welcome, 2014!

things have been wild in my world since 2014 rolled around! i've been slacking on the ol' blog but 2014 has been quite amazing so far.

my college gang + some hilarious dudes from tennessee rang in the new year at red's ice house in mount pleasant, sc. after being sick for 5 days, i wasn't sure i was going to make it. but since i already bought a ticket, and didn't want to leave my girl ammie in the dust (we're the only single ladies), i made a day trip to charleston. i am so glad i did - we had such an awesome night! we stayed in Charleston to watch the gamecocks whip up on wisconsin before heading on back to charlotte.

that weekend we had leigh's baby shower: see here. we had all sorts of friends and family in town this weekend so it was jam packed. we had dinner at BLT at the ritz that evening followed by a night out uptown which does not happen often!

the next weekend (last weekend), i headed back to charleston for a couples shower for my sweet laura! katt & i got in around 8:30pm on friday & we stayed in for a girls night. saturday morning we woke up and met laura for lunch at ammie's fave place, taco boy. frozen screwdriver? yes please! we drove to the beach to put our toes in the sand before getting ready for the shower.

laura's sisters & her bff, meredith, did such a great job! there was delicious food, adorable décor & fun games. after the shower we stayed out in summerville at this bar called montreux. bar games, cheap beer, and an awesome live band - it was like college all over again!

{laura & her bridesmaids}

 

sunday morning katt & i woke up at the bum of dawn to head back to charlotte so i could make it to the panthers game. i was so lucky to be able to go to the game & even though it was a bummer of a loss, we had an amazing season! i am proud of what they've done this year & can't wait for next year!

 

 

tomorrow i'm off to "mountain weekend" in boone with my college gang. looking forward to relaxing {aka drinking} with my pals in a cabin for a long weekend! cheers!

 

weekend recap!

friday night after working late with the never ending holiday parties... i headed over to jackie's condo for sympathy wine. she had to put her cat down very unexpectedly on friday and already had a terrible week, so girl time + wine were necessary! i got to meet all her animals including this baby girl..

 

{nugget weighs about 15 pounds less that lola... aka lola is fat}

 

saturday morning i woke up and head over to urban ministry center with my sister. court works there full time serving the homeless & working in a rehab program for addicts. she's pretty much a saint. so we brewed up some hot chocolate and passed it out to everyone hanging around the center on Saturday morning. court had also arranged for one of the ladies she has worked with to tell us her story about being homeless. talk about a humbling way to start your weekend. the best part was that she just got keys to her very own place last thursday!

 

 

 

 

 

{one of the guys has these little birdies that he takes everywhere!}

 

the guys fetched court & i around 1pm and we headed uptown to drew's super cool apartment that has this view..

 

 

we walked down to the free concert that the acc championship puts on. sara evans & randy travis played - we had a little too much fun!

 

 

 

 

 

after dinner at cantina, we called it a much needed early night.

sunday was pretty lazy besides finally going to see catching fire! i thought it was great but am bummed they're splitting the last book into 2 movies. i'm ready to get on with my life. sunday evening ended at my parents house watching our panthers go down in all their glory to the saints.

hope you had a nice weekend!

i love weekends.

friday after work i was kidnapped and met up with my friends at nikko for sushi. it was my first time there, which is silly since i can walk from my house, and it was delicious! i had the spicy shrimp & crab salad roll and the dragon roll (shrimp tempura, avocado, eel). not sure it beats pisces as my favorite sushi spot but it was a close second! after dinner i headed over to chelsea & katie's house for jason's birthday party!

 

{prior to the cake smashing}

saturday morning i woke up, ran to the grocery, and then headed to brad's house. we had mimosas, wings, brisket, beer, and lots of fun. the gamecocks won & i got to spend the day with my pals - always makes for a good saturday!

