WILW

My week wasn't complete last week without What I'm Loving Wednesday so cheers to a week-full-oh-lovin!

I'm loving....that I finally went running again last night. And I pushed myself.  And I'm sore. I feel so energized and refreshed after I run..Why don't I do this more often?

I'm loving...that I get to go to Clemson again this weekend, see my brothers, see my parents, see my sister AND stay with my boyfriend.  I am counting down the minutes until Friday!!!!

I'm loving...that my mom booked our family Christmas vacay for a week long cruise in the Bahamas.  Yessss!

I'm loving...my job!  My boss is such a caring person, I have great ownership over fun projects and I get to wear so many hats!

I'm loving....that my friend Christina came to visit me last night.  It was so awesome to have someone from college come see my new life in ATL.  Such a great way to spice up the week! :)

My New Best Friend

SAMSUNG QX

I finally did it and bought myself a new laptop!  I've been wanting needing one since around February.  Folks, I couldn't even put my LAPtop on my lap since it was burning up!!  It sounded like it was ready to explode.  (By the way--It's a 2007 Lenovo Thinkpad if anyone's interested in buying it and the charger for CHEAP from me, let me know!)

I had spent probably a total of 5 hours in Best Buy researching and researching and finally settled on a higher-end computer...I splurged and I am confident that the splurging is totally worth it!

It is sooo sleek and teeny--great for traveling.

Does this look familiar?  Yep, it's like a PC for mac lovers :) Oh yeah, without all that extra money being spent!

An i5 processor and 6GB of storage...this thing is lightening!  And, it's got great touch features.

I highly suggest this and if you'd like any help picking one out...I've had WAY too much experience in Best Buy lately! :)

So Proud of Clemson

Clemson passion.

This weekend brought back all the confidence I remember having in my team!! Sophomore year of college I worked in Clemson's recruiting department as an intern helping recruit high school players.  I was absolutely head over heels in love with Clemson football.  I've since taken a step back from my former obsessive behavior, (knowing every player's name and never missing a play).  Well now, after this weekend..it's back--my love affair with Clemson Football!

WE LOOKED AMAZING.  Our offense was incredible.  Underclassmen ruled the game!  Mike Bellamy, Sammy Watkins, Tajh Boyd...Boy, in 2 years when these boys have a couple years of playing time under their belt, Clemson University is going to be a FORCE TO RECKON WITH.

Tajh Boyd comes in 2nd in Clemson's history for most passing yards.

By the way, did anyone hear Urban Meyers' incredible compliments of Clemson, as an amazing University and campus?  Brought tears to my eyes.

Clemson hasn't beat Auburn since 1951.

This weekend marked the third time in Clemson history that we have beat the defending National Champions.

Such a great weekend!  My sister let Justin & I crash at her apartment so we got some extra bonding time with each other :)

Fill in the Blank Friday

Linking up with The Little Things We Do for Fill in the Blank Friday--a new link up for me :)

1.   You should always take time to

                     Connect with your family and friends each week on the phone or in person

                     Exercise

                     Have time Alone

2.  The little things in life-like holding the door for a stranger way behind you or laughing with the cashier at the grocery store- make the world a happier place to be.

3.  I can hardly wait for my next three day weekend-shew!

4.  Saturday  is my favorite day of the week.

5.  Something totally dumb and ridiculous that I love is  well besides Jersey Shore of course, I'm kind of in love with chronologically and obsessively organizing all of my photos, all the way back to freshman year...of high school!.

6.  If I could, I would live closer to my family & stop my boyfriend from moving to Charlotte :(

7.  I rather like soggy cereal, specifically Honey Bunches of Oats.  Don't knock it til you've tried it.

A great product

I have a question for all of ya'll working women.  Do you absolutely dread washing your hair every. single. night. after a long day of work, even if your hair isn't even dirty? For all of us going through crazy weeks, I wanted to quickly let ya'll in on the best product man has invented: The dry shampoo.  Ya'll, it is amazing and has saved me hours of blowdrying my hair many times.  Yes, I shower every day but during the week it can be such a life-saver to skip a day of washing your hair (not to mention good for your hair, too!)  So, if you haven't tried this, please do.  I have noticed, though, that every one of my bottles clogs up or stops spraying even when there is about half of the bottle left!  Still, totally worth it!

I'm Thankful

Today, I am thankful.  I'm not happy, nor excited nor frustrated and definitely not sad.  I am simply thankful.  I had planned to write about some of my favorite makeup products or something trivial like that but right now I simply cannot.  I have been touched by some instances in my life lately that have made me want to do something more to help those less fortunate than me.

