{Currently Craving}

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The temperatures are finally warming up and I am loving it!  Along with the spring temperatures, I am loving the spring colors and light and airy fabrics.  It is a birth month as of today, so maybe I will soon see a fews of my favorites in my closet.  Follow me on Pinterest for more of my favorites.

Currently Craving: Spring Must Haves

I am currently obsessing over anything J Crew.  I love the simplicity of their style and silhouettes.  With spring on my mind, I have been drooling over these items.  Neons, stripes, polka dots, pastels, and neutrals are all hot for spring!  Now, if my fairy fashion godmother would put all of these in my closet I would be in heaven!

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Traveling Tuesday: Myrtle Beach

This weekend Daniel and I planned a little getaway.  We never got around to celebrating our anniversary (back in August), so we thought better late than never.  We headed down the Carolina coast to Myrtle Beach for three days of relaxation.  Surprisingly, we had way more things planned than we ever got around to doing.  It just turned out to be nicer to relax and take it easy.  A few of the highlights included a surprise dinner to a new favorite restaurant and a night full of Disney movies.

We stayed at the Bay View Resort.  I think Myrtle Beach is one of the hardest places to find a quality hotel by shopping online, because so many look wonderful on the outside, but the inside is a nightmare.  We took a risk with Bay View and were pleasantly surprised.  The rooms were by no means large, but the bed was comfortable (a king-size for the couple who typically sleeps on a full!), the bathroom was nicely renovated, and the view from the balcony was gorgeous!  Another perk was that there was a full service Starbucks located on the ground level along with a great indoor swimming facility.  We didn't use the pool, but we certainly enjoyed the Starbucks!

 Shopping is one of the primary draws of visiting Myrtle Beach.  They have two great outlet malls along with a traditional mall and countless other places to do all the shopping your heart desires.  We enjoyed the outlets, because they have many great stores like an ADIDAS, Nike, and of course JCREW!  I was able to make a few purchases off of my want list and sadly crossed off a few from my currently craving list.  The polka dot blouse I posted about recently ran astronomically large and the XXS was too large for me!  I got some other cuties though!

Bag (Lauren by Ralph Lauren via Marshalls), Chambray Dot Button Up: Old Navy, T-Shirt: J. Crew Factory, Gingham Button Up: J. Crew Factory 

I mentioned earlier that Daniel surprised me with a special dinner.  He took me to a place I had recently been talking about and it lived up to the hype.  Ruth's Chris Steakhouse is the place to go for an amazing steak.  I had the Mixed Grill and Daniel had the New York Strip.  We left there feeling delightfully stuffed.  The steak was so tender that it melted in my mouth and the chicken and crab cake on my plate were equally as good.  I loved the atmosphere and it was a nice, quiet place to dine and enjoy each others company.  I didn't get a chance to snap a picture of the salad or dessert, but they were amazing as well.  The dessert was a Whiskey Bread Pudding and I dare say it was almost as good as the Bread Pudding at Raglan Road in Disney World.  Almost.  

We spent the rest of the weekend shopping and exploring.  We went to Broadway at the Beach, enjoyed a morning jog by the water, and ended the weekend with a trip to Barefoot Landing.  All in all it was the relaxing weekend that we both needed.  ABC Family was even running a Disney movie marathon Sunday night and we sat on our bed for hours enjoying the Lion King, Cinderella, and Hercules.  Who says you have to stay on the go the entire time your on vacation?  The only thing I stressed over this entire weekend was being able to watch Downton Abbey on Sunday night, but no worries we were able to find it! 

You guys know the drill.  If you want to participate in Traveling Tuesday, just blog about an amazing location you have been to and link up your post in the comments below.  Happy Tuesday and Happy Travels!

high five for friday

It's Friday again!  After some much needed teacher workdays, I welcome the weekend with a clean classroom ready to go for new students next week.  Between exams and turning in final grades I am ready for a relaxing weekend and that is exactly what is on the books for the Mr. and I.  
We intend to make the most out of this long weekend!

1. My week started off right with breakfast in bed.  I love a man that can cook.

2. The early part of this week felt like spring in the Southern half of the US.  I pulled out my cropped jeans and a light weight top for running errands.  Love this type of weather, even though it sadly seems to be over for now :(

3.  What is better than a lunch date with your man at the Cheesecake Factory.  We spent Sunday shopping, lunching, and even met up with some friends to help pick out a bridesmaids dress for their upcoming wedding.

