NYC in 40 hours & a giveaway

Whoo, the past few days have been a whirlwind. My mom-in-law and sis-in-law took a quick-but-full trip to NYC for the weekend to celebrate Leah's golden birthday (which is today). I had never left Evyn for more than a few hours, so leaving her for the weekend (in Ryan and my father-in-law's capable hands) was a little unsettling for me, but I just tried to relax and have fun. Which we SO did.

We caught our 6am flight on Saturday, sleepy but excited.

We explored 5th ave after finally getting checked into our hotel.  Our original hotel was closed due to the damage of hurricane Sandy, yet Expedia failed to notify us.  Those Vera Bradley bags get pre-tty heavy after awhile.

The one shop my mom urged me to visit was Tinsel Trading Company, which was full of vintage goodies and treasures.

I had been on the hunt for the perfect gold-tipped flats for awhile and had no luck.  I especially wanted them for the concert we were attending Saturday night (pretty flats + tons of walking = win).  So, I bought these Target flats, taped them off, and spraypainted them gold (and sealed them with a satin clear coat).  I couldn't be more happy with them.  The one chipped a bit, probably as a result of all of our walking, but I'm thinking it's fixable.

We were excited to dress up a little for the concert... and yes, BANGS!  Still not sure about them, but we'll see.

We saw Tyrone Wells (a favorite of Leah's) on Saturday night.  The show was incredible, and the venue was amazing.  We had a blast.

Sunday morning, Leah and I slept until ELEVEN.  I'm pretty sure I haven't done that in 4 years.  We fueled up on lots of Starbucks all weekend.  There was a strange/awesome exhibit of these alpaca-like beasts in the lobby of Grand Central Station, so naturally we took a picture of ourselves chilling in front of them.

My friend Dezirae told me that I must visit Purl Soho, and she was right.  It was an adorable wonderland of all things sew-y.  I bought some fat quarters just because.

And, oh this girl.  My MIL and I were making fun of how Leah was walking in the airport with her big bag in front of her and her purse behind.  Never a dull moment with those two.  We had the time of our lives.

*****

Here's a little happy for your Tuesday - I'm reviewing and giving away TWO PRINTS from French Press Mornings over at She {hearts} It today.  Sweet Jenny is offering a discount code, too.  I wish I could win!

daybook

Inspired by Arielle, I thought I'd start sharing a little {hopefully} weekly daybook. Gotta keep it real around here!

Outside my window...

the weather is cloudy but not (yet) rainy. I am loving this 60 degree November weather!

I am thinking...

about how proud I am of my dear friend Erin for finally opening her Etsy shop! Check out her lovely printable wall art.

I am thankful for...

friends I can be completely transparent and honest with. You know who you are!

I am learning...

what it is to have a heart and love for humanity. That life is about serving others and furthering God's kingdom. About what it is to be a woman of influence. I went to an amazing women's conference this past weekend and am just brimming with excitement for the changes God is stirring in my heart.

I am creating...

my 52/1 project for the week... I hope it turns out as awesome as I'm envisioning!

I am going...

to the post office, the library, and youth group tonight. Hoping to get a shower beforehand! Brynlee and I had (mommy & me) swimming lessons this morning and I currently look just LOVELY.

I am hearing...

Brynlee chattering over the monitor & pattering around her room (she's supposed to be napping) and Milo Greene -- they opened for The Civil Wars when Ryan and I saw them in Boston a few weekends ago, and to say that that show was incredible would be a shameful understatement.

Around my house...

the toys and clutter are surprisingly picked up. We were gone all morning, so that helps. :)

One of my favorite things...

is Dunkin Donuts mint hot chocolate. Yum.

A few plans for my week...

to get my 52/1 project and post done, go to the midnight showing of Breaking Dawn with some friends, package and send a bunch of orders (YAY!), hopefully get a run or two in, update Mac's babybook, write thank you notes for Mac's birthday party, and the list goes on. :)

A picture...

One year ago this week... oh my, my.

okay, and maybe a few more... we had a little family photoshoot with my sweet Carrie when we were home a few weekends ago and I am so in love with the little preview she gave me:

Hope you're having a lovely week!

