Shell Bell

This is my sister Michelle, who looks exactly like our father in a dress! Love it...always makes me smile!

Vintage Oldie But Goodie Of Aunt Debbie!

I believe that this is the way to make a statement when leaving ones wedding! I should be taking notes!

Long overdue...

So I know this has been long overdue...I actually can't even remember my last post. If you have ever heard the phrase "when it rains it pours" well that pretty much has described Josh and I's life over these past few weeks. They say God doesn't give you more than you can handle but he sure is testing our ability to be patient and not freak out. We were counting up all the crazy things that have happened over the past few weeks and after I have about 8 fingers up Josh looks at me and says "we forgot that we got engaged"...I think that sums it up right there. With all that being said there is always a silver lining and for me it always comes back to good times with good company. Below are some pictures from our recent trip to New Hampshire. To sum it up I laughed so hard I cried multiple times, ate amazing food, drank too much wine, and forgot all my worries for the weekend. We cannot be thankful enough to days like these.

I found a dress...but you're just gonna have to wait to see what it looks like!

So Josh and I have been engaged for 9 days (but who's counting!) and I have started to get into the swing of planning! I love it! I want this day to be a fun, relaxed time where we are surrounded by are friends and family!

So what did I start with first...dress shopping!!! My friend Mel was in town this weekend, and while our boys went on a 60 mile bike ride ( followed by an hour run...and no I am not joking)! Mel and I went dress shopping! The picture above is me being a slightly nervous wreck before I started trying on dresses! And of course I found one...its amazing...everything I want! But I'm going to browse around some more and go back with my mom and sister! Now onto other planning things I guess...my first thing to tackle is the guest list! Eeekkk! I'll keep you posted on how that goes! What I find to be funny is that I always imagined getting married as a symbol of growing up, but if anything it has made me feel younger! Maybe because I am having so much fun with everything already!

I love Sundays

I love Sunday's because Josh and I have what we call "Sunday Mornings" which entails sleeping in, watching corny tv and catching up...

What I love even more about Sunday's now is that it is the day that Josh PROPOSED! We are engaged and cannot be happier!

Share your voice!

What is Ocean Voices? Sound artist Halsey Burgund and marine biologist Wallace J. Nichols joined forces to collect the voices of people around the world recounting their personal experiences with the ocean. Combined with music written by Halsey, these voices become an integral part of audio collages which listeners can create to suit their own preferences. Help us by sharing your voice and spreading the words of all participants around the globe.

Ocean Voices (beta)

Cinco de Julio

So I know this blog is coming a little late, but I have been lazy and just now am getting around to putting up photos from my birthday! I turned 25 of July 5th and had the most amazing weekend!

It was filled with El's Drive In, which is a basically a gravel parking lot with a shack that is the kitchen and they serve up the nest shrimp burgers and chocolate shakes ever! I think we might have eaten there everyday that we were home!

An amazing birthday cake that my sister made that looked like a sand castle! She made a three level cake with towers and sharks and everything! I loved it! By far the most amazing cake ever!

Good times with Joe and Mel from Wilmington! They came on up and got to experience Morehead City first hand! We went to the beach, on the boat, shot off fireworks and just had an overall good time! Oh and we watched a ton of tour de france which was Joe and Josh's favorite!

It was a great birthday filled with family and friends. I am so thankful to be surrounded by such amazing people! And I feel so loved! Enjoy the rest of the photos!

Miami & NY all in the same weekend for The Bests Bachelorette Party!

So I have been quite the jetsetter here recently! Last weekend I was in Miami for my best friends bachelorette party! We had an amazing time...lots of beach time, wine, dancing and overall just kinda relaxing. The weekend was a success!

Beautiful blue water...it was so warm too! We walked down the beach that day and stumbled upon a nudist colony! Good times! One of those moments where you don't quite know what to say or where to look for that matter!

All the lovely ladies before our evening out! We ate amazing food when we were there! I had the best guacamole of my entire life. I tried remaking it when I got home but it just didn't taste the same!

