Friday Letters

Dear Mom: Thanks for listening to me and talking me through some tough situations over the last couple of days. You are the best mom/friend a girl could have. I don't know what I'd do without you! Dear Brooklyn and Bentley: Momma loves coming home to you guys after 4 days of being gone for work. When we're reunited, all is right in the world. And your new haircuts are adorable. Let's go to the dog park to show you guys off this weekend, k? Dear Husband: As much as I'm thankful for your new job, I hate that we see so little of each other these days. I miss you so, so much! I can't wait to spend all day Sunday with you. And I'm counting down the days until tax season slows down. Dear Aliya: Thanks for being such a sweet friend today and encouraging me. And happy 30th birthday girl!! Dear Cat: I see you tomorrow. In NYC. YAY!!! Dear NYC: You bring people together. To celebrate. To reunite. To fall in love with your deep city lights all over again. I will see you soon. :)

{Headed into NYC tomorrow. Can't wait!}

What I'm Loving: Sunday Edition

With my crazy work schedule, I've been pretty MIA in the blogging world, but I want to catch you all up on a few of my favorite things these days. I know that the "What I'm Loving" posts are normally a Wednesday thing according to the blogger trend, but well--my Wednesdays are way too busy to be blogging these days (sad, but true). So today, I'm making it a Sunday thing!   1) Texas Country Music.  Y'all, let me tell you--this music just puts me in the best mood! Lately I've been putting on my Eli Young Pandora station and this immediately makes me want to dance, sing, and get all of my work done. Maybe it's because I'm missing Texas, but Texas Country music is just a little sweeter these days.
2) All things Aerie.  I was out of town for work last week and had a few minutes to kill before my flight home, so I stopped into an Aerie at a local outlet mall. I had no idea that this store had evolved like it has! Aerie is American Eagle's intimates/PJs/activewear sister store and it's all so cute! I walked out of there with quite a bit more than expected, but the sales were just TOO good. Plus, all girls should spoil themselves every now and then, right?

3) Liquid Church's 40 Day Bible Challenge.
Our church is committing as a community to read through the entire New Testament in 40 days. This challenge falls in line with Lent, which I think is even more awesome. Luke and I are also going to join our first life group with LC during this study, which I'm really excited about! We are asking and expecting God to do some great things as we commit to reading His Word and I can't wait to see what He reveals to us both personally and as a church over the next few weeks!

4) Dog-walkers.  Mostly the lady we just hired to walk/feed/love on our furbabies while we're at work. It's so weird to say that we've hired a dog-walker, but now that Luke is working fulltime, it's a must. The lady we've hired is so incredibly nice! She seriously blew us away. She's insisted on stopping by twice each day because she hates to think that our babies would be home alone for 12 hours at a time (our work is crazy right now!). Plus, she's going to take them to the groomer for us, feed them, etc. I guess east coast puppy parents are used to this, but Luke and I think this is the coolest thing ever!
5) Shopping. (Minus my little trip to Aerie) It's been a while since I've been shopping. So today, Luke and I headed over to The Mall at Short Hills. This mall is AMAZING y'all! It has ever name brand handbag and shoe store you could possibly think of, plus every other store and restaurant a good mall normally has. For my Texas people: think The Galleria (but maybe a little better? Don't hate me!). Luke got some new work clothes and I may have made a couple of successful trips into Michael Kors and Tory Burch. This doesn't happen often, so I was pretty excited. There's no better way to start off a crazy work week than with some new shoes!

{New shoes, new clutch. Woohoo!}
6) My husband. Y'all, this guy. He seriously is blowing me away right now! He just accepted a job with my company (crazy long story) and he's been doing an awesome job. His territory had quite of bit of work on their hands at first, but Luke has jumped right in and is really making a difference as their new seasonal area manager. He's also just an amazing husband. I know I say that a lot, and you may find that cheesy, but I don't care. His faith, Christian leadership, protection, and love is so precious to me. This guy blesses my life more than I can explain to him. 

{My cutie getting some work done}
Hope you all had a great weekend!!  

This is happening.

Husband works late tonight, so I'm living up a few hours of the single life. ;)

This would include a quick trip to Kings to grab some dinner, a glass of sangria (with a tiny bit of brandy--shh!), and E! News Live from the Red Carpet.

Up next? A little laundry and the Golden Globes. 

Ahhh, the single life. 

(Hurry home honey!)

Baltimore.

I was in Baltimore this week for work. There are some very rough areas of Baltimore, but there are also some very cool areas too. It was fun to see and learn about a new city. And the most fun part of my trip? In stead of flying, I got to take the train. It was only a 2.5 hour train ride, was way cheaper than flying, and the train cafe rocks! I've decided that this is the best way to travel, by far. 

But as always, this road warrior is happy to be home. It was real Baltimore, but Morristown is where it's at. :)

Welcoming 2013.

For NYE, Luke and I went into the city to this lovely place. 

We danced, toasted with champagne, and kissed at midnight (of course).

Afterward, we took a pedicab over to a friend's apartment to check out her rooftop.

Breathtaking, right? I. Love. This. City.

Here's to you, 2013. May you be the best yet!