Tonight, I ran past a man walking down the side walk on Piedmont Rd carrying about 3 bags of heavy groceries in one hand.  In the other hand, he held his blind sensing stick.  His eyes were completely shut.  As I passed him, the public bus stopped and started yelling at him thinking he was waiting for the bus (he happened to be near the bus stop and since he was walking so slow the bus diver thought he may want to get on).  He didn't want to get on the bus but confusedly continued to walk, wondering who was yelling at him, and the bus seemed agitated that they slowed down for him.  I even saw the blind man, who seemed young-about 30, trip as he came very close to the cars speeding past him.  He was very slowly making his way down the incredibly loud and dangerous side walk in the heart of Buckhead Atlanta.  I cringed at the thought of his long journey but I kept running.  Fifteen minutes later, I passed that same block, now driving my car.  There he was...still inching along, clutching his groceries, eyes closed shut.

I am thankful.  I am thankful that, when I complain that I have to go to the grocery store, I have eyes and a car that can get me there.  I am thankful for so many more things that nearly bring me to tears at the thought of how blessed I am.  Tonight reminded me that this bubble I sometimes live in only shields me from hardships that, unfortunately, too many of our neighbors experience.  I plan to do something and I hope one day you'll be inspired to do something too.

Orange & Purple is back!

I went to Clemson this weekend and had a blast!  My boyfriend and I split ways and went to different football games.  So here's the deal: he went to Clemson but somehow still has a soft spot for University of South Carolina, which is located in Columbia where we are both from (also known as the intense rival of Clemson).  So Justin went to the USC/UGA game while I-of course, no questions asked- went to Clemson to have a girly girl weekend!  

As you can tell, we take this rivalry pretty serious.  Circa 1966

A great start to my week, spending time with amazing friends, great food and beautiful scenary!  We had our own tailgate, just us 6 girls and then probably walked a total of 7.62 miles to make pit stops at other tailgates.  Two of my best friends date players still on the team so we always go on the field after the game and hang out/say hey!

BY THE WAY: Did anyone watch the first season of CMT's Sweet Home Alabama?  Personally, I thought it was pretty lame.  The girl, Devin, who picks her guy, is a mere 22 or so years old and it seems a bit unprofessional...not even comparable to the Bachelorette!  Anyways, my bf's friend, Tribble Reese, was one of the guys she was chosing from.  What do you know, he was the runner-up to "win her love" and then he was picked to be the next one to have his own "Sweet Home Alabama" show.  Sound familiar?  Just like....BEN F!  Anyways, Tribble went to Clemson and played QB (never actually played though) so that's why CMT was taping him walk through all of the fans during "Tiger Walk" with his girls on his arms before the game.  I'm pretty excited to see Clemson's feature on CMT during the next season.  Maybe I'll be on it :)

I really had a great weekend but I have been going through a certain phase lately that makes me feel so guilty for all of the good times and things I have, especially on a day like today when we remember thousands of families whose worlds were rocked 10 years ago.
I am so proud of the work that is being done on Ground Zero.
1) The concrete pool memorials

2) The "One World Trade Center"

These two things at this location is perfect...one to remember and pay respect to everyone who was killed during the 9/11 attacks and the other, the tallest building in America, to serve as a notice that America will recover even stronger than before!  I went to Ground Zero several years ago but it just looked like a bunch of construction so I cannot wait to visit when it's finally finished.  

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Link up for What I'm loving Wednesday!  It's my first full week of my new job so I'm a little crunched on time.  There are still many things I'm loving (besides the fact that it is 10:30pm and my roommate is making us brownies).

I'm loving...that it's almost time for football season.  GO [CLEMSON] TIGERS!

I'm loving...George Bush.  That's right.  After watching the 9/11 special documentary on NatGeo on George Bush's reaction, I fell in love with his genuine personality!

I'm loving...these fun, Pinterest, houseware idea finds:

I'm loving...a three day weekend coming up..yahoo!!!  I'm so pooped from work already and it's only Wednesday!  I'm excited to go to Charlotte with the boyfriend, not too excited that we are going to find him an apartment to live in FOUR HOURS FROM ME :(

I'm loving...Adele!  I know I'm a little late but I finally purchased her ENTIRE c.d. and I like, like, like!

I'm loving...this new blog!

Shocking Saturday!

Hey everyone!  I wanted to talk about some shocking events from my Saturday.

Shocker Number one: The amount of money we saved!!

  My mom and grandma came to visit (yay!!) which means a couple of things but mostly: watch out deals, we are going to find you!  And that we did.  After a great dinner on Friday night [my favorite-Cheesecake Factory], we were ready to hit up almost every store in Buckhead.  Three generations of bargain hunters...some damage is about to be done!

They have trained me well.  Just as they have said to their husbands, I now say to my boyfriend: "It's not how much you spend, it's how much you save.  

Here's a little example from just one of our stops on our excursion:

Ladies and gentlemen, that is $754 that we saved!  

A few of the items we got along some of our other stops for [of course] great bargains:

New decorations for my work desk.

Coffee table centerpiece: $5 wooden balls & $5 metal tray.  Love.