The bride, her MOH and bridesmaid! A lovely group of girls if I do say so myself! The weekend was a blast...the only downside...which wasn't even really a downside except that we were exhausted and stupidly tired at this point...all of our flights got delayed. We ended up in JFK hanging out for about 2 hours longer than we were supposed to and finally getting home around 2 am. All in all I think it was a memorable end to a weekend we'll never forget!

Welcome to the hotel california...and Chicago!

A few weeks ago my friend Mel and I decided to travel to the windy city to visit old friends and listen to good music...quite a ways to travel but sometimes you just need to take a mini-vacay! We left Saturday morning and got back Sunday night and I think we absorbed as much of Chicago as possible in that little time!

We spent our 36 hour vacation walking around the city streets, eating amazing food and drinking wine. My old roomate Heather lives out there now and she was an awesome tour guide. Some of the highlights were eating Oprah's favorite cinnamon roll (that was swimming in so much frosting our hands stayed sticky for a solid hour), cupcake pancakes, italian tapas...funny how everything is about food!

Riding the biggest ferris wheel I have ever been on, traveling on every kind of public transportation know to man, the walk home from soldier field!

And last but not least the amazing music! We saw Keith Urban, The Dixie Chicks and The Eagles! I have grown up on The Eagles and they were beyond amazing...to actual listen to Hotel California live was amazing! The stadium was so big that once night fell all the cameras going on looked like flickering stars! It was unreal!

And I can't forget the amazing hotdogs and beer that we ate while we were there! Already planning a way to get back!

This makes me smile...

Hey JenJen, do you know this one?! Its a quarter after one!

I'm walking down the sidewalk with Gavin and Blake (My identical twin 5 year old nephews) and they look at me and say "Hey JenJen, Do you know this one?" The proceed to start singing..."Its a quarter after 1, I'm all alone and batman needs you now" I can't help but laugh and look stunned at the same time because it hits me that they are old enough to remember whats playing the radio! That's one of my favorite memories from a few weeks ago! Jenn and Adam came into town and spent the weekend with us with Gavin, Blake and Maggie!

We colored, watched transformers, went to the science museum, a baseball game and got to indulge in pizza, hot dogs and cotton candy! I can't remember the last time I had any of those things...having the kids around was an excuse to indulge and act like a kid again too!

I wish we all lived closer so there could be more weekends like this. More runs with Jenn, laughing with family, peek-a-boo with Maggie, serious superhero conversation with Gavin and Blake! We love them and miss them all the time!

One of my favorites...

This was a good autumn day, sand between your toes, sun setting over the sound & my two loves

Mother Ocean and Sea Turtles

This past Wednesday...well yesterday for that matter...was the annual spring sea turtle release! I have been a volunteer at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Hospital since the fall of 2003! I can't believe its been 7 years!

Despite the rain and lightening the day was awesome! We released 15 turtles! Healthy, happy, ready to go! It was awesome!

Please check out there website! Its an awesome organization! http://www.seaturtlehospital.org/

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was spent in Morehead City, NC relaxing with family and friends! It was a much needed mini-vacation for me. I feel like school ended and I just went straight into summer research without missing a beat. So this past weekend I didn't take any work home with me, I started reading a new book on the beach (one of my all time favorite thigs to do) and just relaxed!

This weekend made me realize...scratch that...it further reminded me how much I miss the coast. I never thought I would truly miss a place as much as I have missed the ocean until I moved from it! Being in Durham is going to be a good thing though! We're going to leave this place better than when we came and I can live with that.

This past weekend was the first time I have taken Josh out to Shackleford Banks! We had a great time. There are a bunch of wild ponies that run around on the island and Josh went with me while I tried to sneak up on them and take pictures!

