middle of the night and fixes me fish and chips and homemade tartar sauce when I have a ridiculous craving. Seriously, he has been AMAZING and I don't know what I would do with out him.. Baby P is going to be one lucky kid to have him for a dad! 



xoxo, 

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In Hump Day Bump Day Pregnancy

Hump Day, Bump Day - Week 10





How far along? 10 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? a prune! 

Milestone? His/her vital organs are fully developed and are functioning. He/she is starting to grown nails and hair.

Maternity clothes? Katie sent me a big bag of her old maternity clothes! Lovinggg them. AND mom bought me a few things at Old Navy this weekend. Maternity pants are great, shirts are kinda big but they are comfy so I'm rocking them. 

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Ok.. just really weird, vivid dreams. 

Best moment this week? Seeing all of the adorable things at Hobby Lobby this weekend for the nursery. If I knew the gender, the nursery would already be done!!! 

Miss Anything? Dairy Lane! I got such a craving for it today. 4 weeks, 2 days until I can have some.. but who's counting?! 

Movement? Nope. 

Food cravings?
 Strawberries! And really just fruit in general. Thank you baby Jesus for sending me some healthy cravings finally! 

Anything making you queasy or sick? Baked chicken, olives, beans. So bizaare. 

Have you started to show yet?
Yes. For awhile, I just had a bloated pooch that stayed more or less the same. Now I can tell the difference week to week. 

Gender?
Still going with boy. 

Labor Signs?
Nope.

Belly Button in or out?
In. 

Wedding rings on or off?
On. 

Happy or Moody most of the time?
Pretty happy! I haven't been moody - just complain a lot about my random aches/pains/sleepy/hungry. Sorry Age!! 

Looking forward to?
Seeing the baby again! Up until now, we have gone to the doctor every week. Two more weeks until we see this peanut again! I can't even imagine how much he will have grown! 

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In Weekends

Weekend Wrap Up - Mom's trip to LA!!

My mom and stepdad Chip came to Los Angeles this weekend and we had an AMAZING time. Did a little site seeing, and did a LOT of relaxing. I had Friday afternoon off for the holiday weekend, so we started out at Hollywood Blvd and the Walk of Fame. 


Chip had to snag a pic with Marilyn of course (and those nasty teeth)! 


Next stop was Griffith Observatory to see out over LA. 


Downtown LA from the hills. 


We headed home for a quick nap then it was off to The Grove for Umami Burger.


Post dinner Baby P rubbin :) 


A trip to The Grove isn't complete without Sprinkles Cupcakes!


Molly was SUPER pumped we got her a doggy cupcake too :) Gigi spoiled her so dang much this weekend. She is going to go on a diet, STAT! 


The next morning we headed down to Santa Monica. We checked out the farmers market, had lunch at Tender Greens, did a little shopping on Third Street Promenade and then hit up the pier. 



More naps all around were needed, so we headed on home. Before dinner, AJ made blackberry mojitos (a mocktail for me) and I finally got my spinach dip craving fixed! (AND mom bought me this cute orchid for the dining room table!)


Saturday night we went to Malibu for dinner at Moon Shadows. We haven't ventured up to Malibu much because we didn't want to pay for the uber all the way up there. Now that AJ has a built in DD, we will absolutely be going more often! It is GORGEOUS and there are several ocean side restaurants I want to try out. 



Pup Molly spent just a HALF day at daycare, and literally couldn't move the rest of the night.


Sunday we did a LOT of TV watching, book reading and napping. I made spaghetti for dinner and then got to enjoy someone else cleaning the kitchen!


Monday morning, Chip flew back to Georgia so I got a day with just my mom! I toasted some bagels and chopped up some festive red/white/blue fruit salad for breakfast. 


Baby P bumpin around with his (or her) Mama and Gigi.


After Hobby Lobby, Marshalls, World Market and Ikea.. ice cream was absolutely on the to do list! 


We ended our day out with mani/pedis


And Molly was STILL sleeping.. haha!


New outdoor pillows from World Market - 50% off! Woo! 


Little extra accent to the bar area from Hobby Lobby constructed by Shay Cray.


