weekending | burgers, dude's night, & sunday sundaes.

is anyone else working a short week this week? we are preparing to head down to myrtle beach on thursday afternoon and i couldn't be more excited. i've never spent the 4th at the beach and i'm hearing there's nothing but fireworks for miles at night. lee and i snagged a super awesome deal somewhere that i can't wait to tell y'all about, & hopefully you can use on your next trip.

 

so with that being said, i think i'm mentally checked out to laying in my beach chair, my floppy hat on my head, having a cold one because i hear it's going to be a hot one.

 

linking up with biana & meghan for weekending.

 

so it's a small world. i was talking to my hairstylist and found out that her husband owns a food truck that's right outside of my work on friday's. so auto burger & fry guys it was. and let me tell you - worth every calorie.

 

i ordered the pimento cheeseburger. i have a slight obsesh with anything pimento; i.e. sandwiches, burgers, dipping sauces, fried pimento cheese hushpuppies (yes, that's a real thing), toast, cheerios....

 

obviously i'm kidding about cheerios. i don't even like cheerios. next on my list is papi queso.

 

saturday, we all got together & hit up the gin mill in the south end area. there was some band playing & free popcorn. shout out to them for providing snacks. originally it was myself & another amanda going out with 8 guys, but amanda had something come up last minute so i basically went out and crashed dude's night.

 

the guys didn't care at all and it was actually fun hanging with that many dudes.

 

and on sunday, we had sundaes at the sundae shop. say that three times fast. just kidding; it's actually super easy to do. hows that for alliteration?

it's been there since 1976; or at least that's what the sign says. it still had that old time feel with the neon lights, picnic tables filled with crazy kids, & the block letters for their menu.

 

 

the walkers took out the hudson car that lance built from the ground up and we drove over to the ice cream place in midland. the sundae shop is located at the busiest intersection of midland where i'm pretty sure there were tumbleweeds blowing by.

 

i got the cookies & cream scoop. it was a total summer cliche moment eating ice cream while the sun went down.

hope to see y'all for #trending tuesday tomorrow!

 

the only thing that doesn't change is change itself.

eight miles last week. six miles this week. for someone who used to average zero miles a week, i'll say it's decent. after the fourth of july, i am starting a cute little running challenge with a girlfriend of mine, but i'll talk more about that later.

 

the other morning i got up at 6:15am and ran. and i didn't hate it. what?

 

it was probably 68 degrees and nobody in the neighborhood to distract me. except for two deer i saw walking casually walking down our road. it was like a toy story moment. deer are in charlotte? that's not supposed to happen.

 

my girl, francesca, has been cheering me on too. and recently developed an obsession in rolling around in red dirt. i'm not sure that these two things are correlated, but there you have it.

 

i don't know if you noticed, but i made a few changes to the ol' blog this week. added some corks, made my own title (high five to my html challenged self), and finally have my own domain! i own a website. and it's about wine. how cool is that.

 

wednesday, allyson and i went out for our tradition of #girlsnight. most #girlsnights at age 25 consist of a nice dinner, a glass of wine, and you're in bed by 10:30pm. not ours. the past few #girlsnights we always went to all american pub for their half off wine wednesday, but deicded to change it up & went over to cabo fish taco for dinner, then the blind pig in noda to play life size jenga, ride on fake animals on springs, and stay out way too late. 

if you haven't been to cabo fish taco, go tonight for dinner. or heck, go for lunch. and tell them to give me a free meal for sending you.

 

ps: if you're like me and have the #fomo effect with food (fear of missing out) and can't choose between steak or fish tacos, ask nicely and they will give you one of each.

 

anyway, now that you know how weird we are, on to the next one. i finally went back to dark brown locks. i had the blonde for about two months tops & decided it's not for me anymore. plus i'm not in college where it's acceptable to have 5 different hair colors in one year. at ages 18-21, you're still figuring "you" out meaning it's totally okay to do that. but i'm an "adult" and should have "figured me out by now" and "probably should stop." my hair is happy being dark brown and it takes 5 less minutes to fix it because blonde = frizzies according to my hair. brunettes are cooler anyway.

