A few thoughts for this Tuesday Wednesday.

1. I love me a short work week, but I am so mixed up as a result of having Monday off. To make things worse, I worked from home yesterday, so today really feels like Monday or Tuesday, and definitely not Wednesday. But, no complaints here.

2. I worked from home yesterday because I'm the proud new owner of a snazzy new air conditioning unit. Last Wednesday, when the high was somewhere around 95, I came home to a warm house. Turns out my a/c unit shorted out and even though it could have been repaired, it just wasn't a wise decision to repait a 36-year-old unit. YES, 36. I'm not sure how much you know about a/c units, but 36 is like a person who is 120. It just doesn't happen. So we opted to replace it. It was exactly how I wanted to spend $4,000. Homeownership...ain't it fun?

3. Monday night, I was pulling double duty: I was watching Alex and the team on the Golf Channel at NCAAs, but they were still playing in a very close race for a spot in match play - kind of like the Elite 8 of the college golf world - when Bachelorette started. So I did the only logical thing I could think of and watched the tourney live on my iPad and had Bach on in the background. (Sidenote: the team didn't make match play, but they finished 9th - the second highest finish in school history! And I got to see and hear the hubs on TV, which was really needed since I haven't seen him in over 2 weeks.)

4. Because of my confusion of the days of the week and thinking that yesterday was Monday, I got excited around 7pm last night and thought: "Yay! Bach in a little bit! The only good thing about Mondays!" And then I remembered I watched it the night before (obviously, I was distracted while watching). Which made me sad for about .25 seconds and then I was all, "Yes! It's already Tuesday!"

5. My husband comes home from 16 days away TODAY! We have been apart for much longer than this before, but I just missed him so much this trip! I can't wait to see him and show him all the little projects I've done around the house since he's been gone. I get so much done when he's not around. Funny how that happens!

And I know the girls will be so happy to have him home! 

xo

KH

Memorial Day in the mountains: views, drinks, shopping, laughter

Nothing like getting back to it after a long weekend, right?! So hard to get things going!

My Memorial Day weekend was, to be honest, much more fun than I thought it was going to be just a few days before it began! Alex has been gone for two weeks - YUCK - for the end of the NCAA golf season, so I was planning to head to mom's cabin and just chill up there with her and my stepdad. Nothing wrong with that scenario...I was just planning on a slow, relaxing weekend. And then my bestie Lindsey from Florida told me she was taking a spontaneous trip to see me - and I was all "YES!" And so it was.

We kicked off the weekend with dinner at the historic Grove Park Inn in Asheville with my parents and some of their friends. [Sidebar: Ladies, make your man take you to this place for your next anniversary. Swoon.]

A very nice way to start the weekend!

I mean, our dinner view was okay...

The rest of the weekend was spent outlet shopping, drinking margaritas, hot tubbing, drinking wine, girl talking, and drinking mimosas. It was a really nice escape for Lindsey and a really fun weekend for me! Getting to spend a weekend with my bestie was, well, the BEST. I haven't laughed so hard in a while! 

A good summary of the weekend: chocolate and cheez-its happy hour; chipmunks; my adorable pups; mountain views

Coffee. Happy hour. Hot tub drinks. Repeat. 

Lindsey left on Monday morning to drive back to Florida, so that left me and my pups to hang around the house, lay out in the backyard, get started on my next book for book club (The Burgess Boys), and watch my hubby on the Golf Channel, doing his thang coaching at NCAAs. 

Ellie, my travel buddy!
Not pictured: the 4-pounder who claims the whole passenger seat for herself.

I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend with family and friends - and remembered those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom!

xo
KH

Five things that have happened in the last 30 days

Greetings! It happened again - I went off the grid for, oh, 4 weeks. NBD. Life got a little bit busy for some crazy reason. Every time I think that this month or that month will be slow, easy, or even just manageable, I tend to be wrong! 

Here's a look at some of the things that have been keeping me from writing. Or, at the very least, kept me busy enough that writing got pushed to the back burner. 

ONE. We hosted Easter! It's turned into a bit of a tradition to host both of our families for Easter. This year, we had A's parents and my mom and stepdad for Easter dinner. It was the first dinner party we've had at our new home, so it was fun to break out the china and crystal, and pluck some fresh flowers from the "garden" (by any other name, the azalea bushes out front). 

TWO. My huge work event that I'd been planning forever (literally since my first week on the job back in August) FINALLY happened! It was postponed due to winter weather when South Carolina had a big snow and ice storm in February. Having this event go off without a hitch was a huge relief. And I'm thankful that the Governor and all my other speakers showed up, as planned. Always a plus!