And then the mother of all projects that I have been putting off for forever - my collage wall! We reconstructed this on the floor 100 times before it was just right. (New stuff includes: La print from World Market, light up P from Nordstrom, big P, "&" sign
"This is the day" sign, and clock all from Hobby Lobby. The rest was my photography I had hanging in other parts of the house, our wedding picture and old frames.)


Happy to have these two doing all the nailing and me doing the instructing :) 


Finished project! I am so so SOO in love it. We will be doing another one in the nursery as soon as we find out the gender of Baby P! 


Absolutely LOVED this weekend and so sad it went by so quickly. Counting down the days until we are with the whole family in Edisto for the 4th of July! 

xoxo, 

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In Hump Day Bump Day Pregnancy

Hump Day Bump Day - Week 9



How far along?
9 weeks, 3 days

Baby's size? An olive! 5.5cm 

Milestone? He/she graduated from an embryo to a fetus!

Maternity clothes? LOVE them. I know some women try to make their regular clothes last as long as possible, but they just hurrrtt. I am fully embracing the panel pants, because who doesn't want to wear stretchy stuff to work? 

Stretch marks? None so far. Just ordered some Burt's Bee's Mom Cream though

Sleep? Like a rock this week. I seriously don't move from the time I fall asleep until my alarm goes off.  But I never feel rested... 

Best moment this week? Seeing AJ show off our sonogram pictures to his family this weekend. He was such a proud Daddy and I fell in love with him even more!!

Miss Anything? Meat and cheese boards! I never knew pregnant women couldn't have soft cheeses or deli meats (it's because the possibility of listeria). I could make a meal of meat and cheese almost every night with a nice glass of red wine! 

Movement? I'm sure everything I'm feeling these days is gas haha 

Food cravings?
 Bad stuff. Burgers, chicken nuggets, pizza, pasta. I do eat fruit every afternoon which I'm pretty proud of! haha

Anything making you queasy or sick?
Smells. Everything smells SO strong. I cannot go into the meat section of the grocery store. 

Have you started to show yet?
Oh yeah. Everyone asks me, "Are you sure there is only one in there?" or "Wow, you look way further along".. thanks? 

Gender?
I always call the baby a he. It comes out naturally when I'm talking or writing.. we shall see!! 

Labor Signs?
No way. 

Belly Button in or out?
In.. it looks like a crater when I have on a tight shirt haha 

Wedding rings on or off?
On. My hands swelled pretty badly before pregnancy and now it's 10 times worse. I'm sure I won't be able to wear them much longer. 

Happy or Moody most of the time?
Should probably ask AJ this question... I think I am happy about 90% of the time. I only get moody when I'm hungry haha 

Looking forward to?
Seeing my mom tomorrow!! I knew it was going to be hard being pregnant so far away from her, but man it stinks! I am so ready for her to see this belly and start figuring out the nursery logistics!

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In Pregnancy Travel Weekends

Weekend in NYC!

This past weekend, we headed to NYC for AJ's cousin's wedding. Little bonus - it was our 2nd wedding anniversary, so we got to experience the city to celebrate. I always go picture crazy when I have my nice camera out, so apologies for the 100 pictures. I narrowed it down as much as I could. 

We hopped on the red-eye Friday night and landed at JFK around 5:30am. After dropping our bags off at the hotel, of course the first stop was Starbucks. 


And Times Square is so much more enjoyable at 7am on a Saturday when no one is around..




These next two pics took about a million years to get right. I just could NOT believe the size of my belly, or how awkward my belly button is, or the fact that AJ just could NOT get me and Times Square in one picture.. But, I had to get Baby P's first of MANY MANY adventures with his/her crazy parents.



AJ is GREAT with my cravings - whenever I get the urge for something, he makes it happen! When I stepped off the plane, I immediately asked for ham and cheese crepes and he had a place ready to go as soon as we got into the city. 


Age got a Croque Madame. Wish I could have had some of that runny egg. YUM


Loved the decor of this place and was SO thankful to have some shelter during the only hour that it rained that day.


We made the long trek from Times Square to Central Park. This is probably the reason I could barely move the rest of the weekend. This mama has been on the couch a LOT the past two months. Walking a few miles (in new shoes) was not my smartest idea.


My poor, poor swollen feet! We had to sit in the park for awhile before I was up to moving again.


But at least we had this awesome view..


And got to hear this guy play the sax.. 


