what the what?!

July 31... THIRTY FIRST! Is that a joke? I mean weren't we just settling in to Summer and celebrating my favorite holiday (the Fourth :) and starting to plan pool parties? How did this happen? July was completely nuts as usual and it sort of feels like a blur. I am not ready to say goodbye to it yet so I thought I would re-live some of the greatness that was this month...

The month started off with me having a nice short week and looonnnnggg weekend for the fourth.

On July 2, I went to a Rangers game with some great friends. We had awesome seats and ended up being on TV! It was epic :) And it happened to be free fedora night! So we each got to take home a fancy Texas Rangers fedora... LOVE! :)
Then my family hung out by the pool and cooked hamburgers and had a classic July 4th. We climbed on my parent's roof to get a small glimpse at fireworks in the area and stayed up late talking and enjoying the beautiful (not too hot) weather.

Later that weekend we had family date night at the movies and went to see Monsters University (so cute!) My sweet nephew (who's car seat can just barely be seen behind my dad's head...) even wore monster pjs and was so calm and quiet for his first movie theater experience! At just 7 months old, he did great - we were super impressed :)

The next week, two of my sisters and I left for an adventure week in Guatemala! Becoming a "guategirl" was definitely a highlight of my July. We explored the city of Antigua, climbed a volcano, spent a few nights at an avocado farm, and one night at a fancy hotel in the city. Overall it was an incredible experience. We caught up and read and rested and laughed and fought and played. Everyone should go there at some point. You won't regret it!

Then my birthday week began with a roadtrip to Galveston with my two best friends! Spending time at this beach house is always a favorite part of the summer. We fished and read and relaxed. The group consisted of four guys, my best friend (Amanda), and me. Amanda and I acted like the "dorm moms" and cooked the meals for the weekend - with help from her amazing hubby! It is so fun to play house like that :) And I never regret taking a road trip with those two. Amanda and her husband each picked the most incredible people to marry and I am so blessed to call them my best friends!



And then BIRTHDAY WEEK BEGAN! There were so many surprises along the way. On Monday night at our weekly bachelorette party, Amanda brought ice cream treats for everyone. On Tuesday night, Amanda and Will cooked dinner for me and then took me to see Despicable Me 2 (because they know I love to go to the movies on a weeknight :) On Wednesday, my roommate and I celebrated National Tequila Day and had Mexican food for dinner. On Thursday (actual birthday), my roommates woke me up in the morning with Starbucks and a Kolache (YUM!). Later, my Dad, Mom, sisters, nephew and Amanda went to lunch and then my friends took me for sushi and a girls night out! On Friday we layed out by the pool all day and then had family dinner that night. On Saturday we layed out again all day and had a golden birthday party that night. All my friends came to celebrate and everything was decorated in gold :) It was a nuts-o week but so so so much fun! Click here to read about some of the awesome gifts I got!

   

Pretty much my July was incredible. Precious time spent with my sisters, my sweet sweet nephew, my mama and dad and my great friends. This is how July is supposed to be. And although I'm sad for it to be over, I am so happy at the way it went. Here's hoping August brings as much joy and celebration!
Hope your July was a time to be treasured as well :)

Erin Condren (and other fabulous designers!)

Okay so I wrote this yesterday and meant to post it yesterday, but I didn't... So pretend like my Monday post actually came to you on Monday...

Hello Friends! Today I will be introducing you to a few new "friends" of mine :) This weekend was absolutely wonderful. From just getting to hang out with my amazing friends and family to dancing, eating, opening presents and laughing, this was one of the best birthdays yet! Despite the fact that my family started to come down with some type of cold on Friday, we persevered and they made the weekend so special. Later this week (or next!) I will be posting a fashion segment about my outfit choices for this epic golden birthday weekend so stay tuned! Until then, I want you to meet some of my new birthday presents because you probably need to look into these for yourself... Or put them on your next birthday, Christmas, Labor Day, Random Tuesday(?) wish list...

drum roll, please... It's....
Meet-Someone-New Monday

To start off with, you should know that my mom is A-MAZING! She is the absolute best at listening ever-so-carefully to us and then snagging exactly what we want for our birthdays - it's awesome - seriously I don't know how she does it! And this year was no different. Other than the first listed below (which I picked out myself), she nailed it. And she finds such joy in finding the perfect gifts for her girls. :)

                   First up: my new Erin Condren planner!