 

{someone got a little carried away with the charcoal and burned the smoker...}

i had to work for a few hours saturday night and then met up with everyone again to bar hop the night away. and while the bars did stay open an extra hour due to DST, i made the wise decision to head on home right around the time my guy friends signed up for karaoke.

sunday morning i slept in and then went to the panthers game with my parents. it was a lovely afternoon at the game and the panthers are 5-3 for the first time in forever!

 after the game we accidentally went on a 4 mile stroll around uptown before ending up at all american pub for dinner. the weekend ended with an extremely intense episode of homeland  and my heart beating out of my chest.

lately.

i've been quite the slacker lately in just about every aspect of life. hey, it happens to the best of us. so while i've been ignoring my running schedule, piles of laundry, blog, dirty house, and empty fridge, here's what i've been up to.

thursday night out with the boys at all american pub - never ends well. my sweet friend brett was in town and we partied like we used to when i first moved to atlanta. we're a mess. friday night dinner at mac's for steven's birthday - i'm in a yang sibling sandwich! saturday spent with ammie & hunter, who were in town for the weekend. saturday night dinner at ed's tavern followed by an evening at selwyn.

{via}

 

i watched both seasons of scandal - what an addictive/great show. i am obsessed with all things government related - throw in a heart wrenching affair & i'm hooked. i also want to make out with president fitzgerald grant.



{via}

 



i also watched the first season of orange is the new black - the newest netflix series. it's based on the true story of a woman named piper who has to serve 15 months in prison for a non-violent crime she committed 10 years prior. it's hilarious, heart breaking, and full of drama. netflix released the entire first season at once - so you can get sucked in just like i did!

 

i've also been listening to this song on repeat: poison & wine by the civil wars. holy beautiful.

needless to say: i'm done with tv shows for awhile. what have y'all been up to while i've been a waste of life?

weekend warrior.

friday after work, i met my stepdad at a track near by to start running track repeats. it was HOT and i got through half the of the first workout on my training schedule before i decided i was going to die if i kept running. brian used to run marathons before his stroke & i have now turned him into my own personal running coach. check out his new wheelie tricks!

after another yummy friday night dinner at bricktops with our parents, court & i swung by selwyn for a drink before racing home to beat the storm. we called it an early night in preparation for our big saturday!

we woke up early & headed to the fillmore for the vintage charlotte pop-up market. it was awesome! i got a few things for some friends & scored some awesome candlesticks for our mantle. after speed shopping through the market, we headed down to lake wylie for the day. court's bff erin's parents live on the lake in a beautiful house they built when we were in high school. it was such a fun day with lots of beer, sunshine, hanging with old friends, and making new friends!

 

{vintage market}

 

 

{lake day - hey aly!}

when we got back to charlotte, i quick showered and headed to birdsong brewery to meet up  with kel, alex, & derrick. we hopped over to noda brewery for a beer and then made our way to whiskey warehouse. meagan & walt were in town, so we met up with them & britt & blake at whiskey. i love any time i get to spend with meg & britt - it takes me back to my college days!

{me & kel, kel & d, me with the soon to be husband & wife, me & meggy & britt}

sunday morning i had to come into work for a few hours & then ran a lot of errands in preparation for vacation! derrick & i made a trip over to the king of pops factory for some afternoon treats. holy yum. after crafting for a few hours, i picked up kickstand for everyone and headed to momma's. she helped me make a bunch of cookies for my trip. i have a few more things to pick up today, and tomorrow around 2pm i am beach bound until sunday!

 

{we take our pops very seriously}

{go america}

i am really looking forward to sunshine, best friends, hot fish club, and salt water!

ammie does charlotte // weekend recap!

this weekend one of my best friends from college came to charlotte! ammie comes here pretty frequently because a good majority of our friends live here, but this weekend i had her all to myself!

she got to my house around 6pm on friday. we had dinner with derrick & spencer at kickstand before we all headed to whiskey warehouse for drinks. our friend britt met us there & it was a fun night catching up.

 

saturday morning we slept in until 10am & then met ammie's sister, amanda, and her boyfriend, brad, at toast for brunch. after brunch, i took them to the farmer's market & then to the duke mansion to look around. ammie & i hit the mall for a few hours before we all met up again to head to carowinds!

i hadn't been to carowinds in many many years. it was completely different & there were only a handful of original rides there. we stayed from about 4:30pm-10pm & got to ride all but 1 of the roller coasters. it was really fun spending saturday doing something that i used to love to much as a kid! ps. the intimidator ROCKS.

