Waterfall Wedding Weekend

Location: Lake Norman, NC & Carrigan Farms Rock Quary 

One of my very best friends got married last weekend! I was so lucky to get to be a part of the special occasion.  Alyssa and I have been friends since we were 8 years old, 20 years of friendship and still going strong. I felt so honored that she asked me to be a bridesmaid so I could be there through the whole process.

The whole week up until the wedding it was gross and rainy and calling for a high chance of thunderstorms.  Instead we got a gorgeously perfect day for an outdoor wedding by a waterfall.  Everything couldn't have gone better. 

We stayed on the lake in a house with the bridal party for the whole weekend for all of the fun festivities.  We had a delicious girls brunch, got our nails done on Friday before the rehearsal dinner.  Then Saturday was full of last minute touches, mimosas, and getting our hair and makeup done. 

The wedding itself was so lovely.  There were many tears but only because everyone was so happy.  I have never seen a couple more perfect for each other than these two and I couldn't be more excited for them.  After the ceremony we had the best dinner and then danced the night away, just like she wanted! It was such a special weekend.

Congrats to the bride and groom!! 

It's Wedding Season

This year is definitely the year of weddings for me.  I have three weddings on the calendar for this upcoming year, and one of them I am in the wedding party.  I love weddings.  They are a huge celebration of love and in that brings lots and lots of dancing! My favorite.

Recently, I have been focused on celebrating one of my besties.  All of the events leading up to a wedding are so fun. Bachelorette weekends, showers, and planning the details of the wedding. One of my personal goals has been to be more intentional in my friendships.  What a better way to focus on a friendship than being by a friends side during the most important days of their lives?

The best kind of friendships are the fierce lady friendships where you aggressively believe in each other, defend each other, and think the other deserves the world.

As I have gotten older my friendship circle has gotten a lot smaller, but that is okay with me. The friends that have stayed are the ones that I love dearly and who I can be myself completely when I am around them.  Those are the friends that I am celebrating this year. I am so happy for friends who have found love and happiness.  Can't wait to dance at all these weddings!

A Music City Weekend

 Location: Nashville, Tennessee

Recently, I was in Nashville for a friends Bachelorette Weekend.  Ya'll, I had never been before and this city is so. much. fun.  I would definitely go back so I could explore even more because there is just so much that we couldn't get to everything!

The weekend centered around the bride to be.  We had some fun activities for the weekend, like a cycle pub the first night we got there and a pole dancing class at a local place. We went out to the bars on Broadway in the evenings.  They are such a good time because every single place has live music playing.  Even inside of one bar it could have multiple floors each with it's own live band and different vibe.  I totally get the reason for the nickname music city.

The food at every place we went to was fantastic.  Even brunch was accompanied by live music! I loved all of the different murals there were around the city.  A good fun mural is everything for the photo lover in me.

I would highly recommend Nashville to anyone and especially bachelorette weekends, we ran into so many other groups for the trip simply because there is so much to do in a concentrated area on that main strip.

Have you ever been to Nashville? What are your must do's there? 

Summer Country Concerts

Location: PNC Music Pavillion

Outfit Details: Romper | Shoes 

There is something about summertime and country music that just go together like peanut butter and jelly.  Every time the weather starts to warm up and the sun decides to stay out longer I turn my radio in the car to the local country station.  I really just love how country music instills a notion in me to slow down and focus on what is important in life.

Last week, in the midst of our packing extravaganza, we had the chance to take a break and go enjoy life a bit by going to a concert with some friends.  Luke Combs was opening for Brantley Gilbert in Charlotte.  He is a fellow mountaineer [Go App!] so we had to go see him and support.  I remember when he was just starting out playing small bars in Boone and around NC and now he is playing at the big time concert venue in Charlotte! Cheers to you Luke - keep chasing your dreams!

Mike is definitely not a country music fan but even he had a great time catching up with friends, doing some tailgating, and above all listening and dancing to some fun music!

Have you had a chance to go to some fun summer concerts? Which ones are your favorite? 

Letter to My College Self

Dear College Amanda and all those heading to college at the end of summer,

It's been five years since you graduated undergrad and a full year now away from graduate school.  I have had some time to reflect on those times.  I have learned many lessons along the way.  While I don't regret anything because I truly believe that everything happens for a reason, there are definitely some things that I learned and wish I would have done differently.

Create a budget & stick to it.  Or better yet save money in an account that you block access from.  Paying off loans is no fun.  Plus once you graduate your car is going to break and you will have to buy a new one so add another monthly payment.  Rent anywhere else besides your college town is crazy expensive. Have fun but be mindful and disciplined with your money. I think this past year was the year that it really clicked for me, but I wish it were 7 years ago!