And lots of people watching.. my favorite! 


And then it was lunch time! This was our first Shake Shack experience and oh my goodness. HEAVEN.


I think I am so in love because it is like a hybrid of a Dairy Lane cheeseburger and a gourmet cheeseburger from like Flip or Farm Burger. I loved it SO much, I had one more before we got on the plane back to LA. oops!


We headed back to the hotel for a nap and to get ready for the night. The bride and groom had these super cute bags waiting on the guests.


Lots of fun New York treats - compete with a his and her favorite.


That night we went to dinner with a ton of AJ's aunts and uncles then went to welcome cocktails for all wedding guests. I wish I would have taken some pictures!! 

The next morning we took the subway down to the financial district to see the World Trade Center memorial. I saw it back in December, but absolutely had to take AJ. 

 

This memorial is just so tastefully done - I feel like it does the best possible job of showing the magnitude of that day. It is so moving to see these two vast holes where the buildings stood.



And these thousands of names etched around the sides.. Every American should see this and see it often. We must never, ever forget. 




We passed a church on the way to Wall Street. Not sure the name or the significance, but it was so neat to see this huge graveyard in the middle of all these tall buildings. 




All my times in New York, and I had never been to Wall Street. It just wasn't what I expected. Maybe it was because we were there on a Sunday, but it was just so small and quiet and unassuming.



Then we headed over to Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty. 


I was not up for a ferry ride, so this is as close as we got. (Really as close as I have ever been! Maybe one day!)


We had lunch at a famous Jewish deli - Katz.


AJ's had a pastrami Ruben and I stuck with some good old matza ball soup. 


We headed back to the hotel for some rest and to get ready for the wedding! The next few pictures are from the iPhone, so apologies for the poor quality..


These pictures do not do this venue justice AT ALL. It was absolutely gorgeous - it had a very modern/industrial feel but the flowers and all the small touches were just to die for.


After the ceremony and cocktail hour, we had a sit down dinner of heirloom tomato salad, scallops or steak, and super yummy cake selections. Each table had a bottle of wine for the guests to sign to be opened on the corresponding anniversary years.


The small details were out of this world. That tiny little button holding my name card together has their initials on it. I really wish I would have taken more pics of all the tiny things that I'm sure most people don't even notice, but the bride spends SO much time on.


The bride and groom had a special cake/candle/card sent over to our table to celebrate our anniversary. What an insanely thoughtful gesture for them to think of us on THEIR big day!?


The paparazzi family captured our kiss and well of course I had to upload it to insta. I surprisingly made it to 11:45 that night! We danced and had so much great conversation with family we never get to see.


The next morning, our for real anniversary, we headed back to the city for some last minute sight seeing and more yummy food before our flight. We went to Mario Batalli's Eatly - such a cool place. It has 7 restaurants and a section for every kind of Italian item you could think of .. a bakery, a cheese counter, a meat counter, etc. It was a the perfect place for us foodies.








We had lunch in the pizza/pasta restaurant. Fortunately we got there a little before noon, because this place gets PACKED.


Marinara mixed with fontina cheese then topped with mozzarella and sausage. AMAZE BALLS.


Then we had ravioli with spring pea, ricotta, pecorino romano & mint with butter and pea shoots. (Yes, I had to look that description up on their website!) It was SO good. There is just something to be said for housemade fresh pasta. 


And of course it's best topped with some fresh Parmesan.


This place was huge! We just kept walking and finding more and more little nooks to check out.



Next stop was Chelsea Market - a really neat place with shops and restaurants.


Found this miniture donut factory. So bummed I was too full from lunch to try a hot one.


I mean.. look at these bad boys.


The decor is gorgeous.. it feels so magical in there. 



Then we headed over to the High Line - a rooftop garden that looks out over the water. Guess I should have taken more pictures than just this.. haha


I LOVE visiting this city, but I could never, ever live here. It is just WAY too congested and just has WAY too little green space. I want the whole house, pool, fenced in yard, a dog and 2.5 kids.


Right before we got on the subway to head back to our hotel, we found this little market and grabbed some ice cream.

Love this little bump, and baby P, and his/her sweet Daddy, and ice cream, and a little weekend getaway, and getting to spend the past two years married to the love of my life. Life is GOOD!



xoxo,


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