THREE. My cousin Ginger got married in Pennsylvania! She is only 4 months older than me, and we grew up in the same small town, so we were very close. For the last several years, she's been in PA and I've been in SC so I don't see her as much, but she will always be like a sister to me! She looked absolutely stunning: I've never seen a bride with so much JOY just radiating from her!

FOUR. Another wedding, this one just down the road in Charleston. My sorority sister Angie got married last weekend, and I hadn't seen her in over 6 years! Two other sorority sisters were there too, and I hadn't seen them in almost as long. It was such a fun mini college reunion!

FIVE. I've been working like crazy to get my front living room finished. This room has been the last one to get any attention after moving in. Since we didn't have any furniture for it when we moved in last August, it just sat empty for several months. Little by little, I've been adding to it and completing DIY projects for it, and I'm finally getting close to completion! I'm planning to share all the rooms of our home soon!

Just a sneak peek - nowhere near the finished product! 

In addition to all of this, work has been off the chain the last several weeks, Alex is traveling for the next 2 weeks for work (leaving me as the single parent of the dogs), and we've been out of town almost every weekend for months. I'm pooped! Hoping that the rest of May brings a slower pace as Summer makes her long-awaited return. 

xo

KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

Five on Friday, Easter edition

Hello, Friday! Easter is this weekend, and it's one of my favorite holidays. When I was a child, my mom took such care in selecting trinkets and candy to go in my and my brother's coordinating Easter baskets - which she still uses today. Every Easter, after church my cousins and I had a huge egg hunt at my grandparents' house, sometimes in matching dresses that Grandma had sewn for us. Ah, the good ol' days, right?! I can't wait to make memories like that with kiddos of my own!

One. Flowers, flowers everywhere! I could seriously kiss our previous homeowners. They planted all kinds of beauties all over our yard. Right now, the azaleas are going crazy and I'm loving it! I've always wanted azaleas. In fact, I said to Alex last spring, before we had any idea we'd be moving, that I wanted to plant some. And here we are a year later. God works in mysterious ways, I tell ya.

Two. Easter weekend is here! I'm getting ready for my inlaws, mom and stepdad for Easter dinner on Sunday. Easter is such a beautiful time of renewal and a time to remember and recognize the greatest sacrifice of them all. 

Three. Do you ever have those days where you think, "I am so blessed and I want to live this day over and over"? Last Saturday was that day for me. It started with the 5k, then we drove to Greenville to celebrate on of my best friend's little girl's first birthday where we got to see a lot of our Greenville friends that we don't get to see often anymore. Then, we took the scenic route up to the mountains of NC to mom's cabin, and we stopped by the Poinsett Bridge en route, a gorgeous old stone bridge I'd always wanted to see. Then we got to the cabin and watched the sun set on God's majestic Blue Ridge mountains and sipped on wine. It. was. magical. The whole day...just wonderful. 

At the Poinsett Bridge in Upstate, SC

Four. We planted a hydrangea this week, something I've wanted to do since we moved in. We had a pretty hydrangea by our front door at our last house, and it made me sad to leave it when we moved (it had been a gift from my mom the first spring I lived there). So Mom bought us one for this house! I can't wait to see it grow and make me smile for as long as we live here. 

Five. Did I mention it's Easter weekend? Ellie is ready, guys. She was born for playing dress-up. 

Have a wonderful Easter weekend -- and remember the reason for the holiday!
xo
KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

Run girl

I did it. I ran a 5k!!

Before the 5k: sleepy but ready!

This has been on my life list for awhile now, and I added it to my "14 in 2014" list at the beginning of the year. I knew I could do it, but you see, me and running? We've never been friends. I've always preferred Pilates and power walking over jogging or running. Plus, I look a mess during/immediately following/two hours after I run. It's really not my best look. 

But I started the Couch to 5k program again in late January, giving myself plenty of time to train up, since I knew it would be painful. 

(Side note: I started the Couch to 5k program last year too, and got pretty far but never finished. Fail.)

This time, I remained focused and dedicated and ran like I was supposed to. My goal was to run the 5k without stopping to walk, but a few weeks ago I realized that my stamina just wasn't there. I would probably have to walk, but that was okay: I had made a lot of progress. And for a non-runner and someone who dreaded "The Mile" in PE classes for most of my youth, being able to run almost three miles without stopping was a huge success in itself.

