JH turns 23!!

I've been so busy these past few days I haven't had a second to stop and relax, let alone put up a blog post! I'm glad I'm getting back into the swing of things though. Yesterday (the 27th) was JH's 23rd birthday and we had such a fun (crazy busy) day! We woke up early and spent the first few hours of the day at the pool. The forecast said it was going to rain but luckily no clouds rolled in until we were about to leave anyways! We were blessed enough to get some good weather the first half of the day. I took some pics here & there of some of the stuff we did, but unfortunately theres a few stuff I didn't get to get pictures of!

After the pool we went to our favorite little snoball hut and got a treat! My snoball is on the left (Tropical Punch and "Spongebob" which is lemon + pineapple) and JH's is on the right (blue raspberry) They were so good!!

After the pool and snoballs, we were off to the aquarium! JH wanted to go to the aquarium because he hadn't gone in awhile and wanted to see some of the new exhibits. The aquarium where we live is very well known and one of the best in NC! It was really cool to see all of the river life & ocean life. We even got to do some touch tank stuff and touch a stingray, which JH said felt a lot different than he imagined it would!

There's also an albino alligator at our aquarium that recently became old enough to be put in with the other alligators (before, it was in it's own exhibit). I always really liked the albino alligator but seeing her around the other alligators she was actually pretty mean!! She kept snapping at the other alligators and pushing them out of the way!

One of my favorite exhibits were of course the jellyfish under the backlights!! They were so cool, I've always loved this exhibit. Another exhibit I really enjoyed was the poison dart frogs! They were all kinds of colors like bright royal blue and another one was black and yellow. They almost looked too vibrant to be real! In the picture above, you can see I was sporting my Kori Dress in Chum Bucket.. which I thought was pretty appropriate for our aquarium trip! Sorry about the crazy hair and no makeup, as we went straight from the pool to the aquarium!

Fun Fact: While we were in the gift shop browsing, we stumbled across this book written by one of our very best friends' Dad!! We recently met him at our friends wedding and he is such a funny and cool guy, we had to snap a pic and send it to our friends! Also, I wanted to buy it. HELLO delicious crabs!!

Once we were all cleaned up and dressed, it was off to dinner & IMAX! I'm truly so thankful to spend another birthday with this handsome man of mine, making it our FOURTH one together. Where does the time go?!

xoxo, SJR

Feeling Grateful...

via

I woke up this morning to turn on the water faucet and brush my teeth only to find no water came out of the spout! I tried my shower faucet next... nothing! A water pipe busted under my house and this morning I was left with no other option but to have a waterless morning before work! Initially I freaked out. How was I supposed to go to work un-showered? I couldn't shave my legs?! I couldn't even do my makeup! Thankfully I had a water bottle in the fridge that I used to brush my teeth.

After the anger and worry subsided, I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude. It's incredible how much we rely on things that are actually such a luxury to our lives! The more I heard myself complain about not getting water to wash my hair in or wash my hands, the more I realized how much I take everyday things for granted. Instead of being upset, I should have been thankful that I live a life that typically allows me to shower whenever I please, for there are others not so fortunate.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Summer Reading

Not only was yesterday NWYLD, it was also the first official day of Summer! For many people, that means a break from life, vacation time where they can spend their days at their leisure... Unfortunately for me, it just means longer work hours! But that's perfectly fine because during the summer time one of my saving graces is picking up a book and escaping from all of my troubles! I love reading, but especially in the summer. I've put together a list of two books I'm currently reading, two books I want to read and two books I recommend for anyone to read! Whether you're reading poolside or with your toes in the sand or (like me) salvaging a little alone time to yourself, I hope this list helps!!