after a quick shower, we met kathleen & her sweet fiance at angry ales around midnight. i normally see a lot of people i know out on montford, but i have NEVER seen this many people i know in one bar before. it was crazy! post-bar we sat on the back porch with my neighbors and chatted until the wee hours of the night - it was so nice outside.

sunday was filled with father's day activities & errand running. always thankful for family time & am thankful to have an amazing dad & an awesome step dad who love me so much!

weekend recap!

after a low-key friday with a few glasses of vino at dilworth neighborhood grille, kelly & i woke up early on saturday morning to run warrior dash! i ran it last year for the first time and blogged all about it here. the course was different than last year - not as much mud/water. we heard someone got bite by a snake in the pond which is why the nixed it this year - yikes! it was a fun race but i think it will probably be my last mud run.

 

{before}

 

{after}

after the run we headed down to my parent's neighborhood pool & met up with court & lynde. we spent the day laying in the sun & drinking beer - it was awesome, minus my terrible sunburn. i'll never learn!

 

{it was really weird drinking at the pool i grew up at!}

once we had enough sun, we went back to our parent's house for a nap before dinner. dad & stepmom treated us to a delicious dinner at 131 main before we went back up to our part of town. there's nothing like a good steak to end a great day!

sunday morning i scooped up my mom and we headed to brunch at soul for nicole's birthday! brunch was delicious and so were the three million mimosas our table drank. soul is one of charlotte's favorite spots & it's always incredibly busy, so i was happy to get another chance to eat there!

 

{monster hash - sweet potato browns sautéed with sage rope sausage, garlic, onions, peppers, mushrooms, and chipotles nested with 3 eggs, topped with white cheddar and served with fresh fruit}

i went to meet up with leigh, derrick, and court for a drink at jacks after brunch. after jacks, court & i headed back to meet up with the brunch crew that had now ventured into noda at jack beagle's. talk about a hilarious afternoon! after the old folks decided to hit the hay, us youngins decided to keep the party going back in plaza midwood. sunday funday strikes again - funny how it always starts out with my parents!

michigan weekend!

friday afternoon i hopped on a plane to detroit, michigan, to see one of my dearest friends. brittany (or brg as i call her) and i worked together in atlanta and quickly became inseparable to survive our workplace environment. i moved back to charlotte in april 2011, and brg moved back to michigan in august that same year. she came to visit me in charlotte for a weekend before she left, but i haven't seen her since then - almost 2 years! so i decided to make an extra long weekend and go see my brg!

 

i got in around 8:30pm and smiled big when i came down the escalator into this trippy weird light tunnel. i had been to detroit once before, but forgot about this little treat!

 

britt picked me up and we headed home to her new adorable house that she bought at the beginning of may - i can't believe how much she already had done! her house is about 30 minutes outside the city in royal oak, michigan.we spent the evening catching up & drinking sangria before crawling into bed. britt had the guest room all finished for me & even put one of my CHEERSPORT blankets on the bed to make me feel at home!

 

saturday morning we woke up and went to bodypump class at her gym, powerhouse gym. it ROCKED. now i understand why brg is so obsessed! after class we ran some errands including the most awesome place ever, westborn market. it was like the farmer's market // whole foods // earthfare all rolled into one place. after showering & prepping for the cookout, britt's two best friends came over for lunch. brg made a delicious marinade from scratch & we hung out on her back porch until it was time for the tigers game!

 

{ market & my colorful lunch plate}

brg works at the renaissance marriott in downtown so we parked there & ran up to her office to print our tickets. her office has a great view of the river! we walked to the game & i loved how close the baseball & football stadiums are to each other.

{ center building is brg's hotel // view from her desk // ford field // tigers stadium}

 

we enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of baseball & beer! the stadium is gorgeous.

{brg & i // brg, darcy, me & lisa}

 

after the game we headed to a detroit staple in greektown, new parthenon. of course we had flaming cheese! we headed back to royal oak & called it a night.

 

{oompa!}

 

sunday morning we woke up late & went to brunch at what crepe - holy yum! i had the mexican with chicken instead of sausage - it was delicious!

 

after brunch we rand some errands and then drove down to the river to meet brg's friend ron. he took us out on his boat & we spent the afternoon drinking & laying in the sun - it was beautiful!