Shocker Number Two:  [Warning: This will make your stomach turn]  What my boyfriend found in his cous cous at Saturday night's dinner outting:

That. Is. A. Bandaid.  OMG.  Not. Okay.

Ya'll..this was a really nice, popular restaurant in Buckhead and this bandaid was at the bottom of his bowl and Boyfriend picked it up by accident with his fork.  Yikes!  We were mortified!  Our meal was free, to say the least.  The manager handled things the best he could, I suppose, with $75 gift card to us and fired the kitchen worker on the spot.  Still...wow! I'm not sure what worse you could find in your food?


Well, I hope everyone had a great weekend!  Any shockers happen to anyone else??

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm so thankful for so many things this week!!

First, I'm loving...my lovely new job!  It's only day two but I can tell it's 

I'm loving...our tv stand that is almost complete!  I especially love the new frame/quote addition.

Speaking of our apartment coming together...I'm loving...our curtain rod and curtains.  It really makes our den so so so much more homie.  In my last apartment at Clemson, we never got curtains because we had nice wooden blinds but, people, trust me, curtains make all the difference in the world.

There's some fun things happening with my family...

I'm loving..that my little sister's dream finally came true and she got a puppy!  Well, a three year old mut named, "Zoe" (pronounced Zoe-ey).  Apparently she is super sweet and gets along great with my 4 and 5 year old brothers, is already potty trained and doesn't get on furniture.  I can't wait to meet her next time I go to visit Clemson!

I'm loving...my parents' are getting a new driveway!!  Woo hoo!! If you notice, there is a lot of driveway at the house I spent the past few years of high school in, so a new driveway is just like a great new face lift for their house.  Can't wait to see the finished product!

Probably most importantly, I'm loving....that my cute little grandmommy and my mom are coming this Friday night!!

My grandma is the most stylish 76 year old you will ever meet!

Love my mom.  She is my best friend and I cannot go through a day without calling her!

Some other exciting things..

I'm loving...the fact that I'm officially a legal driver in Georgia.  That's right, after a whole week of gettin' the run-around from the government, I finally got myself Georgia car insurance and the right documents in my possession (who knew I needed the ORIGINAL title).  The only unfortunate part is that Georgia just voted on a new license plate that I barely missed..so I'll have to wait until I renew.  Just look how cute it is (without the "In God We Trust" I believe:

I'm loving...my boyfriend.  He has been working so hard (I'm talking until 9pm or later most nights) and I am so proud of him for his dedication to the career he is awesome at!  Also, he took me to one of our favorite restaurants last weekend, Two Urban Licks, and I am so thankful to have someone so great to love.

Yummy date night!

Two New Recipes!

My roommate is amazing in general but one of her very best assets is cooking!  She introduced me to this coconut banana bread recipe and we made three, yes three, loaves this weekend!  It's weird because I really don't like bananas.  Or coconut...at all.  But this recipe is so moist and I think both of these ingredients just make the flavor pop more, but not too banana-ie or coconut-ie at all.

Banana Coconut Bread (Cooking Light)

Note: We did not do the lime glaze and it still delicious!

So moist!

One loaf for us and two loaves to give away!

Also tonight I tried out a new recipe I found from Gina's Skinny Recipes. I love anything I can put cheese and sour cream on and this recipe is perfect because it is very low-fat!

Soooo easy!!

1. Put all ingredients (which are mostly straight from cans)  in crock pot and place raw chicken breasts on top.  Turn on high heat for 6 hours (or low heat for 10 hours if you have a long day at work).  
2. Simply shred chicken and mix shredded chicken into ingredients 30 minutes before serving!
3. Serve with yummy condiments.  We did it with rice but next time I would just stick with lettuce, sour cream and cheese.

What it looks like in the morning and then...

What it looks like when served!  DELISH!

Bargain Hunting Weekend

I've had a very productive bargain hunting weekend and wanted to share my finds with ya'll!

My bargains started off at the Dollar Tree!  Personally, I think Dollar Tree doesn't get enough credit for their deals.  Just about half of their items are incredible for only a dollar.  The other half, not so much. Big shout out to The Bargain Blonde for inspiring me with her Dollar Tree post!  [You all need to go read this post, every word is true!  And be sure to vote for her for the Most Valuable Blogger]

First off, cute cards, tissue paper and gift bags are about three times as much anywhere else!  Balloon size bags and plastic forks/spoons?  Same deal!  PS-the basket on the left is one of three for my next D.I.Y. project!

Check out these cute jars with decorative balls in them!  Great addition to our tv stand of knick knacks.

Yes, get a good look...(Please note "Knocked Up" on the tv)...these babies were from Goodwill!!  I ventured in there with high hopes but high skepticism as well.  Sure enough, found these (with balls included) for only $5.84 & $4.34!

But that's not all...got this lamp for $7.56 at Goodwill.  The shade alone would be $15 at Walmart.

Anyways, I hope ya'll had a great weekend and hope this post inspires you to bargain hunt!