Sunday Social

1. If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pizza....my favorite food ever. I also love lasagna (basically all Italian food), and Mexican food in general. But pizza probably tops the list!

2. What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food? Ice cream! Really just all sweets in general, especially chocolate. But I love ice cream. I'm generally good and substitute frozen yogurt instead, though.

3. What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten? Chocolate pancakes with chocolate chips and whipped cream....and A1 sauce on top. I was a vegetarian at the time, and we went to IHOP to eat (back in high school). My brother ordered steak and I LOVE LOVE LOVE A1 sauce...even just the smell of it...so I decided to put it on my pancakes. Actually wasn't too bad! But now I wouldn't do it because that's a waste of chocolate lol, and I love chocolate!

4. What foods do you avoid at all costs? Seafood and pork.

5. What meal reminds you of your childhood? Hmmm...probably beef stew, my mom's homemade beef stew to be specific. She used to make it a lot in the Fall, and her homemade crescent rolls which are AMAZING. I'd come in the house after walking the mile home from the bus stop in the chilly Fall air, and I'd smell the stew and the rolls...brings back so many memories!

6. Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it. I'm not much of a cook so I don't have any recipes to share. My mom makes a delicious ziti though, and I need to get the recipe from her so I can make it myself! Carb lover = me!

Five on Friday

HellOOOO Friday! So ready for the weekend....updating with my Five on Friday!

1. Going to see Miranda Lambert and Dierks Bentley on Sunday night, so excited! I've never seen either one and I'm a big Miranda fan, so it should be fun. But I would love to know who decided a concert on a Sunday was a good idea (or any night besides Saturday, for that matter). Concerts and the Superbowl should always be held on a Saturday, in my opinion. Regardless, no matter how exhausted I am on Monday at work, it should be fun!

2. Josh got a coupon in the mail for a free oil change for the 1 year anniversary of buying his car. This is only the second time he's gotten his oil changed in the 13 months he's had the car....that's what happens when you only drive 4 miles a day round-trip to the bus station! The dealership is in Maryland, and conveniently located next to one of our favorite Indian restaurants, so while they change the oil, we get to head over there for some delicious Indian food for lunch! Yummmm gotta love the tikka masala-flavored silver linings of driving out to MD just for an oil change!

3. Ready to get in some great workouts at the gym this weekend. Determined to drop these 15 pounds I gained, thanks to the holidays, vacation, and the Sweet Frog now conveniently located a mile from my house. I eat really well, but occasionally those sweets call to me! Time to get back to my veggie-filled diet from last year.

4. Made a photo book this week for Morgan of our beach trip; she's leaving today to go to Florida with her grandparents and I figured she might want to take it with her. My mother in law was telling me was a great time Morgan had on the trip, which makes me really happy. I'm already trying to plan our next vacation for the three of us!

5. Can't wait to relax and spend some time with my babies this weekend! Been feeling more like Fall weather rather than Summer weather lately, so maybe we can get in a couple of walks with them if it doesn't rain!

Updated Summer Bucket List

Just realized I haven't been updating my summer bucket list! Let's see where we're at so far....

Leesburg Car Show

Strawberry Faire

Hiking

Kayaking

Beach

Ride bikes

Go to the DC Zoo

Go to the Baltimore Aquarium

Wine tasting at Vineyards

Eat at Medieval Times

Go camping

Go to the Inner Harbor

DC Museums

Go to a baseball game

Looks like I've only been able to cross one more thing off the list, which was go to the beach. But at the end of next month, we're headed on a belated anniversary weekend trip to Baltimore, so I'll be able to cross several more off after that!

Sunday Social / Weekend Recap

Happy Sunday! Here's my Sunday Social for the week, and my weekend recap!

1. What was your favorite TV show as a kid? Definitely Full House....5:30pm was the best time of the day during the week because it meant it was time for a new episode. Come on girls, you know you all had a crush on Uncle Jesse....and I'm sure any guys who watched it, had a thing for Aunt Becky as well! And I won't lie, I bought the entire series on DVD a few weeks ago and I'm currently watching an episode as I type this lol! I was also pretty obsessed with TGIF, and all the shows that rotated throughout the years. My favorites were Family Matters, Boy Meets World, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch. I was a big fan of 7th Heaven as well, in middle school.

2. What is your current favorite TV show? I will always be a die-hard Friends fan; I've seen all the episodes at least 30 times and can repeat most of them from memory. I also like 24, Grey's Anatomy, House, and The X Factor.

3. Which reality show would you NEVER do? I definitely couldn't do Fear Factor, some of the things they have to do and eat are just plan terrifying!

4. Which reality show would you LOVE to do? I wish I could cook, and go on Hell's Kitchen. Or, actually, I wouldn't mind doing The Real Housewives of Wherever; I despise that show and refuse to watch it, but since you don't have to actually be a housewife, or even a wife for that matter, and you pay people to do everything for you while your biggest problem is deciding who to feud with that week, I could totally go for that! Although now that I type it, nothing about that actually sounds very enjoyable lol. What a complete waste of time. But to each their own lifestyle, I suppose!

