Five on Friday: Savoring Spring

Happy Friday, everyone! I decided to take a trip home for the weekend, so I'm happily typing this post in my kitchen on a fabulous Friday morning, soaking in the gloriousness of a fresh new weekend. Let's start it off right with Five on Friday!  

Visit April, Christina, Darci, and Natasha! 
1. Lauren James.  I'd stumbled upon Lauren James' clothes before- mainly her adorable, southern t-shirts. However, the brand really caught my eye when I saw the Livingston- one of the most gorgeous seersucker sundresses I'd ever seen:

 Seriously, the back is ah-mazing. It comes in mint, coral, light pink, light blue, and (my favorite but least practical for me) white.  

Obviously once I saw that dress, I was scouring the site for any and all other precious things, and I found the following: 

 Because who doesn't want seersucker athletic shorts? 

If I was a hat girl (they look atrocious on me), I would totally get this girly hat. 

If you couldn't tell, there's a big seer-sucker theme here! This cute image will be on an LJ towel soon!

I probably sound like I've been paid to talk about this company the way I just raved, but nope- I just loved these finds and had to share! 

2. Influenster VoxBox Speaking of paid reviews, I've recently fallen in love with Influenster! It's a company that rewards you for reviewing your favorite (and least favorite) items, from groceries to beauty products! I am a serious sucker for freebies- I think that's why I like Costco so much (I can make a meal out of samples there on a Saturday!).  I also like reading other people's reviews before I buy something, so once I found out I could earn freebies by writing reviews myself? Sold! How are you rewarded, you ask? Simple- once you write enough reviews and take enough surveys (which didn't take me long at all), they start sending you products they think you'd be interested in. My first payoff? A cute little Colgate box:

Coupons, whitening toothpaste, and an awesome two-in-one whitening pen and toothbrush, all wrapped up in bright red tissue paper!

I've always been pretty "meh" about whitening toothpaste- it's bad for my gums, and I hate the taste. This toothpaste definitely had a weird flavor, but it did make my teeth brighter. Would I buy it? Nah. Now the Colgate Optic White Toothbrush + Whitening Pen? That's a different story! I was a bit worried the whitening pen "gunk" would stick to my lips and not work, but it totally did! I'll admit: I haven't used it regularly (just saving it for when I have a reason for dazzling white teeth), but I know once I do, it'll make a serious difference! 

I just received my second VoxBox in the mail, and I cannot wait to try all the products! For now, here's a little teaser: 

Thanks for the Uni VoxBox, Influenster! 

3. Spring has (finally) sprung! Can I get a hallelujah?! Seriously, this nice, warm weather has been a long time comin' here in the Southland! I hope I can soak it up with a walk with my parents later this evening!

  4. One week 'til I'm rockin' and rollin' in Raleigh! That's right folks- next weekend is my first-ever half-marathon! Eeek! Words can't begin to describe how nervous I am! I haven't exactly kept up with my training plan since spring break.... My 10 mile long run last weekend was a struggle, so adding three miles on to that sounds pretty terrifying. Adrenaline will kick in and help out on race day, right?! At least that's what I'm telling myself... 
5. Dad's birthday! Last but not least, it's a very special someone's birthday today! I'm so thankful for my dad's hard work supporting his family and putting his children through college, but even more than that, I'm just thankful I've had such an incredible role model in my life. He's a total smartie pants (like wayyy smarter than I will ever be), but he's the furthest thing from arrogant. Watching him teach Sunday school to kindergarteners and first graders is the cutest thing, because I'm reminded of his kindness. Even though he is stern when he needs to be, the kids love him for the same reasons I do: he's just a great dude. 

Happy birthday, Dad! I love you so much! 
Can't wait to go out and celebrate his 51st with my parents tonight! Yay for birthdays, and yay for the weekend, y'all!   

And the winner is....

It's Monday once again, and that means it's time to announce last week's Decor 2 Ur Door giveaway winner....

Congratulations to Marshall! 
If you didn't win (AKA you're anyone except for Marsh), fear not! Just keep your eyes peeled for another giveaway- there may or may not be one in the works.... ;)

Since I felt bad I couldn't give a precious monogramed sursy to each of my lovely readers, here are a few virtual bouquets of beautiful blooms just for you! (Hey, if you're anything like me, just seeing flowers will brighten your day!)