All in all the weekend was filled with cold beer, warm sand, good company and a lot of grilling out. To me life does not get much better! We got to see from old high school friends of mine, which was amazing to say the least. I love how years can pass but some things just don't change. We all live so far apart now but its comforting knowing you just fall back into a nice groove with people even though time just keeps on passing you by! I also got to see my cousins...and when I saw that I know some people visual one or two people around the same age as you are that don't have a ton in common but are polite and find things to talk about. Well this is definition does not apply to my cousins! They are amazing and constantly dance on the line between being humorous or offensive, there is never a dull moment with any of them and I miss them so much!

Now the countdown begins to July 4th weekend when we get to go back for my birthday! I have to mention that I loved seeing my mom! We got sarongs together one night and the picture below is of us in them at the beach! I miss her already!

White Lake Half Ironman...or 70.3 mile heatfest!

So this weekend I completed my first triathlon! I did the White Lake Half-Ironman! It consists of 1.2 miles swim, 56 miles bike and 13.1 mile run! I know what you're thinking...Josh and I are insane. And I think you're right...you kinda have to be off your rockers a little to volunteer to do something like that!

I have to say that I had a blast! My goal was to finish with a smile on my face and not throwing up! Which I am proud to say I did! The only thing that was really brutal was the heat...it was daunting actually! I think the most rewarding thing from doing a race like this is the victory that comes from the mental battle that is raging on in your mind. There were a couple moments where I just wanted to stop...hell even a few moments when I didn't want to start. But somehow you do...you talk yourself through it and you make it through!

The highlight of the race for me was being able to catch up with my friend Nicole and Sami on the run! The run was a nice 95 degrees with a 15 mph headwind at some points and finding running buddies was a gift sent from God! Sami got me home on the last stretch and I couldn't have done it without her! It was awesome to finish my first Half-IM with a friend like that!

Josh got 3rd in his new age group which is awesome! I am so proud of him! I finished in 6 hours and 45 minutes and was just stoked as all hell to cross that finish line! I have to say that now I know what all the hype this and why Josh loves this sport so much! It was a great race! The people were amazing! I have never felt so much support from fellow races before! Now I'm just left with the nagging thought of...which race to register for next!

Elizabeth Bridal Shower!

So my best friend Elizabeth is getting married! It stills blows my mind how surreal it feels sometimes! We met each other in 6th grade...I was a huge tomboy and believed that Umbro shorts were amazing and I didn't know a soul! Elizabeth did not share my belief of umbro shorts but that did not stop us from being friends! And now we're growing up...the days of umbro shorts, maurices hair clips, and owning a flower shop are behind us but our friendship is still just as strong! And now she is getting married! We had her bridal shower this past weekend and here are some of the shots! The amazing spread of food supplied by all of her family and friends!

Here is the awesome cake that was made for her with cream cheese frosting!

Here is Elizabeth, her mom and two sisters! Such pretty ladies!

And here we are! 14 years later...not quite the umbro shorts and perms that we started in during our younger days! I love you and am so happy for you! You and Matt are going to have an amazing life ahead of you!

Mel & Joe Live Happily Ever After!

So this past weekend our dear friends Mel & Joe got married! It was such an amazing weekend! Here are some of the highlights from a weekend that was just too good for words! Enjoy!

The excited & loving atmosphere, combined with amazing food and great company set the tone for the entire weekend! Here is great shot taken by Mels photographers that really shows you how much fun we had!

I think that the highlight of the entire evening was the laughter...it was contagious! The kind of laughter and good times that almost make you cry! The company was just amazing!

The evening continued on after the rehearsal dinner! We ended up heading out for dancing and karaoke (even though we never went to a karaoke bar...one of the best renditions of Piano Man that I have heard to this day!!!).

Craig Sandwich...enough said! :)

Mel's cousin Heather came into town from China and her best friend flew in from California! Both of these girls are a great time! They are one of those people who you could have met once but makes you feel like you have known her for years!


Here are some shots of the bride and all of her bridesmaids!

The lovely Mel! Isn't she a beautiful bride?! Simply glamorous!

I couldn't be happier for Mel & Joe!! You two are going to have so many amazing years ahead of you! I cannot wait to see whats in store! čestitke!!! We love you both!