Thankful Thursday

I am thankful that two of my friends had their babies this week, everyone is healthy and well! Katie announced that her daughter, Emeline Kay, was born on May 10th (now her very own Mothers Day!). Mallory welcomed baby girl Emery Grace into the world on May 12th. I know both of these wonderful ladies from growing up and I am SO very happy for them! What a great week! And two girls no less:o)

The top half of my screen burned out on my Kindle this morning (I guess I use it way too much) so I am thankful that Amazon's customer service is AWESOME and they are sending me a replacement as we speak. Thank goodness!

I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday and my amazing boyfriend doesn't mind going to see a chick flick once in a while. We are going to see Letters to Juliet after I'm done work! I'm like a little kid, I haven't been to the movies in MONTHS!

My little brother is a junior in high school and was asked to go to the SENIOR prom, so I am thankful that he's a rockstar and he decided to go. Don't you miss prom?? That was so fun! I will share pictures on Monday!

I am thankful that I have really buckled down and started to put a tiny dent into my summer reading list. I made a list of 20 books that I want to read by the time I start student teaching. So far, I have finished two (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson and The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell) and this week I'll be finishing The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (in honor of my trip down to Wilmington, NC-even though the book falsely portrayed the town and I'm kind of annoyed by it).

I am OH-SO-THANKFUL that I have met some fabulous ladies through my blog! Just last night I was emailing back and forth with a new friend that just happens to live a few minutes from me! Who knew!? Life is just too good:o)

Hope you're all having a wonderful Thursday! What are you thankful for today?

Heaven is a Place on Earth

In just a few weeks, Nick and I will be flying south to visit my grandparents in Wilmington, North Carolina. Or as I call it, my very own Heaven on Earth.

To some, Wilmington & Wrightsville Beach is too simple. The life is too slow. Living is, well, too easy. To others, its just perfect. It's just enough to make you appreciative of the good life but the people are interesting enough that you won't go crazy.

Wilmington is a gem, a secret, a treasure. Hardly anyone knows about it (thanks Nicholas Sparks for starting this new craze of tourism there...*sarcasm*) due in large part to its location. You may recall the TV show, Dawson's Creek which was the first popular show to be filmed on location there. Now, One Tree Hill episodes are still being shot there, giving many people the itch to visit the area.

My visits in the past have all been wonderful. But this trip will be even more special.

Nick has never been to this part of North Carolina before and I could not be more excited to show him what makes Wilmington so magical for me. As corny as that may sound, its so true. I can't wait to show all of you the pictures when we get back. So cross your fingers that May flies by as fast as the other months have so far! I've been sending Mother Nature some hate mail in order to bribe her for some sunshine in my little corner of the Earth. It's about time that we get some warm summer weather and a chance to wear all of those sundresses we spent so much money on:o)

Hope you're all having a wonderful Wednesday!

Top 2 Tuesday...Dream Houses!

Top 2 Tuesday: Dream Houses

1. Southern Plantation Style

I

 I have ALWAYS dreamed of living down South, and I'm pretty sure one day that dream will come true. This picture has been on my computer for years, it to me, is the definition of a true Southern home. I absolutely LOVE it.

Of course, I would need a big kitchen...

.

...and a beautiful bedroom

   2. Beach Cottage

...with a beachy feel to it

 ...and a beautiful bedroom

To join in the Top 2 Tuesday fun, visit Taylor's blog!

...and don't forget to enter in her giveaways too:o)

Happy Tuesday friends! 

TAGGED!

I got tagged by Kelly in this fun photo game!

Rules:

1) Go to your photos files and select the 8th file.

2) Select the 8th photo in that file.

3) Post that photo along with the story behind it.

4) Challenge 8 blog friends to do the same.

 This is my brother, Brendan, and I after his first football game as a junior in high school. As the quarterback, he did amazing. I cheered for Downingtown High School and could not be more decked out than I was for that game. I had my gold ribbon in my hair, face painted with his number, shirt, glitter and of course...my loud cheerleading voice. Only difference is, I was the one in the stands. Luckily, Brendan said he could hear me from the field cheering him on. I'm pretty sure that's what made him win:o)

Proud big sister.