This planner is the planner to end all planners. It comes with sections for keeping track of birthdays and anniversaries (which is a big struggle of mine!) and it is super durable. You can customize it yourself to put your name on it or a picture of your family or pretty much whatever you want - seriously if you need to get organized for the fall, go here: http://www.erincondren.com/store/ and fall in love with that cuteness!

Second: my new Vera Bradley Weekender Bag:

A few weeks ago, my mom and I were picking one out for her and I just fell in love with this bag! It is so practical and will definitely accompany me on all of my weekend trips! My favorite feature is that it has a strap on the back to slip over rolling luggage, for easy carrying in an airport - LOVE! This print is Summer Cottage - simply lovely :) There are several prints on sale right now too! Go get you one! :) 

Next: my new Scout Beach Bag!

In case you are not seeing a theme here, I just want to let you know that anything cute, I instantly think I need :) This Scout bag was SO unexpected! I bought one for my best friend Amanda in the Swirly Temple print *side note: The names of these prints, Vera, or OPI Nail Polish just kill me. I would love to meet the team behind that!* but I had no clue I would be getting one too :) They picked out the striped "Very Canary Island" print. I am not sure how they chose because all of them are super cute. 

I was so blessed to receive several other gifts (some will appear in my fashion segment :)  One gift, not pictured but SO loved, is a picnic blanket to keep in my car - this has been on the "wants" list for about 9 years, literally. Everyone should have one of these! This is a similar one, but not the exact same print as mine: The Best Picnic Blanket

This blanket is so great because it doesn't get grass and dirt stuck to it - you can just shake it off, zip it up and you are good to go - you never know when you might need one around - Thanks, Amanda! :)

I love when gifts are so thoughtful - like my roommate who got me a London pillow, or my sisters filling the beach bag with 25 things for me (including Shawn White gum and a stuffed llama from Guatemala)! Everyone really went above and beyond to make me feel so loved and valued - to the point that I was completely speechless (which doesn't happen often to me)! I could go on and on about the jewelry, clothes, sweet book from my Mama and Dad, figurine from my Granny, lime holder from my cousin, framed picture from a friend, cupcakes, cakes, dinners, etc, but I think it would take days for you to read through all of it. I am so grateful for the gifts, yes, but mostly for the time my precious friends and family put into making sure I felt blessed. They are wonderful and truly outdid themselves.

Birthday Blog

Today at lunch, my oldest sister asked me to do high-lows of the last year. Because she knows and could sense my dread of this type of question (too much pressure to be profound and say the exact right thing... stupid perfectionism), she immediately followed  up the question with "These don't have to be the things - just a few highs and lows..." With the pressure removed, I just answered the first things that came to my mind... Ireland, New Years Eve Party, becoming an aunt... all highs of course. But what I noticed was that the first things that came to mind were good things. And honestly it wasn't until I was back at the office later this afternoon and really started cataloging my "for real" list that I realized it was kind of hard for me to think of negative things... Not that they are not there, because ultimately I thought of several. And to be candid here for a minute: there were some rough moments this year. But the good things so far outweigh the rough moments to the point that I had to really think about what they even were... 
I know that the Lord has blessed me with a personality that naturally sees the good in any situation, that finds joy and delight in little things, and that can overlook a bad moment and discover that most of the days are better than good. *Cue inspirational music here* 
The things is I am super blessed - by my family and friends and conversations and laughs and the little things. Some days I let myself get too cloudy to see it and in those moments I'm thankful for people on my team who care enough to fight for me... Thankfully the sunny days far surpass the fog and I am so grateful - for books, coffee mugs, sunshine, car blankets, new beginnings, pictures of the past, my mama, country music, wedges, parties, pink martinis, oreo cupcakes and the people who have made me who I am. My friend Molly texted me today to say Happy Birthday and followed it up with "I hope everyone spoils you today" I laughed, of course, when I read that, but the truth is, they did. I am super blessed and super loved and way more than once a year, I am reminded of that. But today, I thought maybe I should share it with you.
Thank you to those of you who went above and beyond to celebrate me today. You are more precious to me than you could know. 

"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful." Colossians 3:15