Go out with your friends.  Taco Tuesday.  Thursday night events.  Saturday afternoon adventures and tailgates.  Practice good time management and spend some daytime in the library to get your work done.  This is the time in your life that you will be closest to people.  Don't skip being around them, say yes to things with people.  The moments with friends will become your most cherished memories.

Learn to meal plan. Fast food is not your friend.  Prep food with some lovely fresh and healthy ingredients, your body will thank you.

Do what makes you happy. This lesson is the one I really wish I would have taken more advantage of.  I had a weird complex that I built up in college that revolved around other people and what they thought.  It's a difficult thing to break. I am still finding myself and what I love but I wish I would have jumped at more opportunities that my college campus offered that peaked my interest. Who knows if you try something that makes you happy and go alone you might meet some really great friends.

Be open. This is kind of a continuation of the previous.  Colleges are constantly having events and opportunities.  Go. Try something new.  Don't judge before you try.  These years are so formative, so be open to learning new things and trying something different.

Don't cling to people who don't bring positivity to your life.  I spent a lot of time on people who didn't serve me well.  I kept trying to make things work in various friendships and relationships and unfortunately suffered a lot from it.  I lost big pieces of myself in other people.  You will always find new people so don't be afraid to walk away from something that is bringing you down.

Go to church.  Better yet get involved with a campus Christian group.  Jesus is number one. Spend time with Him & like minded people.  Those will be the true friendships.

Journal. Writing is the one way that you truly figure out what you are thinking and feeling.  Invest in yourself.  Go to a fun coffee shop, bring your journal, sip a latte and reflect on this once in a life time experience.

Ask questions. This is your time to learn.  Don't be afraid to admit that you don't know something.  Try out various jobs and internships.  Learn learn learn and soak it all up.

Explore where you live.  Your college town is so much more than your campus.  There are actually people that live and work there year round.  They matter too.  Support local.  Learn about the towns history & people.  You will miss that life when you are gone.

Choose your girlfriends over that boy. Seriously.  He isn't worth it.  If you don't think you are good enough to ever find someone; stop that negative self talk right now!  You will find a fantastic guy.  BUT first you need to love yourself and spend time with your girls.  Boys will always come and go but if you choose them over your friends slowly the most cherished girlfriends will fade too.

Make sense of money. Do your research. Set some life and financial goals.  Remind yourself of those financial goals often, especially when debating spending some cash on something silly.  Invest in quality and your future.

Make the most of it. College is seriously unlike anything else. It's difficult and challenging sure but it's also so much fun.  Be brave. Take risks.  Be present and enjoy this special time in your life.

What would you tell your college self?

The Importance of Friend Dates

Location: US National Whitewater Center

Details: Top [Target, not online] Similar | Shorts | Sandals

As I have gotten older, I am truly learning the importance of friendship.  I constantly crave community, a group of people to just simply do life with.  With moving as many times as I have in the past I feel like I am pretty good at meeting people and making friends, it's the keeping in touch that's the hard part.  I have moved a lot of times for career and personal life reasons and with all those moves it typically means leaving people physically behind.

Sometimes, I get so caught up in everyday life that reaching out to people makes it to the bottom of my to do list.  One of my goals for this year is to change that.  I love my friends and my people, it's so important to me that they know that too.  I realized that often times other people are like me, going through the tasks of daily life and waiting to be invited.

If I want the community that I crave I have to reach out and make it happen.  That's why it's crucial to schedule time with friends.  Go out for coffee, meet up for drinks, catch a workout class together, or just invite them to hang out at the pool with you.  I always feel so much better after calling a friend and planning a friend date.

Life has a funny way of making everyone busy.  Time passes by pretty fast.  If we don't reach out and connect with the people that matter than they will start thinking that they don't matter to us anymore.  Call a friend you have been meaning to catch up with today and let them know you are thinking of them.  True friends will always make time.  Support your friends in all they do, don't wait to be asked to do something, and never be afraid to reach out no matter how much time you have let pass.

What is your favorite way to spend time with friends? 

A Pup in the City

A few weekends ago, it was absolutely gorgeous here in the queen city.  A friend asked me to bring Finn to go walk on the rail trail.  This was the perfect storm.  We have been looking to move to the south end area of charlotte where the rail trail is located.  While I was here I wanted to scope out the area and really make sure Finn would be happy here - since it's more urban than where we live now. Plus its always wonderful to get to catch up with a dear friend.