 I challenge these lovely ladies to join in this fun game:

Jenna at Daily Loves and Laughs

Taylor at The Undomestic Momma

Neely at Neely's Nothings

Selma at Crazy Little World of Mine (who just recently visited Philadelphia!!!)

Sarah at Little Mrs. Newlywed

Heather at Live.Love.Laugh (who just found out she's pregnant!!)

Elle at Bubbly Moments

Sara at A Note on the Screen Door (and fellow Twitter gal pal)

GO!

Fill in the Blanks...

Long overdue, I know. Now that I am done finals, I can finally get back to doing what I love best...reading and blogging:o)

1. My favorite book growing up was: Charlotte's Web. I started reading at the age of 3 (no one could believe my Mom that I really and truly could read-so I was handed the book Charlotte's Web and I read it-only missing a few words here and there) To this day it is still one of my absolute favorite books. I give it as a gift at just about every baby shower that I go to.

2. The funniest book I ever read was: Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler. I just love Chelsea Lately (her late night tv show) but when she wrote this book I thought to myself "she just keeps getting better!". If you need a good laugh, go get it!

3. The one book that has truly changed my life is: Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom. This book was given to me by one of my high school history teachers. He was seen as a miserable old man to most students, but I got along with him very well. He taught me a lot and retired the year after I graduated. He gave me Tuesday with Morrie to read and ever since then I keep many of the quotes in the back of my mind.

4. If you're looking for a real tear jerker you should probably read: the Notebook by Nicholas Sparks or My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Both books made me cry and the movies didn't help one bit.

5. If I could meet any author living or dead it would be: Ernest Hemingway or Jodi Picoult. I know, I know. Why would I pick two completely opposite writers? Well for one, Hemingway will always be one of my favorite writers of all time. He was just brilliant if you ask me. I can read his stories over and over again and they never get old. Jodi Picoult is a modern-day author and her books fill you with suspense and anticipation then shock you at the end. She is very talented, writing about present-day issues that we face (such as school shootings, rape, medical challenges, etc). She has degrees from Princeton and Harvard-she knows her stuff!

6. The next book on my "to-read" list is: The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. It was on Oprah's Book Club list. I bought it. I started it. It has 983 pages, so it intimidated me. Now I'm done finals and I'm determined to read it.

7. If I was snowed into a remote cabin in the woods and could only bring 3 books, I would bring: The Catcher in the Rye, Pride and Prejudice and Remote Cabins for Dummies (hahaha just kidding, probably the Bible).

Happy Monday everyone!

Weekend Recap:o)

Nick came home this weekend, I was so happy to see him! He had been traveling for work for 2 weeks so Friday night we had a date night, just the two of us<3

We went out to dinner to watch the Phillies and Flyers games (two wins, yesss!). We also went to visit his grandmother for Mothers Day, gotta love meeting the fam!

My sister won her tennis tournament 3 days in a row, she placed second in the finals on Sunday after playing against an 8 year old Russian girl (my sister is only 9).

Mothers Day was wonderful, I took my Mom out to lunch and headed to the country to cook Sunday dinner at my Mom-Mom's house for my family. Nick loved his surprise I gave him, a Fossil watch that represents "time" in our relationship.

Can you believe it's so chilly in MAY!? Wow! I'm so ready for summer!

Happy Mothers Day to all of you who are mothers or moms-to-be!! I hope your day was special<3

Katie, a friend of mine from high school, was blessed to deliver her baby girl yesterday. Congrats to Katie and Declan! Xoxo

Super Fabulous Giveaway!

LADIES!

Taylor over at the Undomestic Momma does really fun giveaways every Wednesday!

This week is one that I absolutely LOVE!

She is giving away a $25 gift certificate for Paisley Pineapple which has really cute monogrammed duffle bags (my favorite!!), kids art aprons and shopping cart covers!

This is a really neat idea for those new moms-to-be for Mother's Day or maybe just something to spoil yourself with too:o)

Hop on over to Taylor's blog to check out the details on the giveaway! Good luck!