 

& hey y'all, i have blogged 5 days in a row; opposed to like two. that's good change right? i love logging on and seeing people who blog everyday. i never thought i would start to follow what happens in strangers people i haven't met's lives, but i do. i seriously want to know what happens on your honeymoon, buying a house, getting married, what you did this weekend, what you're wearing, and even how your nine months without wine is going. yikes. i don't know how you do it. i'm not ready for a kid, so that one kinda scares me a bit. but i read anyway hoping it preps me when i finally am ready approximately 42 years from now.

 

maybe i'll change my mind one day.

 

wear sheer all other times except when it pours.

sheer clothing is my go-to when it's like 80 degrees out. the last thing i want is to be doing while getting my fun on outside is sweating through my shirt. not that cute. and i love that little bandeau invention. it peeks through your shirt, but covers the basics. please for the love of anything, don't pull a rihanna and attempt sheer without one of those guys.

sheer is good for all occasions except one little time, though, and i wouldn't suggest wearing it.

 

and that's when it monsoons at an outdoor baseball game.

h&m sheer sleeveless top // vestique black & white patterned shorts; similar here // j crew crystal sunburst necklace // target bandeau

after work on tuesday, lee and i grabbed some dinner at valhalla pub, which is right outside of the charlotte knights stadium. it was so ridiculously loud in there, i couldn't hear myself think; let alone hear what lee had to say. plus beers were $5. five dollars? sheesh. i also searched how many cals were in an angry orchard beer. soon thereafter, i poured the remains of mine into lee's glass. i had less cals for breaky that morning than was in that beer. stupid.

 

afterward, we met up with one of my best friends, danielle, and her boyfriend, graham, to check out the knight's game. i'm sure you've seen the picture of the field with charlotte's skyline a million times, so i won't repost it.

 

if you follow anyone who lives in charlotte, i know you have seen it. maybe a couple hundred times. we're all obsessed with our city on instagram.

 

 

the weather was iffy. on & off rain; here and there. just when we thought we were in the clear (and on our third beer), the bottom let out. we got soaked running for shelter & making a dart for the bathroom, which for some stupid reason isn't covered in the event of inclement weather. way to go, bb&t stadium. you were almost perfect (with the exception of your $7.50 beers. those $5 beers don't look half bad now).

 

danielle lives in hickory, so not getting a picture of the four of us wasn't an option. i'm so very thankful of the dim lighting because i found out really fast that sheer & monsoons don't mix. i'll let your mind figure that out.

 

it was raining so hard, it looked like it was snowing! and some idiot decided to run on the field and ended up chased by the cops.

 

the game the night before it was clear skies & a proposal. we got a thunderstorm and an arrest. regardless, it was good spending time with my girl & having our boys get to know each other & bonding over where stupid lebron is going to go. i'm not an nba girl. all other sports, yes, but nba sucks. 

so hey, my lesson is for your benefit. just check the weather before you head out for the night so don't end up like the soaking wet, see through, knotty haired chick at the baseball game.

 

insta-happenings.

it's no doubt that instagram is my favorite social media app. i am the queen of pictures. lee is always like another one?? but smiles anyway. i think he knows what's good for him. here's a few that you haven't been caught up on.
 

i made a comment on twitter the other night said the following:
 

"i'm playing mario party at 10pm on friday. i'm either 14 years old or i'm 45 playing with my kids. (ps: i'm neither. that's sad?)"
 

we continued sunday night doing the same. every since lee and i have found his old nintendo 64 and my old games, we have been playing like crazy. mario kart, mario 64, or mario party - we are hooked. also, i'm always yoshi. as a kid, if i weren't yoshi, i didn't play. this rule still applies. it's the most bratty thing about me.
 

at least once a week (usually twice), i head on over to the met area and grab an island green smoothie from tropical smoothie cafe. made up of spinach, kale, banana, mango, & pineapple - it's my favorite one and under 250 calories. the thing is so huge, it's usually all i "eat" for lunch.

if you even want to call that eating.

i wore so many colors that day and added green with the smoothie so i snapped a shot. plus i like those cheetah print shoes.

the boys are making progrees! to be honest, when they first started talking about this screened in porch, i was hesitant, but they have the frame up, the roof now on, and have purchased the door to install later this week. and no one has fallen or chopped a pinky off. my job is to just drink all the wine & be the peanut gallery. i'm pretty good at it.

