Charleston!

In case you didn't already know, I'm obsessed with South Carolina and everything Southern! I even have a South Carolina palmetto and cresent sticker on the back of my car because I will eventually, someday live there. Charleston is one of my favorite cities in SC, and I'm working on convincing my parents to let me have a destination wedding there. This won't be any time soon since I'm not engaged, but a girl can dream, right?!

I've been thinking a lot about Charleston lately since two of my friends are visiting there this week! It's such a beautiful city with gorgeous plantations, colorful homes, and great restaurants (Hyman's!! http://www.hymanseafood.com/) I sat at the same table as Sarah Jessica Parker and Oprah, and no one can argue with Oprah when it comes to good food (or books!).

Here's a picture I took on my tour of the city. These are some of the amazing homes on The Battery. Can't wait to go back!

Diet Coke!

I can't believe I'm blogging about soda because I used to be so good in college and I never drank soda at all! That was until I entered the wonderful world of work and realized that I need a little extra caffeine to get me through the day. I really do try to avoid soda at all costs unless I need some quick energy, and then I turn to my lovely friend, DC! Diet coke is the only soda I drink (unless it's bourbon and ginger ya'll!) , and I can justify drinking it once or twice a week because after all, it is 0 calories. So, nonetheless, I'm having my weekly dose of DC tonight in the hopes that it will give me a little boost to go for a night work-out at the gym. I'm sure Jillian Michaels would not condone this, but I don't care!

Going to the movies!

I absolutely love going to the movies with my friends and my boyfriend! Tomorrow night, one of my best friends from JMU, R, and I are going to see Eat Pray Love! She just finished reading the book, and although, I haven't read the book, I'm definitely excited to see the movie! I know books that turn into movies are usually better in their book form, but I'm convinced that Julia Roberts would never star in a movie bust. I can't name one movie that she was in that was not spectacular, especially My Best Friend's Wedding, Pretty Woman, and Steel Magnolias (just to name a few of my faves!). Clearly, chick flicks are my favorite when it comes to movie genres. R and I always see them together when they come out in theaters and we haven't in a while, so tomorrow night's chick flick outing is much needed!

Wine Club with my JMU girls!

Once a month my friends from JMU (James Madison University in VA, where we all went to undergrad) and I get together for an official wine club! We started these nights back in March after our friend's bachelorette weekend in Virginia Beach where we all discovered that we really are a bunch of winos! Two girls host each night, and they pick a country or region as their theme. Last night's theme was Spain and Latin America. Everyone brought a bottle of wine from either Spain or any Latin American country. My friends, W and A hosted and they made delicious Spanish tapas for dinner! It was fabulous! They also made amazing sangria, one red and one white. I had quite a bit of the red myself, and it was absolutely fantastic. I really need to get that recipe!

It was so much fun to catch up with each of them since we don't all live in the same dorm or within a couple of miles of each other anymore. I love this tradition because a) we each get a turn to put our entertaining skills to use; b) we drink lots of wine; c) it's so much easier to catch up when you aren't at a loud bar where it's impossible to hear each other; and d) there's always lots of laughing!

Working Out!

I started dancing competitively when I was 4 years old and continued until I was in high school. Because I was so active and athletic at a young age, I can't imagine not being active now! I know some people hate working out and it's a chore to them, but I LOVE it!! I always feel so great after each work-out, whether it's biking on the beach, running on the treadmill, or pedaling on the elliptical. By the way, those are a picture of my tennis shoes (I love pink too!). I've become so addicted to working out that now I feel lazy and incomplete if I only make it to the gym three times a week. I love being fit and staying in-shape! I mean, how else could I accomplish that if I keep up with this recent cupcake overload?! :)

Cupcake Overload!

I attended my friend's wedding this past weekend and was thoroughly excited when she told me a few weeks ago that she was going to have cupcakes for dessert at her wedding! Since then, I had been craving cupcakes and was looking forward to indulging in some yummy frosted bliss. Well, my wish came true on Saturday when my boyfriend and I were assigned to sit at the table right next to the cake and 2 cupcake trees!! We were within 5 feet of icing, sprinkles, and cupcakes galore! I only had 1 Oreo cupcake on Saturday, but brought home 4 (not all for me, silly!). I left those at my parent's house when I drove back to my apartment on Sunday afternoon.

Then, yesterday, my boyfriend and I went for a stroll around the neighborhood and stumbled upon CakeLove cupcake shop and bakery. Well, we couldn't just walk past without stopping in for a small taste!

Now, just this afternoon, my co-worker asked me if I'd like to go for a walk around town with her while she picked up some goodies to bring to her friend's home for dinner tonight. We picked up a bottle of wine, and then she suggested a trip to Hello Cupcake! It just never ends, does it?!

We walk up to the shop and the line was the longest I had ever seen it before. Well, it just so happens that today, my friends, is Hello Cupcake's 2nd birthday, and you guessed it, a FREE cupcake for every customer!

Moral of the story, be careful what you wish for or else you'll have cupcakes begging you to eat them every day of the week!

PS. My #1 favorite cupcakes are still Georgetown Cupcakes. With all the cupcake overload recently I think I'll have to wait until at least Christmas before I make a trip there!

Wear pink and make the boys wink!

I'm not sure if it's the bright colors, the beachy patterns, or just the legacy of the brand, but I'm in love with all things Lilly Pulitzer! I'm trying to expand my Lilly collection beyond the few skirts that I own and the travel coffee mug. My boyfriend is even contributing to my addiction; he bought me a bottle of Lilly's Wink perfume and a Lilly pink and green wristlet for Valentine's Day earlier this year.

Lilly just added new sorority prints to her fall collection! Check them out here: http://www.lillypulitzer.com/accessories+gifts/New-Sorority-Prints/icat/sorority&bklist=icat,4,shop,accessoriesandgift,sorority Is your sorority featured? Mine isn't, but maybe that'll change next season! Happy Pink and Green!

Family Vacations at Hilton Head Island, SC

For my first post, it's only appropriate to write about my recent family vacation to Hilton Head Island, SC. I think it's safe to say that it is my favorite beach destination in the US, and I've been to several!! Every year my family takes a week-long summer beach vacation. Some years it's at HHi and other years we go on a cruise in the Caribbean. This year we went to Hilton Head and stayed in my favorite plantation, Palmetto Dunes. My parents invited my sister's fiance and my boyfriend to join this year! This meant we stayed in a beautiful, 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, oceanfront condo with 2 balconies and priceless views of the white sand and the crashing waves. Are you jealous yet?! This trip was absolutely amazing and probably because I'm obsessed with South Carolina, east coast beaches, the South, down-home cooking, golf course communities, fresh seafood, and "real friendly people, ya'll!" Here is one of the pictures from our main balcony. Can I go back already?!

Let's try this again!

As some of you may now, I started writing this blog back in the spring, but abandoned it for a while because I was a little busy at the time (and maybe a little uninspired too). Now that a few more of my friends have jumped aboard the "blog train," I've decided to give this another try with a new and improved look!

This blog is all about what makes me happy in life aka all things from my precious family dog Teddy to wine nights with my JMU girls as well as some recent shopping purchases and of course, my favorite family traditions. It all comes back to my "bee happy" beach, which if you know me, the beach is my absolute favorite place to be! I hope you enjoy reading about my life and the little things that make me happy!

:)