5. What is the TV personality/character that you feel is most like you? I can definitely relate to Danielle Jonas from Married to Jonas because she struggles with insecurities and anxiety, and also Demi Lovato, because she has struggled with depression and eating issues and body image. And as far as fictional characters go, I can definitely relate to Monica from Friends with her OCD!

6. Which TV character would you want to date? Hmm.....one of my latest favorite shows, which I forgot to list above, is The Lying Game on ABC Family, and I really like Ethan on that show, so we'll go with him!



Weekend Recap
This has been a pretty good, and relaxing, weekend! Friday, I did absolutely nothing except we ate dinner and watched TV. After dinner, I ordered The Call on demand; I've been wanting to see it since it was in theaters. I don't really think Halle Berry is the best actress, but I was pleasantly surprised by her acting in this movie. And I LOVED the movie. It was really suspenseful, and I actually had to turn on the light immediately afterwards because I was so scared lol! So I'll definitely be buying that on DVD.

Saturday, I got up and went to the gym for my spin class and my regular workout, then came home and got ready, and we went into town for lunch. Afterwards, I watched a Lifetime movie and did some laundry, then we took a quick walk around the neighborhood. Josh was done with the heat by that point, since it was about 97 degrees out, but I needed a few things for dinner so I walked into town and went to the grocery store. I was definitely soaked when I got home! We fixed dinner and watched TV, then afterwards I decided I wanted to watch The Call again since I had rented it for 48 hours. I got most of the way through it, then fell asleep on the couch towards the end (usually happens at least once a weekend!)

Sunday I woke up and went to the gym, then came home and I convinced Josh to walk with me to lunch (yesterday I walked but he drove since it was so hot out). He agreed but said he's done with walking until September when it cools down! We'll see if I can convince him otherwise. The heat has definitely been stifling this week, that's for sure. After we got home, I started the rest of the laundry, then decided to walk back into town to get some blueberries at the store (I love fruit all year round but especially when it's fresh in the summer!), and unfortunately it started thundering while I was out. It rained on the way home but luckily I avoided TOO much of a downpour. Now I'm back home in my nice dry house, and relaxing before it's time to make dinner, and unfortunately head to bed a little early since a new week starts tomorrow! Let's hope it goes quick so another weekend is here to enjoy!

Sunday Social / Weekend Recap

1. What is your all-time favorite song? I don't really have an ALL-TIME favorite song, I'll have a favorite for a few months and then it changes. But You And Me by Lifehouse is my wedding song, so that's definitely a top contender.

2. Who is your favorite singer/band? In the past it was Incubus, but now it's mostly country singers.... Tim McGraw, Reba McEntire, Luke Bryan, Lady Antebellum, etc.

3. What song reminds you of your childhood? Probably Achy Breaky Heart by Billy Ray Cyrus because I was obsessed with that song, and was convinced I was going to marry him, mullet and all! Luckily I grew out of that obsession. I was also really into Amy Grant for awhile lol. And I was pretty obsessed with N*Sync as well, so Tearing Up My Heart always makes me think of my younger days.

4. What songs put you in a good mood? Anything upbeat! And honestly, Turn On The Radio by Reba McEntire can make me start dancing in the car immediately.

5. What is your music to rock out to in your car? See previous answer :)

6. What is the most embarrassing album or song you own? I do own a Spice Girls CD, and LFO lol. And Amy Grant but my husband gave me that from when HE was younger, so maybe that should be an embarrassing album for HIM because I do still like her!

Weekend Recap
It seems like this weekend JUST started, and here it is, Sunday night already! I was definitely ready for this weekend, that's for sure. Even though I just got back from a "relaxing" trip a week ago, you always seem to need a vacation from your vacation! And this week flew by, luckily. But I was exhausted every single day, so it was nice to sleep in these past two days. I accidentally slept in too late for my spin class yesterday, unfortunately, but I still made myself to go to the gym both days. After a week of eating whatever I wanted, it's been hard to get back into my usual routine but I knew it needed to happen! Last year after I came back from vacation, I continued to eat really well but didn't get back to the gym like I should have, so I forced myself to this time. So I went to the gym yesterday morning, and then came back and we got ready and went to lunch at Firebirds Grill, then since we were in the area, decided to treat ourselves to a little Pinkberry for dessert (what was I saying about getting back to my healthy eating routine? LOL). Afterwards, we were on our way home when Josh decided he wanted to go look at the ferrets at Petco...that's his latest thing, wanting to get a ferret. He's convinced it's going to happen, even with a $150 price tag (not including the cage and food and accessories), but we'll see about that. The ferret he held WAS adorable though, and actually kept trying to get out of his arms and on to my shoulder and into my purse.....but we definitely don't need another animal right now! Especially since we'd have to keep the dogs away from him/her, and I don't want the extra responsibility right now. He says he would keep it's cage down in his computer room, and feed it, keeps its cage clean, etc, but let's face it, that's like a kid saying they promise to take care of a new puppy lol! We all know THAT doesn't last long.  So I eventually dragged him out of the pet store, and we headed home. We took a quick walk, then I put in a load of laundry before walking up to Walmart to print off some pictures for a Christmas present (trying to get an early start this year!). After I got back, I finished up the laundry and then we had dinner and just relaxed for the rest of the night!