On Saturday - race day - I was nervous but pretty jacked up and ready to get it over with go. Alex ran it with me, and I couldn't have done it without his encouragement every single step of the way. He kept saying "Let's just run to that sign up there" or "You're doing great, keep breathing" (important, I guess) and sometimes "You're running faster than your training pace - slow down." Even though he could have done it a lot faster, he stayed with me the whole way. And although I did take two short walk breaks - which may have accounted for a total of a tenth of a mile - I ran it a full four minutes faster than my best training time at home: 32:38. I know this is a pretty slow time, but for me, it was an amazing feeling to cross the finish line and see that I was sub-33. Honestly, crossing the finish line was a great feeling, period. The DJ was yelling "Looking good! You end at the finish line! You're almost there!" It was actually a ton of fun.

Will I run another race of any kind? Jury's still out. But I know I can do it, and the competitive side of me knows I can do even better. We'll see what the future holds, but for now, I'm getting back to my barre workouts and will run when I feel like it.

At home, post-race. we did it!!

I'm still kinda on that crossing-the-finish-line high. What a feeling!

xo
KH

Five on Friday: I'm back!

Whew, what a crazy couple of weeks! Sadly, the next few will be just as bad as far as busy-ness goes - not a lot of time for R&R, which I really need! What have I been up to? A lot of work, and only a little play...but it's all good!

ONE. Two weeks ago, I saw Darius Rucker (actually, Hootie and the Blowfish) in Charleston. The golf team was playing the The Hootie, an annual event the band presents, so I scored second row tickets courtesy of the hubs. I love me some Darius!

TWO. Those Gator boys made it to the FINAL FOUR! I am SO pumped to watch in nervous splendor tomorrow night as we face UCONN. We can do this, boys! No matter what, I'm so proud of this team and what an awesome TEAM they really are! It's great to be a Florida Gator!

THREE. Last weekend, I made the wardrobe switch and busted out all my spring clothes. While it's a major pain in the you-know-what, swapping out winter clothes for spring/summer is such a mood lifter! Now here's hoping we don't have a freak ice storm in April 'cause all my winter clothes are packed away!

During...

After! Seeing all this color in my closet is so worth it!

FOUR. I love Easter and Spring decorations, and I've been pairing them around my house with fresh flowers (camellias from my yard, daffodils from Trader Joe's). Can you say Spring is here?? 

FIVE. I just happened to look at this app this morning to see that Alex and I have been married for 1,000 days! What?! How did this happen? Thanks for putting up with me for 1,000 days, babe! All my moodswings, my OCD, my need to do things my way all the time...I am so lucky to have you in my life to take all my quirks in stride. I love you! Here's to thousands and thousands more!

Have a fab weekend, y'all!
xo
KH

Linking up with

 April, Christina, Natasha and Darci! 

Essentials Only Month fail

Top: fridge on March 1. Bottom: fridge on March 31.

Well friends, the end is here! Essentials Only Month is done. And it wasn't the glowing success I'd hoped it would be.

I'm not sure what happened really...

I mentioned that hubs and I were both traveling a lot this month. Alex had several tournaments with the team, so he was gone almost every weekend, and I traveled a little bit for work (which is unusual). I thought that us being gone so much would help in the spending department, but honestly, what we didn't spend on food we made up for in gas.

One of the reasons for doing EOM is cleaning out the fridge and the pantry, and using up stuff that has been taking up space for too long. Well, we only cooked dinner a handful of times (due to the traveling), so this was a marginal success.

And budget? We definitely didn't stay within our $225 budget. We nearly spent that much on gas alone. Fail.

Another reason for EOM is to avoid shopping for entertainment, which is what I'm prone to doing, especially when A is gone all weekend and I'm bored. For me, this was a success. I didn't step foot in a TJ Maxx for an entire month - and that, my friends, is willpower. Alex, however, didn't take it quite as seriously as he has in the past. But, come on, this was not his idea, so what can I expect??

The good that came out of this annual exercise that we do? We did save money, if only by drastically reduced grocery costs. Although technically we weren't "supposed" to, we did eat out a few times, but opted for inexpensive places. And with all the gas we burned this month and all the gifts we had to buy for people - baby, wedding, birthday, and hostess - we needed to save in other areas, like un-necessary shopping and food, and that we did.

Essentials Only Month may have technically been a fail this time around, but it's still a good frame of mind to keep for 30 days. It's always a good challenge, and makes me aware of what I'm actually spending on all the extra, unnecessary things in life. And it makes me feel blessed that having an Essentials Only Month is a choice, not a necessity.

Between EOM and Lent (for which I gave up fried food), I'm ready to carelessly spend some money and binge on Chick Fil A fries.

Kidding. Sorta. (Gotta wait until after Easter for the fries, duh.)