Finn and I never actually walked on this trail before.  But walking with him is definitely one of my favorite things to do. I fell in love with the area after this walk.  Finn loved walking the trail, his favorite part was watching the train go by.  He is so weird about cars and the light rail going by often made me nervous but seeing how much he loved it definitely has my heart set on living in this area.  I am such a dog mom - making my decisions solely based on how Finn reacts to places.

We have a while until a move will actually happen [summer] but stay tuned to where we end up.  In the mean time I will definitely be frequenting this area to visit friends and spend time walking my new favorite trail in Charlotte with my pup.  I think he will love being a city dog.

Rail Trail Details:
Location: South End, Charlotte
Budget: Free!!
Time: 2+ hours depending on how far you walk
Recommendations: walk with a friend, have a pup by your side, get lost in the city, explore your surroundings, have deep good conversation, get some sun, stop and enjoy the moment - the perfect combination

What is your favorite place to walk? 

Birthday Celebrations

Saturday was my 27th Birthday!  I wrote a jumbled mess of my thoughts on turning 27 and what that means to me: here. Also, HUGE shout out to Alyssa for the pictures / snapchat screenshots [the reason for the poor quality] in this post since I didn't take any! So rare for me.

Without further ado.  I wanted to celebrate with my favorite things.  People, wine, and cheese.  Did you know that national wine day was also on Saturday?  The national day for everything gods must have known it was my birthday because the day was so fitting.

I invited some friends and family out to Foxcroft Wine for the evening.  Full disclosure.  I will put this post in my Queen City series but this is not queen city on a budget.  This place is one of my favorite places to go for a fun treat but expect to pay at least 40$ a person.

Foxcroft Wine has two locations in Charlotte, we opted to go to the Dilworth location because it is a little bit bigger and I wanted to be able to get a table with a large party.  I am a former server so being the most considerate to wait staff is always on my mind!

You can order wine or beer by the glass or the place also doubles as a bottle shop.  You can browse their selection and bring a bottle to the table which they will open for you.  Since it was my birthday I opted to find a fun bottle of wine for me.  They also have the most amazing food selection here.  I am such a drinks and apps kind of girl that this place is perfect for me.  Amazing truffle fries, flatbreads, charcuterie plates, and sliders.  Yum!

I felt so loved this weekend.  I got the chance to pamper myself.  Do a lot of things that I have been wanting to do for a while that helped me feel rested but prepared for the week ahead.  Most of all, I got to spend some quality time [my love language yall] with some incredible people.

Foxcroft Wine Details:
Location: Two Locations in Charlotte: SouthPark and Dilworth
Budget: like I said before prepare to spend money - a bottle of wine if you don't want to pay a 15 dollar corking fee needs to be at least $30.  Food: around $10 - 15 per item.  Most are big enough to share though.
Time: It's up to you! We hung out talked, laughed, nursed bottles of wine and spent 3+ hours here.
Recommendations: My favorites are a bottle of red [any] with the three cheese flatbread [split between 2 people].  Bonus if you are feeling fancy and have more depth to your wallet; truffle fries and charcuterie board.

What is your favorite way to celebrate a birthday?

Our Christmas Tree Finding Adventure

cable knit sweater | alpine beanie | pendant necklace [similar]

You know that phrase, if you want to make God laugh make plans? Yeah I am slowly learning that about my life. You see, I had all this magical plans for chopping down my first real live Christmas tree in my big girl apartment. I planned the perfect outfit to have a little photo shoot on the tree farm.  We were going to wander through the trees, embrace the memories of the mountains where we met, and pick out the perfect tree for our first Christmas together.  It was going to be seasonal, romantic, and just the kick off to the holiday season I was craving.

Well, God laughed. Hard.

It was pouring down rain and hovering just over freezing in Boone when we got up the mountain.  We drove up to the farm basically had the guy cut down the first tree we saw.  It was so cold and so wet. I hopped right back in the car and blasted the heat.  It was magical alright, haha.

The day ended up being just what our souls needed, though.  We headed to town to Appalachian Mountain Brewery, one of our favorite spots when we lived in the mountains, and asked a few friends who still live in Boone to join us.

Our plans may have changed from Christmas tree farm to an afternoon full of community, laughter, and catching up with old friends.  God seemed to have known that I needed my people more than I needed a few good pictures and a frolic in the field.  It was just one of those days that soothed my soul. I am so thankful for road trips that end up with good people and catching up with my community, no matter where they may live.

Now we will have a story about our first tree for years to come.

What is your favorite Christmas Tree hunting memory?