AI Liiiiiiive

Kerry and I had our annual American Idol outing last night! I have to say, we were definitely not as lucky as we were last year, meeting THE American Idol and such, but it was still fun. I was a little disappointed with the show... it was actually a little boring, at the beginning at least. They had each of the top ten, starting with #10 and counting down, perform individually, and they performed three songs each! It was just a little much. We didn't get to meet anyone, even though we staked out the tour buses like an hour beforehand, and we got yelled at by security because we stopped walking for seriously a SECOND to wait to cross the street! I guess he thought we were up to no good and were going to go and kidnap David Archuleta or something. I had a hard time through the whole show, too, knowing that this was going to be the last big thing Kerry and I would get to do before she moves ON FRIDAY. Yes, my best friend is moving away. To North Carolina. Less than two weeks after one of my other closest friends moves thousands of miles away. BLAH!!!! Oh and I was SO upset because my camera batteries died right before the two Davids came on... so no pics of them! We were so close, too... we had pretty decent seats on the floor. Despite everything, it really was an amazing show. David Cook was INCREDIBLE, and the end was actually pretty awesome.

annual pre-concert photo shoot
Lukie wanted to go too!!!
look who I found!!!
my stalker pic of Michael Johns... he wouldn't come over and say hi!!! this pic was zoomed like 16x too!

We definitely weren't as lucky as Lara, but hey. At least we got a good parking spot! haha.

I'll leave you with a pic of me and my love from Saturday night... we went to a wedding with my fam. Crazy weekend! I need a weekend to recover from my weekend.

Martina!

The concert last night was so fun. It was the most perfect thing for my mom, sister, and I to do together. We have loved Martina for years. She is positively one of the most incredible singers, no kidding. We had a blast singing along with every single song and trying to avoid the dancing queen that was sitting right next to me, ha. I tried 3 times to upload a video too, but it's not working, boo.

the girls

this has nothing to do with the concert, but this is just a small fraction of my parents' gardens... now do you see why we enlist their help?!

Jack Ingram... he opened and was awesome. too bad he got really sweaty, yuck!

during

we were so close... AND she waved to us! we were waving like crazy and she returned the favor. ;)

guitars & stars

Wednesday night, Ryan and I were able to attend the bi-annual (I think) "Guitars & Stars" show here in the Roch! I won tickets by calling in to WBEE (the big country station here) and I was so excited! I sounded like a loser on the radio, but that's beside the point. What I didn't realize until I went to the station to pick up the tickets was that I actually won VIP tickets! So we got VIP parking, dinner beforehand, tickets to the show, and VIP seats! We got little neck tags to wear, too, hee hee. It was so fun. I don't know how many readers that like country I have out there (because I have sooo many readers *insert a sarcastic face*), but I was/am pretty excited and I couldn't wait to share pics! I finally have a free minute to sit down and type! Anyway, the concert was so cool. They had all five artists stay on the stage the whole show, sitting on stools with their guitars. One artist would play and the rest would listen, and so on. Honestly though, I think Ryan's and my favorite part was actually seeing Newman in real life! The show featured Blake Shelton (the "host"), Jake Owen, James Otto, Phil Stacey, and Heidi Newfield. I got to meet Phil Stacey too, I liked him on American Idol.
Please don't mind my dumb face.
Blake Shelton
the stage
us during the show (total nerds)

Fun fun!

AMERICAN IDOLS LIVE!

Friends, there are few times in an almost 24 year old woman's and a 25 year old woman's lives that they can act like 10 year olds and it be ok. Tonight was our night.


I just got home, and I had to post as soon as I did so. I'm such a nerd. The concert was phenominal. Kerry and I went last year, so we decided to make this an annual thing, and get the tickets as birthday presents to each other, since it falls between our birthdays (Kerry's is in July and mine's in September... unleashing the birthday monster early, hehe).








Kerry and me during our pre concert photo shoot... don't you love our maternity style tops?! Neither of us is pregnant, but I for one sure do look well on my way. It's called "fashion," right? hehe




Kerry and me with the American Idol herself, JORDIN SPARKS! She was my favorite the whole time (besides Blake) and she so deserved to win. We were EXTATIC to get to meet her (we stalked the tour buses) and get pictures, she is so down to earth and friendly. I just can't believe she's younger than my baby brother, here Ker and I are yelling for a girl who we well could have babysat a few years ago. Ha.



we couldn't get a good pic, so we gave up. please have mercy on us. we hang out with toddlers all day, it could make anyone crazy.


Such a fun night. I know you're jealous! :)