Anemones are a little special to me, and y'all know how I feel about peonies, right? Le sigh. 

The beautiful different pink roses with the pop of green in that rustic wood box is sheer perfection. 

Hot pink peonies plus red ranunculus equals gorg!  

Number one fave flowers? Obviously peonies. Hydrangeas (the ultimate southern bloom, in my opinion) come in second, and I think ranunculus, dahlias, and (white) anemones come in pretty close after that.... Oh dear, I just love flowers too much!
Sorry if that didn't cheer you up any, but flowers seem to always do the trick for me! In fact, I have a whole Pinterest board for blooms! Funny story: John and I have a little running game we play where he guesses my favorites. He's gotten the important ones down- color (which is just, like, know me for a second and hello, it's pink)  and candy (Lindor truffles, and thank goodness he knows that one). However, it never fails... When I ask him for my favorite flower... He gets flustered and guesses "Ummm... Roses?" "No..." "Sunflowers?" No, but those do make me very happy! "Carnations?" "WAIT, WHAT?!?! John, NO ONE'S favorite flowers are carnations!" Bless his heart. This conversation actually happened this weekend, although substitute sunflowers for gerber daisies (again, not a bad guess!). He just can't seem to get peonies through his head. Maybe year three is the year he gets it straight ;)
Are y'all as flower crazy as I am, or am I just straight up crazy?! 

Five on Friday

Is it just me, or did this week fly by?! I'm not complaining- I'm ready for the weekend! Let's get to the good stuff! 1. Monogram Giveaway In case you missed it, on Monday I posted my first ever giveaway! Yay for pretty monogrammed pillows and sheets! It's not too late to enter so check it out!

You could win any of these goodies!
2. Marley Lilly App I must just be in the monogram mood these days (let's face it, every day is a good day for a monogram), because I was super excited to download Marley Lilly's free monogram-making app. Just download the app and make cute backgrounds for your phone! Here are a few of my favorite creations so far:

     
Which is your favorite? My phone's background is currently the one on the right!
3. Gelous Nail Gel The other day, I saw this pin and knew I wanted to try this technique that supposedly gives you gel mani lookalike nails. Although I don't have pictures to prove it, I painted my nails on Sunday and they're still chip-less! That, my friends, is unheard of for me. Unless I go to the salon, I'm usually guaranteed a chip or two within the first few days- not with a coat of Gelous Nail Gel! 

I got mine at Sally Beauty, but I've heard they have it at CVS, and of course, you can buy it on Amazon.
4. Two years.  On Wednesday, John and I celebrated our two year anniversary. I'm so blessed to say I've been dating my best friend for twenty-four months! I'm pretty excited for year number three and all the years to come!

Celebrating by jumping for joy. Want to know where we were? Read number five...
5. Gravitopia. John and I wanted to go on a special date Wednesday night, and nothing screams intimate and romantic like a trampoline park, right?! When I told John my idea for our big 2 year date, he was obviously game. There were trampolines covering most of the ground, special rooms for trampoline dodgeball, multiple foam pits, trampolines and basketball hoops to practice slam-dunking, and tightrope-esque slack-lines to balance on.... AKA a daredevil's dream! As for me, I carefully read all of the rules before the jumping commenced, and I refused to do flips of any sort even when John coaxed me (he should know better- I'm an accident waiting to happen!). No injuries allowed before my big run in two weeks! After an hour of fun, we were both pretty ready to cool off. Let me tell ya, it's a workout jumping around for an hour! We were both a liiiittle sweaty-and hungry! We drove downtown and had dinner at Tupelo Honey, one of our favorite places, and finished with ice cream at Greenville's beloved coffee and ice cream shop Spill the Beans. It was a date neither of us will ever forget, and I highly recommend kids and adults check out Gravitopia or a trampoline park near you! I have a feeling I'll definitely bring the girls I nanny to Charlotte's trampoline park, Sky High Sports!

Riddle me this: how did one dude do this across the Grand Canyon without a foam-pit underneath?

Obviously, my week hasn't been too shabby so far! Like I said, that doesn't mean I'm not ready for the weekend, though! Cheers to Friday!

As usual, the hostess(es) with the mostest(es?) are April, Christina, Natasha, and Darci!