4. A student turned me into a cartoon character.  I can't bring myself to erase my board.

5.  Play time with this cutie was so fun this week.  We broke out the laser pointer and watched her chase it and it was adorable.  Sadie is by far the cutest cat I know!

Well I am signing off of the blog for the next few days, but you can catch me on Instagram.  
I hope you have an amazing 3 day weekend!

Currently Craving

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After a little browsing around the mall this weekend, I realized my life and wardrobe are in dire need of some key new pieces.  It's a little hard to keep winter trends on your mind when you're shopping in a 70+ degree climate.  But never fear fellow Southerners, winter will surely be back with a bang of cold air!  Most of these are just wish list items, but it doesn't hurt to dream. I think it is safe to say that I have a polka dot and aqua/mint obsession right now.

13.1

13.1, miles that is.  Yes, I am crazy and I have taken on the task of training for a Half-Marathon.

Now that Daniel and I are settling into our lives back near our hometowns I began to check out some 5k races in the area and I stumbled upon the Heart & Sole Half-Marathon sponsored by the YMCA.  I looked at Daniel, said "I'm going to run a half-marathon."  He replied, "Oh really?"  That is his usual response to the many great ideas that I come up with on a regular basis.  So naturally I had to prove him wrong and I begin training today!  I have even convinced him to run with me!!

The race is not until early next year, however I noticed that most of the training programs have you running 3-5 miles the first week, so I decided to start training immediately.  It might take me some time.  I haven't ran too much since I conquered my first 5k last December.  You may remember my desire to simply finish the race and how I surprised myself with running a pretty decent time considering I didn't train at all.  A half-marathon might be a little different.  Like 10 miles different.  So I am sticking with just completing the race this time... still breathing.

I'm not sure what it is about running, but it just makes me feel so much better.  I think its the fresh air and the pounding of the pavement.  Getting the frustration of the world out one step at the time.  I have been really looking at training plans, blogs, and running gear since I have been more and more interested in running.  Peanut Butter Fingers is one of my all time favorite blogs and she has some great advice on training for a half and for fitness in general.  She also gives great tips on running gear and convinced me to invest in some good running shoes.  I got this beauties for my birthday :)

Mizuno Wave Rider

I am currently drooling over a Garmin Forerunner 405.  These watches are seriously amazing for outdoor running, because they are GPS-enabled and can be programmed with multiple running programs.  They track heart rate, calories burned, average mile pace, distance, and much more. 

Finally, a run isn't complete without some awesome tunes.  I think Ipods are amazing and I am particularly fond of my very old, but incredible Ipod Shuffle.  I love how they clip on to your clothes and the songs are easy to change.  A good playlist is just as important.  I have used a great site called Rock My Run for a while now and they make running playlist that vary in length and bpm in order to get the most out of the type of run you want.  

So have any of you guys every ran a half-marathon?  I am looking for advice on the best training plans.  I know Hal Higdon has a good basic program, but I am looking for information from anyone who has actually tried a program.

Daniel and I are off for a Happy Anniversary Day Date... so excited to see where we are going 

Treasuring Hunting

Yesterday's lunch date turned into shopping for treasures at a local antique store.  My friend Jessica was mentioning some ideas she had for her wedding that required some vintage touches and I suggested we hit up a local antique store near my house.  So off we went... let's just say it was an experience.

This place was a two story conglomeration of ancient artifacts who's value was very much up for debate.  They had some nice pieces of furniture I could see myself refurbishing, but there were also random items that I think someone just called "vintage" rather than "old" and decided they could sell them at an antique store.  

Just one section of the store!

Jessica found some exciting travel supplies... all her bags are packed and she's ready to go (cheesy... but I watched Armageddon last night, so Ben's sweet serenade is on my mind).

Oh you know, we all need a bucket of rusty railroad spikes... only $2 each. I guess I could use these in my classroom when we talk about the Transcontinental Railroad.

 Julia Child wannabe...

              

 


The big find of the day was an old Polaroid camera, which Jessica really wanted!  However, the rude sweet gentleman and lady working at the front could not sell it to us, because there was no tag on it.  Oh, well it's their loss of a sale.  So we left empty handed, but it was a fun place to explore.

Tomorrow morning I'm off bright and early with the some of the ladies in my family for a little vacay road trip.  It will involve lots of shopping (outlet malls!), eating, and maybe even a fun show! I'll be back on Friday with a recap, so enjoy the post I have set up for you guys while I'm gone!