On the left hand bar of my blog I have a "What I'm Reading" widget, which currently under it you'll see one of these books! The truth is, I'm actually reading one book and listening to the other on Audible! Because I've got quite the drive to work (twenty-five minutes with traffic) & back, I like to use Audible to listen to a book on my drive on the days I don't feel like listening to music. The book I'm currently listening to on Audible is Flawless by Sara Shepard, which is book #2 in the Pretty Little Liars book series. I'm obsessed with the show (as y'all know by now) so I decided to pick up on the books too! They're a lot different than the show but I like them just the same. I'm currently reading The One & Only by Emily Giffin. I've read another one of her books (Something Borrowed) and I really enjoyed it so when this book came out I had to pick it up! I love it so far.

I have another obsession I haven't mentioned yet on this blog... I LOVE Nicholas Sparks!! I've read almost all of his books and I cry reading every single one of them. It was hard for me to pick only two to recommend but I figured since these are two you don't hear about often (I naturally wanted to recommend A Walk to Remember and The Notebook but refrained) I would mention them! I read At First Sight first and really fell in love. The story is predictable at times but overall unpredictable and breaks your heart but mends it before the book comes to an end. The Best of Me is much like that. I also wanted to mention TBoM because it's actually the next Nicholas Sparks book to be made into a film!! I will definitely be buying my tickets in advance. Both of these books are must reads!

Speaking of books being turned into movies, I saw the trailer for the new movie "Gone Girl" and immediately remembered reading the inside cover in a book store not too long ago. I know this book is older but this summer I'm making a point to read it, especially before the movie comes out! It has such a unique story line and it really intrigues me. I also really want to read Where We Belong by Emily Giffin. I just love her writing style and, much like Gone Girl (but more in a chick-lit kind of way), it has a very interesting plot! I can't wait to read these books this summer!!

What are a few books on your Summer Reading List? Have you read any of these books yet and if so, what did you think??

xoxo, SJR

National Wear Your Lilly Day!

Today is National Wear Your Lilly Day!!!

Anyone that knows me knows that I LOVE me some Lilly Pulitzer (I mean... look around!) It's my favorite brand and summer time prints are my absolute favorite! Because I'll be at work today (and can't sport one of my favorite shift dresses), I'm wearing my favorite Lilly shorts (the Callahan shorts) in one of my favorite summer 2014 prints "Lobstah Roll"

I love this print for summer!! Some of my other favorites from Summer 2014 are She She Shells (previously mentioned), Sea Soiree, Spa Blue Lets Cha Cha & of course Jellies Be Jammin!

My all time favorite Lilly prints are sort of typical (when most people think of Lilly Pulitzer they think of these two prints) but I can't help it. They're, obviously, You Gotta Regatta and First Impression!

I also really love Sailor's Valentine (in Shorely Blue)

What are some of your favorite Lilly prints and how are you celebrating NWYLD?

xoxo, SJR

Pool Day!

Yesterday, JH & I packed up some fruit, water bottles and sandwiches and headed out to spend the majority of our day by the pool! I might have (definitely) went a little overboard with the amount of Lilly I was sporting but hey, a girl can never have too much Lilly am I right?

The weather was absolutely PERFECT! It was hot (mid 90s), and although I usually hate when it's that hot, when I'm by the pool its a different story! The water felt perfect as well, it wasn't ice cube cold but it felt great after you've been in the sun! I was so happy to wear my new Lilly bikini out in the sun for the first time as well, I love it even more now that I've put it to the test of wearing it in action!

To me, yesterday was everything I love about summer time! I got to spend the day with my amazing man, out in the warm sunshine, swim in the pool and just relax! I loved going inside and seeing tan lines!! JH is also such a good sport, as he loves being outdoors his irish decent makes it hard for him to enjoy the sun without getting burnt! Let's just say he stayed in the shade while I laid out ;)

"The tan lines may fade but the memories will last forever"

xoxo, SJR

WILW

Another Wednesday means another compiled list of some things I'm seriously loving!! I'm not going to do a WILW (What I'm Loving Wednesday) EVERY Wednesday, I just happen to be loving a lot lately so I figured I would do another installment this week!!