Today, I overslept again (shocker! Guess my body really needed the sleep), but got myself up and off to the gym. Then when I was done there and ready for the day, we walked into town for lunch and to run a couple of errands, and WOW was it hot today! 91 degrees but felt like 98, according to the Weather Channel. After we came back home, I decided to walk up to Kohl's to return a purchase....it's across Route 15, a pretty busy street, and I've never actually tried to walk there, but I figured it wouldn't be that difficult. And luckily, I'm still here lol! Wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be. So I returned my purchase, then made another quick stop at Wal-mart, and headed back home. Definitely got in my exercise these past two days! I like to stay active as much as I can on the weekends, because I have such a sedentary job during the week (who doesn't these days? It seems like all anyone does is sit at a desk for 8 hours a day now!), and if I don't keep moving around on weekends, I'll just sit on the couch and be temped to snack. BUT after 9 hours of walking today, I am now definitely sitting on the couch. Josh wasn't hungry for dinner, so I just finished mine and now I'm watching TV and trying to get in a bit of relaxation for the last hour or so of the day! Hope everyone else had a great weekend as well! We're going to try to head to the pool or go kayaking next weekend, stay tuned to see if it actually happens!

Extra Photos....

We all took so many pictures at the beach, and we've been posting on Facebook over the past few days. So I saved a few of the ones that other people had posted, and I wanted to share them with you all!

Beach fun on our first night there:

Maritime Museum:

Parasailing:

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse:

Wright Brothers' Memorial:

Dirty Dick's Crabhouse:

My beautiful sisters:

Final Day @ The Beach - Friday

Well unfortunately, all good things must come to an end! But we had a great last day, and perfect weather to round out the week. We spent our last day nearly all together; unfortunately Andrew and Meredith had to work on a paper for class, and my mom decided to stay back at the beach house and relax, but Josh, Morgan, me, my dad, Cheryl and Michael, and Katie and Scott and their families all went to the other lighthouse on the island, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse. It's the tallest lighthouse in North America, I think it was 252 "ish" steps. But we made it to the top! Between that and the Bodie Island Lighthouse, I definitely got in a little bit of my cardio workout for the week, to offset all that great vacation food! We took lots of pictures of course, and since Cheryl and Michael are not big fans of heights, we now have proof that they made it all the way to the top! After the lighthouse, Cheryl, Michael, their kids, Josh, Morgan, and I went to eat at Dirty Dick's Crabhouse for a delicious lunch, then stopped at the Scotch Bonnet fudge store (yum!). Afterwards, we dropped Morgan off at the house so she could go to the beach with everyone else, and Josh and I walked around the shopping center down by the Okracoke Ferry, and bought a few souvenirs before coming back to the beach to hang out with everyone for one last time! After everyone had gotten in a few last hours of beach fun, we had dinner and watched all the photo DVDs that we hadn't seen yet. And of course, my mom's pictures included quite a few pictures of me growing up that I would've been okay with not seeing haha! But they were definitely fun for a laugh. And it was great seeing pictures of my dad when he was younger, and Cheryl and Katie growing up.

Josh and I had planned to leave on Saturday at 4am so we could get back to Leesburg before noon; we rented a car for the week, and the car place closed at noon. But we left a little late Monday to get to the beach, and I was concerned we might not get home in time, thanks to traffic, or if I accidentally overslept. Even though we were leaving so early, everyone else on the island would be leaving that same day, and I did NOT want to hit traffic! So we decided we might as well leave Friday night instead, since we'd be saying bye to everyone on Friday night anyway, so it wouldn't make much of a difference. Although in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have driven 8 hours from 10pm - 6am after being up all day since 7:30am lol. It cost an extra $15 a day to have another driver on the rental car, so I was the only one who could drive the car (I'm better at staying up at 4am than Josh is, so it made more sense for me to be the one to drive). Soooo I was a little tired on the way home, that's for sure. But a 3am stop at Waffle House in Ashland fixed that! What better way to round off a week of eating junk food than greasy $5 diner food??

All in all, we had such a great week. And I'm really glad Morgan was able to come, it was worth missing a couple days of the trip for her to be there! In fact, the last day she BEGGED for us to stay until 4am on Saturday as we had originally planned. It worked out really well that she is the same age at my nieces and nephews so she had lots of people to hang out with. It was so great to be able to see my brother and sisters and their families as well. Hopefully we will all be able to get together again in the future!

The Wyer Family in front of the lighthouse:

Edwards family:

Josh, me, Morgan, and Dad!

Dad with the Edwards family:

Pinned to the wall but they made it!

Wyers:

Our family:

My dad!

Morgan and Trevor at the museum:

My hubby:

Josh and me:

Me:

Josh and Morgan:

At the Crab Shack:

Brittney:

One last dip in the ocean:

Michael's birthday was the next day so he opened his presents on Friday:

Group shots:

A few of my favorite pictures of the scenery: