beach vacation

We are the family that is crazy enough to drive into an oncoming hurricane/nor'easter that hit the East Coast last week. We had been set to go on vacation and the deposits for the condo had been paid, so we didn't want to waste the money. We headed down to South Carolina on Sunday and hit rain every minute of the drive down the coast. Once we arrived to the condo this is what we were met with. 

The water was about ankle high, but luckily it receded by the next afternoon. Because of the weather, there wasn't a whole lot of places open for dinner, but the Krispy Kreme still had the hot light on! We grabbed a dozen doughnuts and had cheeseburgers for dinner. 

On Monday, it was still cloudy/dreary so we hit the shops and spent the day shopping and browsing around the outlets. The next statement I am about to make is going to sound crazy: I am 25 years old and I have never eaten a Big Mac. I finally ordered a Big Mac at the McDonalds across the street from the outlets-and it was DELICIOUS!. Holy cow, I didn't realize what I had been missing. 

The sun finally decided to come out on Tuesday and I was able to sit and relax on the beach. The weather was great Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and i soaked up every minute of sunshine I could.  

The rest of the week was filled with putt-putt, sunsets, and some amazing meals. As much as I loved being on vacation, I am excited to be back home in my usual routine.

Such a fun vacation to Myrtle Beach this year with the family!

baby showers and surgeries

I will start this post off with a catch up on my life from the last few weeks...shocking I know. Always behind, but that's because I am too busy living in the moment! 

A few weeks ago I planned and surprised a very dear friend with an incredible baby shower. It wasn't immaculate and it didn't have party favors or crazy weird baby games. The fact that she was surrounded by friends and family who already loved that baby is what made it incredible. She was worried that she would have to buy everything for this baby since it is her second. She told me early in the pregnancy "no one throws a shower for the second child because people already assume you have everything you need." Even though I am not the youngest child I felt bad hearing that and it made me realize that just because its your second or fifth child, you never love them any differently. Needless to say she was surprised beyond belief and was overjoyed by the amount of love and compassion people showered her with that day. 

Mommy-to-be again 

Nursery gifts I made for the mom-to-be

The cake was just as delicious as it is beautiful.

I also took a trip home to see my parents and I enjoyed every minute of it. Once again we didn't do anything "special", unless you count brunch on Saturday, it was all about just being together. We sat around and watched TV, and some of us napped on a sunny Saturday afternoon, but that's what life is about. I also got to see my adorable puppy, aka my thirteen year old dog, before his second ACL surgery. 

pre-surgery

post-op

As you can see he is doing well and doesn't seem to care that he just had his second major surgery in a year. What a tough puppy. I also had to play nurse for my boyfriend after his surgery. It's too bad you can't just put a cone on them and walk away to finish sending emails or make a quick call. It was definitely a learning experience and made me realize what I would do for love, like sleeping on a leather sofa in a freezing basement. Even though it was difficult to balance a medication schedule, meal prep, conference calls, and a mountain of emails I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. 

bonus picture of my "adopted dog" aka Cam's dog Carlos