Something to think about...

My friend posted this on FB about a week ago.  Take a look at this website! 

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/10/a-wondrous-gif-shows-the-most-popular-baby-names-for-girls-since-1960/280709/

This site shows in an interactive map the most popular baby names each year from 1960 to today.  Wow!

Rent the Runway

Since I was gearing up to go to the wedding in Annapolis, I decided to "Rent the Runway" instead of buying a new dress.  I have so many dresses from J Crew and Banana Republic that just sit in my closet after one wear.  Some of you may ask "why?!?"  Well, being in the Navy, I don't have a lot of use for daily dress wear, but I do wear them for date night, ladies night out, and weddings. 

My good friend used www.renttherunway.com many times, and had nothing but wonderful things to say about it. 

I did it, and was nothing but impressed!  I received the box from UPS, and opened it with my SIL.  I had three dresses in a garment bag, and a box with the jewelry I rented.  It all looked amazing.  I rented the primary dress in a size 10 and size 12.  Then, I ordered another dress, just in case those two didn't work out.  I also ordered a necklace to make the outfit whole. 

I loved the way it all turned out.  The size 10 was perfect, and the necklace really went well with the dress.  If I had bought the dress and the necklace, I would have spent over $720 for something I would never wear again.  Instead, I spent $100, and no dry cleaning bill!  Oh yeah, did I forget that?  You send the dresses, other items, etc back in a UPS bag, and they do all the dirty work. 

Let's just say, I can't wait to rent the runway again!  Let me know if any of you ladies need an invite or recommendations!

Oscar Wild dinner dress with the Crystal Cluster necklace.

Trip to Annapolis...day 2!

After day 1's festivities, we were exhausted.  From travelling, walking, hanging out..so we just hung out in our room at our hotel until the wedding.  Latham and Adam had their ceremony in the chapel at the United States Naval Academy, and the reception at the Marriott.  It was such a fairytale wedding, and I was so happy to be there for their day! 

It was a bit of a reunion for our six degrees of separation Navy crew, and we had a blast!

Mike and I. 

Love this dress and necklace...stay tuned for the story behind the outfit!

Traditional Sword Arch

Gorgeous!

Mike and I on the patio at the Marriott

How did we get so many powerful women in one room?!? 4 Navy Lawyers, 1 SWO, 1 USO director, and 1 Pilates Studio owner!

Goof!

Trip to Annapolis....day 1

So after my quick trip to VA to visit family, I picked up my boyfriend at the airport, so we could spend the weekend in Annapolis, Maryland.  He had never been there before, and I have been about a dozen times for various occasions.  Football games, parties..you name it. 

When we arrived, we went on a tour of the Academy with a friend of ours, Adam..as we were in town for his wedding!  Mike loved the tour!  After the tour we ate lunch at Armadillos.  Yum!  I may or may not have assisted the economy with a serious shopping spree at Re-Sails, Lou Lou, Black Dog, and the Pink Crab.  

After my shopping binge, we had "date night" at O'Briens.  I love their food.  We had oysters Rockefeller, some crab cakes, and white wine.  We then met up with friends at the Federal House, for pre-wedding festivities.  After that, some more cocktails before bed...

Meeting up with my Navy gals was the highlight of the day.  I miss my girls! 

Weekend Travels

Well folks.  I went and travelled a LOT this weekend.  It will probably take a few posts, as I saw a lot of people, ate a great amount of food, and celebrated big events!

First off, I went to Leesburg, VA to visit family.  I had the best time!  We went to a place called Clyde's Farm for lunch.   It was amazing!  I don't remember the last time I had some amazing comfort food like the meal I had.  I had a pumpkin dip for a starter.  It was in a little pumpkin, with ginger snaps, apple slices, and walnuts.  Best idea ever!  I also had a fried green tomato sandwich for lunch.  Yum!  We walked around a Civil War battlefield, and grilled steaks that day as well.  I was literally only there for 24 hours, so it was a whirlwind visit.  But worth every minute to see my "mini mes", as we call my niece and nephew. 

Pumpkin Dip.  Such a cute idea!

Creepy Halloween Décor!

Gorgeous Flowers in the guest room.  I may or may not be in love with buying these vases at www.personalcreations.com!

Civil War Battlefield

Perspective.

Gorgeous Leaves!



I heart Fall!

 

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Anthropologie

I don't normally shop at this store, but I have found that some of their recent clothes are just amazing!

I bought this shirt, and absolutely love it!  I bought the copper color, as I often wear blue or black.  Had to branch out in the color spectrum!

I also bought this cardigan.  I am in love.  I have a black one from Jcrew, and I am glad I just branched out.  I bought this one in burgundy.  The material alone makes this purchase worth it. 

I don't normally blog about fashion, either...but I had to blog about these two finds.  I need to branch out in my wardrobe.  Too bad cammies all day every day kind of puts a stop to that!

Pics of me wearing my new finds to come!!

Everyday Photography

I recently took a photography class online.  I loved it.  It made me look at the everyday just a little differently.  Appreciate it, and learn how to use my camera to capture it. 

Here are some recent pics I have taken!

1st week of class.  Atlantic Beach.

New Cork Holder.

Cool pup.

Hmm.  Reflection.

Salted Caramel Candle.  Dog comfy on the couch.

Apple Cinnamon Monkey Bread

I made some monkey bread for brunch recently.  I love apples, and I love cinnamon.  Oh yeah, and Fall.  So, yes, this recipe seemed just perfect! 

I made some changes to this one, and it turned out great!