i usually don't instagram texts because let's be real, text screens aren't that glam.

however, when my girl, magan, sent me a screenshot of what a random number texted her, i died and had to capture the moment. we later found out the gray text was a guy from our high school who remembers my less-than-smart moment.

 the saddest part about it was i was probably dead serious. ok, i know i was dead serious. those two words are just too similar.

isn't it beautiful? j. crew has been my bff a&e (best friend forever; always & forever for those who don't know aim instant messenger chat lingo) here lately. mixing patterns has been something i've seen other do, and i think i nailed it with this floral and navy/white stripe combo.

check out my instagram for more cool photos. maybe even more embarassing high school text messages.  

 

#trending: seahorses

can seahorses really trend? i don't know, but these shorts are an obsession of mine and #trending tuesday is all about what's happening in your world so there you have it. boom. we have trending seahorses.

just like florals are always a trend for spring, nautical touches are always a thing for summer. at first glance at these shorts, you would think it's just a random navy & white pattern, but take a look a little bit closer, & you'll see what i'm talking about.

sunglasses: rayban aviators // necklace: j. crew factory // top: forever 21 (similar here & here) // belt: target //shorts: j. crew factory // shoes: old

aren't these seahorse shorts so cute? j. crew was having a great sale on the whole freakin' store so i snagged a couple pairs and these beauties were ones i couldn't say no to. they are so comfortable too! it's like looking put together while wearing pajamas. except you're not. it's like perfection.

and this necklace! it's such a simple piece that you can dress up an outfit with, as statement necklaces have been a hot button for a while now. the jewels are big enough to shine on their own, but stil delicate enough to not overpower your outfit. it's definitely one trend i don't want to go out of style anytime soon.

a couple of people at the anniversary party commented on how they liked this look and i completely agree. nautical colors and patterns (are seahorses considered nautical? whatever, we're going with it) are such a easy look to pull off with minimal effort. two hours to get ready? heck no. give me 45 minutes and i'm good to go.

oh! and i finally broke down, decided to be an adult, and buy nice sunglasses. you would think i could have figured this out before the age of 25, but hey, some of us are late bloomers. i had always been the girl rocking the $5 crooked shades from charlotte russe, but not any longer. these rayban aviators have changed my life and i've had them for three days. 

 

anyway, i want to know what's trending in your world!

 

follow zelle at a southern style, katie at champagne & suitcases, and kristina at medicine & manicures, and myself, add the #trendingtuesday logo to your post, & link up below! it's a great way to meet other bloggers and get more eyes on trends that you love!

thirty years.

as you know, saturday was the anniversary party we had put together for lee's parents. they have an open detached garage which was perfect for hosting around 35 people. a big thanks to lee & drew for all of their hard work and preparation to celebrate their parents.

we had tubs of chilled beers & bottles of wine (in solo cups because there's no other way to party), homemade corn & bean dip, pizza dip & homemade salsa. we snagged up some bbq, cole slaw & hush-puppies from a local hole in the wall place, terry's kitchen, and drew made his famous mac & cheese. 

i have never been a fan of the bbq/potato salad/baked beans/hush-puppies sensation. people ask me if i'm not southern, if my taste buds don't work and if i've lost my mind, but i still stick by it. however, terry's kitchen changed my mind on some hush-puppies. i think i ate about four them completely guilt free. 

i was so set on a toast to be made, but didn't have the courage to do it myself & the boys weren't exactly eagerly volunteering. on old friend of the walkers, reggie, made the perfect toast to thank everyone for coming out and celebrating lance & laurie's thirty years. he told a funny story of how they met when they used to be neighbors. after hurricane hugo years back, a tree had fell in reggie's yard & lance was right there waiting to assist with ax in hand. reggie joked it was the first and only time he was excited to see someone he didn't know in his yard with a huge weapon to destruct. we all had a good laugh, but know that's just a part of lance's ready-to-help nature. 

we spent the rest of the night over some cornhole where amanda & i kicked butt. we were unstoppable & won like 6 games straight! the guys were in complete disbelief that amanda squared schooled them at their own game. 