 

next stop was a cookout & bonfire at two of brg's friend's house - jerry & clio! they were wonderful hosts & fed us yummy burgers & clio even let us wear her clothes cause we were chilly. thanks for a great evening!

 

{we never wanted to get out!}

 

monday morning we slept in (again!) and made this frittata from scratch. we had no idea what we were doing, but it turned out to be really yummy. brg had been wanting me to paint a sign for over her bed - so we spend the next few hours doing that - i really like how it turned out!

after we finished arts & crafts, we went to royal oak brewery for lunch & beers. we had  pitcher of their vidal saison and really liked it. then we stopped at bastone brewery where i tried both of their seasonal beers - the smoked porter & the raspberry tart. extremely different beers, but i enjoyed them both!

tuesday morning came & it was time for me to head back to charlotte. i had such an amazing time & loved spending 4 days with my brg. when you're lucky enough to have friendships like ours, it doesn't seem to matter how much time passes between visits, it's like we never missed a beat. thank you britt for showing me around your city & letting me get a sneak peek into your life for a few days - i love you & miss you already!



my beer filled weekend!

after finishing the race on saturday, derrick & i grabbed breakfast at flying biscuit, headed home to change, and then went to steven's pool. after 2 beers, i needed a nap. i ended up taking 2 naps that day before getting ready for the evening. kelly, court & i headed up to triple c brewery in southend - what a great spot! i had their 3c ipa & also the sal's paradise saison and loved them both. i love breweries & charlotte is full of awesome ones. there was also a food truck there called papi queso (hey justin) that serves gourmet grilled cheese. food trucks are awesome & i love that they are all over the place in charlotte. court, kel & derrick all had one - derrick's face below explains how much they loved it!

after triple c closed, we headed to tyber creek. and then to the boy's apartment. and then to brazwells. around 1am kelly & i called it quits and headed home.

{hi kel}

i woke up on sunday with zero plans. i ran to earthfare & trader joe's before meeting my parent's for lunch at one of my favorite spots, kickstand.

{best veggie burger in charlotte}

what started out as a causal sunday, turned into an insane sunday funday. after lunch, i suggested that we should go to birdsong brewery. so we went for a drink, but you never just end up having 1 drink. their up on the sun saison is absolutely delicious.

what felt like an entire keg later and after meeting some new friends, my crazy/fun mom suggested we go to the thirsty beaver. and i can now officially say that it's the scariest place in charlotte. i have pictures, but they're too awful to share. court & derrick came and met us & derrick was so scared (and sober) that he left haha! after an insanely fun/random day, we headed back home and crashed. we hated ourselves on monday morning, but it was totally worth it.

i'm headed to michigan this weekend to see my long lost best pal from atlanta - i haven't seen her since august 2011 - i can't wait!

my {country} weekend photostory.

friday after work, sister court & i headed up to verizon wireless for love & theft, brantley gilbert, & tim mcgraw!

 

 

{seriously, this was the best pic we could get all night}

 

{ran into stepmom & her sis}

 

the concert was awesome & we had a great time until i lost my iphone. and then i was like this:

 

 

{source}

 

saturday morning i woke up really early to find my iphone located in the ghetto of charlotte. awesome. so i packed up & headed to columbia and was the first one at the verizon store at 9am. once i got a new phone, i met up with my friends to pack the truck & we headed to the stadium. with my new iphone in hand & smushed in the back of the tahoe with all my friends, all was well in my world again.

 

 

 

{cam made us be ecu fans for the day}

 

 

{there was a dj booth with karaoke next to us - AWESOME}

 

{katt, me, nicole, britt}

 

{ammie's ridiculous new phone case}

 

 

{drinking organic strawberry beer}

 

{seeing my cutie old roomie}

 

 

{the girls minus britt}

 

 

{decided to bring back our glory days of stunting...}

 

{... and "tumbling"}

 

{finally made it into the stadium around 6:30pm}

 

{ammie, sarah, & i}

 

it poured the entire concert. and then we looked like this:

 

 

{source}

 

but when you've had a few (or twenty) beverages, and you're listening to live music with your best friends, who really cares? zac brown band killed it & kenny is always fun to see live.

 

sunday morning i headed back to charlotte & spent the day running around to get ready for this week's festivities - it's gonna be a good one!