"Our Greatest Adventure Begins..."

This past weekend my besties and I got to shower one of our own, Alison, who is welcoming her first child (a sweet baby boy!) in March. It was such an amazing weekend, filled with love, laughter, memories, and the cutest baby clothes! We were all marveling over the fact that we have now been friends for 8 years (we all meet in college Freshman year) and since that time we have been through so many adventures together- but I will say that helping these girls welcome babies has to be one of the most special ones!

We decided on an "adventure" theme for Alison's shower since her hubby is a seaplane pilot and they spent several months in Alaska for his work. I figured this big 'ol fur fit right in ;) Alison & Ben are such a fun and loving couple and are seriously going to make the best parents to little Rhett Charles! We can't wait to meet him y'all!

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Wheels Up!

I'm so excited today to head off to Asheville, NC for my annual girl's trip with my college best friends! We have such a fun itinerary planned and I can't wait to squeeze all my love bugs! Excitingly, today I'm chatting all about the trip with my girl Julie Leah in her "Let's Go There!" series; so, if you want the scoop on everything I packed and what we're doing, then check it out here! 

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Let's Celebrate! {National Girlfriends Day}

My girlfriends mean the world to me; seriously, these gals have been with me through thick and thin and I couldn't imagine life without their love and support! We all met within our first year of college at the University of Florida, and were pretty much inseparable from the word go. Even today we remain close, taking a yearly "girls trip" and celebrating each of our life milestones! (In fact, I'm headed to Asheville, NC next week with these lovies!)That's why I'm so excited to take part in National Girlfriends Day and help celebrate these special women!

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Weekending

I've never really done a "weekend recap" before, but I always have fun reading them on some of my other favorite blogs, so I thought it would be fun to share mine today! I had a wonderful weekend with my girlfriend Stephanie who came to visit from freezing Chicago! Florida totally turned on the charm for her and she got a gorgeous weekend of 70 degree weather and lots of sunshine (#thanksFlorida)! 

First up on the agenda? Manicures! I never take the time to get my nails done, so when Steph suggested it I was totally game! We stopped next door at Starbucks (the new Tiramisu Latte is TDF!) and settled in for a super relaxing afternoon pampering :) 

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Wedding Wednesday: #thegunklewedding {The Big Day}

Well friends we have a big day today; the biggest day in fact: Cherysh's day of "I Do's"! I have previously shared Cherysh's bachelorette (part 1 and part 2) as well as her rehearsal dinner, but I am so excited to share her wedding day today! I was honored that Cherysh asked me to be her "day of" coordinator (basically her wedding planner for the big day); I couldn't have been more excited to help take stress off her and make her dream day everything she wished for!

It was an absolutely gorgeous North Carolina day and every detail of the wedding was just perfection! Cherysh thought of every last detail and picked out every decoration featured on her day. She even had me and my sweet "assistants" assemble her alter for her! From stringing decorations to hammering signs in the ground- we would have done anything to help this gal have the best day ever! We love you Cherysh and are so glad you've found the man to spend your "happily ever after" with!

Enjoy this look at all the details that made this Big Day so very special for #thegunklewedding:

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Wedding Wednesday: #thegunklewedding {Rehearsal Dinner}

It's time for our next edition of "Wedding Wednesday" following the details of my sweet friend Cherysh's special weekend of nuptials. Today i'm sharing the fun of the Rehearsal dinner! Cherysh's fiance, David, is a huge Atlanta Braves fan so they had a baseball-themed rehearsal dinner and it was so much fun! It was also great to dress in our favorite sports-gear (I of course supported my Florida Gators)! 

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Gone to Carolina in My Mind...

Y'all my heart could seriously BURST with happiness right now! I'm currently soaking up the mountain air in North Carolina, with my favorite girls in the world, celebrating the marriage of our girl Cherysh! It's a weekend full of my girlfriends, wine, and celebrating! All my favorite things! You can keep up with the fun on Instagram if you want to join in :) 

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Recipe Box: Pepperoni Chicken

I thought it would be fun today to share a super-yummy recipe that is easy-peasy to whip up and tastes oh-so-good! (PS- it's a bonus that the men love it too)! 