Ingredients:

• Non stick cooking spray
• 10 refrigerated reduced fat biscuits
• 4 tsp ground flaxseeds
• 2 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon
• 1-2 thinly sliced apples
• 3 tablespoons of chopped walnuts
• 2 tablespoons of packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons of OJ
• 1 tablespoon of butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a bread pan with cooking spray and set aside.  Cut biscuits in half and set aside.  Combine flaxseeds, 1 tsp of sugar, and cinnamon.  Coat biscuits in this mixture.  Layer the biscuits in the bread pan, and top with apple slices.  Repeat this process until you have used all of your biscuits!  Sprinkle remaining flaxseed/cinnamon/sugar mixture and walnuts on the layered biscuits. 

Heat brown sugar, OJ and butter in a saucepan on the stove until the mixture boils.  Pour mixture over biscuits. 

Bake 25-35 minutes, and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

I

Brunch!!

I hosted some friends over for Brunch this past Monday.  It was amazing.  I don't know what it is, but having people over for a home cooked meal, coffee, mimosas, and bloody Mary's just makes me happy!

Here is the menu:
Breakfast Casserole
Blueberry muffins
Apple Monkey Bread (used a similar recipe, to be recapped later!)
Fresh Fruit
Mimosas (I prefer Chandon champagne)
Bloody Mary's (I prefer Mrs. T's mix)
Coffee (assortment of Keurig coffees)

Some pics of the day..

I love using King Arthur Flour mixes.  They are incredible.

I think the photography class finally paid off. 

The kid at the grocery store asked me if I was going to cook with the wheat.  Nope.  It is sitting pretty on my buffet table!

I love coffee.  All kinds of coffee.

Had to buy the vodka.  Just looked cool. 

Muffins!

Monkey bread.  Recipe to come!

Injured Ranger Salutes Commander | Navy SEALs

Injured Ranger Salutes Commander | Navy SEALs

Take a look at this.  What an amazing story. 

Praying for this hero, and all the others that are serving each day.

I Heart Weekends in Jax!!

So I finally had a 4 day weekend. Yup.  After I worked over 12 hours for 4 days this past week, and was exhausted by the time Thursday evening came around.  I think I even forgot to eat dinner.  Yep. 

Friday I ran some errands on base, went to get my car maintained, and met a friend for lunch.  We actually hit up the Olive Garden.  I haven't been there in forever.  Salad and healthy (under 500 cal) pasta (Ravioli de Portabello).  Yum!  I hung out most of the night Friday.  Just cleaned the house, and hung out with my puppy.

Saturday was a big day.  I went to Jaxtoberfest with friends during the day.  I got a mean sunburn.  They had great bands, good beer, and good food.  I wasn't really in the mood to drink all day, and the sun was a blazing, so we went home early. 

Sunday I god locked out of my apt building.  Long story:(  Kind of put a hamper on some plans, but I did end up going to a fundraiser with friends!  All proceeds went to a local dog rescue!

Monday I hosted brunch at my place.  I love hosting brunch, and having company.  It is a good excuse to clean;)  I also shopped for an upcoming trip, and grabbed some amazing sushi at Bento.  Oh my, it was amazing. 

Life-size beer pong.  Yup, they thought of everything.

I keep forgetting that yes, It is still hot in Florida, and ouccchhh.  Sunburn hurts!

Holy moly.  Mac and Chees bites.  Made with orzo.  Amazing.

Me n my ladies.  So much fun with these gals!

Col's first taste of Jager.  She was pretty excited!

Sushi.  And my foot.  But really great sushi. 

Inspiration

Take a minute and watch this video.  This young lady should have won the Nobel Peace Prize.  Purely Amazing. 

Healthy Peanut Butter Fudge

I saw this recipe on the FB this week, and thought I would give it a try.  I have a few friends who are competitive athletes, and their birthday is this weekend!  A simple food gift for a great day. 

I had these ingredients in my pantry, so it was even easier to make, no trips to the store!

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa powder...
2 tbsp peanut butter, plus more for the swirl

Directions:
1. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper
2. Warm up the coconut oil in the microwave for 15-20 seconds to make sure it is in liquid form. Stir in the honey. Next, stir in the cocoa powder and peanut butter until well combined. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. (Coconut Oil is super super slippery!!!)
3. Drop a few spoonfuls of peanut butter on top of the fudge and, using a knife, swirl it into the fudge. Place in the freeze for 15-20 minutes. Serve cold or re-freeze to store for a later time.

This was so good.  It was tough for me to bag it up and give it away!

Fall Decor

Fall is my favorite season.  I love football, pumpkin, apples, the smell of leaves, pumpkin spice lattes..you name it.  I love it all.

I have never decorated for Christmas in my life.  Gasp.  I know.  Never.  Usually because I am always deployed, or I travel for the holidays, so I always feel that there is no reason.  Hence, my love to decorate for fall.

I just bought a few new decorations for the house...and I am waiting for a few more.  Standby for more photos, links, and fall recipes too!!

Love this pillow.  Purchased at festivehomedecor.etsy.com

Dining Room Table. 

Table Runner, Pumpkins, Candle purchased at Kirklands



Bought this at Bath and Body works.  I want to eat it.  Just kidding.

Weekend in Jax

This weekend was a great one in Jax.  I relaxed Friday after a long week at work.  Just sat in the house, grabbed some food for dinner, and caught up on Grey's Anatomy.  Just what I needed.

Saturday, I cleaned and shopped.  I hit up a few stores, got a massage, and hit up Maggianos.  Fantastic lunch!

Sunday, I had lunch with a friend at Seasons 52.  Oh my.  I love their flatbread, and their tiny desserts are amazing.  I had some pumpkin dessert to make it try to feel more like fall around here.  It is 87 degrees out! I did some laundry, and then had dinner with other friends for their birthdays at Seven Bridges.  Yum!

Pasta and a Dark and Stormy.  Perfect Saturday afternoon lunch.

Tea from Teavana.  I may be addicted.

All dressed up for dinner!