1) MY NEW HAIRCUT!!!

This is one of the rare times you'll see me posting a "selfie" on here (LOL) but I had to share my new haircut with y'all!! I haven't had it this short since early high school so it's been awhile! I wanted to get it short for awhile but I finally took the leap and went for it- I love it so far!

2) That JH & I have corresponding days off this week!

It's so rare that we get days off from work at all, let alone the same days off!! I'm excited to be spending tomorrow and Friday with him- no work, just play! Tomorrow morning we plan on going to the pool!! I'm so excited to get out in the sun and spend time with him!

3) Jesus Calling by Sarah Young

This is my very first ever devotional and I'm obsessed with it... And of course it's pink!! I've heard a lot of good things about this devo and only a few days into it I'm already really enjoying it.

4) New Lilly Bikini!!

I'm truly in love with this suit! Both pieces are in the print Spa Blue Let's Cha Cha and it was really a toss up for me between this print and the Sea Soiree print.. Overall I liked the fit of this suit better (but I think I still like the Sea Soiree print the best!). The top is called the Lois Tie Front Bandeau and the bottoms are called the Surf's Up Bikini Bottoms! I especially love the mock tie on the side! Can't wait to wear this to the pool tomorrow!

My all-time favorite song at the moment is Oceans by Hillsong United and if you haven't heard this song YOU MUST!! It is a worship song, so if that's not your cup of tea I understand but at least give it a listen because it is so beautiful! I listen to it almost every night before I go to bed.

Thank y'all for reading! Are there any special things you're loving this week? I'd love to hear about them!

xoxo, SJR

10 Facts About Me!

Since my blog is still fairly new I wanted to share a few facts/quirks about me to further introduce myself better! I love reading "facts" lists so I figured this would be a perfect time to list some things about me! Enjoy!!

1. I was born & raised in the same southern beach town I still reside in! As much as I love it here, I'm not sure if I want to live here forever! This is home to me, but JH and I also love to travel so we may fall in love with another location instead!

2. I take skincare very seriously and refuse to go to bed with even a trace of makeup still on my face- no matter how tired I am! I'm always wearing sunscreen and searching out new products... I know it sounds crazy for a girl in her early twenties to be this attentive but it's just something I love and I think it's really important! I even considered going to esthetics school for awhile before deciding on education!

3. I'm an education major!! I plan on eventually emphasizing secondary education/developmental psychology and working as a counselor in a middle school! I've always had a heart for this age group and if I could work with them forever I would feel so blessed!

4. I've never broken a bone before! I've twisted my ankle a few times but that's as close as I've gotten to breaking a bone! I think if I were to break a bone right now I would definitely monogram the cast! Hahaha :)

5. I have two sisters that are older than me and live in Georgia! Georgia is like my second home and I LOVE UGA football!!! Go dawgs!!!!

6. In high school I was in honors chorus and several plays and musicals. I love theatre! I didn't really have a "clique" that I followed... I was just a preppy girl that was friends with everyone!

7. My Lilly obsession started in 2011... So it is fairly recent! The first Lilly purchase I made was an agenda for school & JH bought me my first Lilly dress in the summer of 2012 in the print "Ahoy There" ... I still cherish it!

8. Jesus is my Salvation and my Savior!! I was raised in church until I was about fifteen and then I drifted. I thank God for that because even though it seems like a bad thing it brought me back to Him during a recent dark time in my life and I have found refuge and strength in Him.

9. I love being pampered! Having my nails done, getting a massage or a pedicure is the ultimate relaxation for me. I also cherish "me time" and I'm more happy pinning on my iPad in bed at 9:30 than at a big crowded party. I love being social but I really enjoy quiet time as well!

10. Before I got the job I work at now, I used to work at a gym for tumbling and gymnastics as a basic gymnastics coach!! I loved all of the kids I worked with and I learned a lot from my time working there!

What are a few facts that aren't obvious about you?? Thanks for reading!!