I first made this recipe in college with my best girls. One of my besties, Emily, loved to have her mom come visit for girl's weekends. And we all loved it because Mrs. Carmen was a GREAT cook- which meant lots of yummies for us!! This recipe was a Mrs. Carmen original, and I think you will all agree that is a favorite for everyone in your life. Hope you enjoy as much as we do!

1) Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees

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Masqued Bach

After all the fun of Cherysh's Derby Bridal Shower, us girls switched gears and jazzed it up for her Bachelorette night- a Mardi Gras themed Masqued Bach! It was super fun to put on a fabulous mask and celebrate a hot-hot-hot bride to be! We celebrated at Taverna Opa, which is just about the most fun restaurant on the planet- where else do they encourage you to dance on the table and throw napkins at you shouting "opa"?! 

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#AngieDoesDallas {Bachelorette Weekend Recap}

My sweet friend Angie is getting MARRIED this week (#letthefunbegin)! In honor of her wedding week I wanted to put up a fun little recap of her bachelorette party last weekend in Dallas. None of us girls had ever been to Dallas before, and I have to say that I loved it! There was so much to do and I would love to go back and explore even more!

Day 1 started with a yummy lunch at Sambuca. It was such a gorgeous day that we sat out on the patio and enjoyed some cocktails and catching up! We hadn't all met before so it was fun to get to know each other over delish drinks!

After lunch we did a little bar hopping. We all loved The Standard Pour- the strawberry champagne concoction was so yummy and the bar was gorgeous!

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What I'm Loving Lately: Curly Girl Designs

I love giving personalized and thoughtful gifts that show the recipient that you took the time to really think about their hearts. My latest obsession is Curly Girl Designs because she creates the absolute sweetest and most sentimental gifts (that aren't cheesy)!

Recently I picked out special magnets for each of my Development Council Chairs in Junior League to thank them for their leadership this past year. It was so much fun finding the perfect phrases for each of them!

Below is a sampling of a few of my favorites, but there are far too many to show you them all below- so check her out online! :)

THIS JUST IN: Curly Girl is having a SALE - this is your chance to be inspired at a fraction of the price :) 

Happy Friday- we've got a long weekend ahead of us and I couldn't be happier!

NOTE: This post wasn't sponsored- I just love Curly Girl and wanted to share them with you!

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Make a Wish for 26!

Y'all! I'm kind-of having a nervous breakdown over the fact that I turned 26 today... when did that happen? I feel like just yesterday I was driving on my own at 16, voting in my first election at 18, and having my first cocktail at 21... and now I hit 26?!

Life has thrown me a lot of curveballs in my 25th year, but as I look at 26 and all the joys it is sure to bring, I can't help but feel that I am exactly where I am supposed to be. The Lord has brought me to a sweet space of love, comfort and hope that His plans are much great greater than my own- the most reassuring feeling that there could be. Each time he entrusts me with even a small piece of his picture I am humbled at his goodness- I cannot wait for the adventure of this year!

To celebrate the big Two-Six I had a fun dinner last night with all some of my favorite girls! I know I have mentioned these lovies several times before, but these girls are seriously some of the biggest blessings in my life. Each of their friendships brings me such joy and fun - I just love sharing life with them! Thank you to these wonderful ladies for sharing this special celebration with me- I love each of you dearly!

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Event Recap: Bobby + Andrea #thereadwedding

Alright friends, you're going to have to bear with me today- the wedding of my sweet friend Andrea was so much fun! I have tons of pictures to recap this wonderful evening of celebrating the love of Andrea + Bobby.

The wedding was held at Weeki Wachee Springs (home of the live mermaids!) and it was such a pretty location- we even saw a live peacock wandering through the ceremony site!

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