i'm getting better and better at this cornhole thing. it's the best summer time game! thirty years is a long time to celebrate a marriage and i can't wait to do the same thing one day. what an accomplishment! happy anniversary to the walkers!
check back tomorrow for #trending tuesday to get all the details on my outfit! 
  linking up with biana & meghan today for weekending!

i'm not a builder, but i can plan parties.

for some reason this week flew by for me. i'm never one to wish time away, but that just means it's almost time for our two day getaway every weeknd from work emails and crazy traffic. can i get an amen?    

one :: for starters, we lee & jared broke ground on building our screened in porch!  the guys are going about this all DIY so i'm really curious to see how it turns out. every night dinner time is delayed more and more because they are anxious to get this done. have you ever went to town with hammer & nails to build something? i am absolutely helpless in this process other than to say "i think that's level?"

 

two :: for our one year anniversary, lee gave me a massage of my choice at urbana. complete with complimentary champagne before & after my service, it was so relaxing. i've always struggled with joint & muscle pain so massages are heavenly to me. the lady working on my knots kept using phrases like "wow, you are very tense" and "you need to stretch more. your whole body is tight" and my personal favorite... "yeah, your back is a complete wreck." so that was cool. i got a massage and realized my muscles suck. but hey, more the reason to get more massages?

 

three :: tomorrow is the big party! lee, drew, and i have coordinated an anniversary party for lance & laurie to celebrate their 30 years of marriage. i used paperless post to do their invites and i was obsessed with them! kate spade has gotten me into all things gold polka dotted. check back later next week as i will be talking about the party.

 

four :: did you catch my recap of when i cried for two hours and six minutes? still so momumental in my week that it deserves a second look through. oh gus, i still love you.

 

five :: so i'm not a fan of red wine. like at all. i've discussed this before, but i am a fan of free red wine. there's a huge difference there.  this week we had a bottle of wine giveaway to the person who could complete a word search the fastest. when wine is the prize i am all over that. who won? ya girl did. it was a cabernet sauvignon from provenance vineyards. it's legit, you guys, with its 14.5% content. whew!

 

what do you have going on this weekend?

 

 

 

the night i cried for two hours and six minutes.

it's not what you think it is. it was a good cry.

 

i think.

 

lee and i started out with dinner & wine from carrabbas. this is one chain restaurant that has some bangin' food and lee's parents surprised us with a $60 dollar gift card so we said helloooo to date night. we ordered some dish that i couldn't pronounce. it was totally embarassing when i pointed to the menu saying "i want this" to the waiter. it was shrimp & scallops and way more calories than i should've been consuming. add another mile to my running.

 

after dinner, we headed over to the cinebarre in matthews to watch the fault in our stars. yes, it's a movie theatre that delivers food and drinks to your seat. maybe the best invention ever besides nail salons doing the same. minus the food.

 

if you haven't seen the movie (and plan on doing so), stop reading this post and come back after because i'm going to briefly talk about it.

first off, let me admittedly say that i cry at everything. stump my toe. when people get booted off of food network shows. when i'm just feeling sad for no reason at all. it's not awesome, but it's just me and i guess i'm sensitive. people tell me that anyway.

 

so it's no surprise that i cried the entire running time of the movie. two hours & six minutes. i had wine & lee had a cookies & cream milkshake (that was out of this world amazing) while watching. go amanda. we all know that wine + sappy movies = waterworks.

 

i completely fell in love with gus in the movie. i didn't read the book so i'm not sure how he was portrayed, but the way he looked at hazel melted my heart. when they were falling in love, i started crying. when he surprised her with the amsterdam trip, i kept crying. when he did the cute cigarette metaphor, yep. tears. when she cried when he died & the author gave her his letter... can you guess? i was bawling my eyes out. the movie really makes you feel the emotions of the emotionless disease of cancer and what it truly affects.

 

it's described as "one sick love story" & that is is. sick & twisted & beautiful all in one.

 

i went to the bathroom after and every stall was filled with sniffling girls. we all walked out to wash our hands and laughed that everyone was still crying. it will get to you, people. pack some tissues.

 

have you seen it? did you turn into a blubber bag of salty tears like i did?

signed,
someone who is still in tears wishing their love lasted forever.