Alabama + Graffiti

I am so glad to see Friday – work has terrorized me all week (and let’s be real, will probably do so this weekend as well), but we get to pick up Sheffield tomorrow, and I can’t wait to give that guy the squeeziest of squeezy hugs.  I know it’s good for him to spend time with the grandparents and do new things, but dammit, I have missed him like crazy.  It’ll be so good to have that sweet voice back in the house.  Anyway – onto the Friday favorites!

// John Mayer’s Sob Rock came out last week.  I love everything John Mayer – his voice, his guitar playing, and I love this album.  I have been to five of his concerts, and am hoping to make it six next year.  This album reminds me a lot of his older stuff, which really makes me happy.

// Sweatshirts are my love language – and also anything Harry Potter.  Enter this Deathly Hallows sweatshirt, and well, I’m a pretty happy girl.  I am not-so-patiently waiting for fall!

// Do I need pink flats with a chain link strap?  Probably not.  Do I really really want them?  Yes, yes I do.  These are so cute, and since I’m back in the office full time in August, I’d definitely get wear out of them.

// I’ve been wanting a prettier watch band for my Apple Watch for when I’m not just lounging around the house or working out.  This one is super pretty, comes in a million colors and is under $30.  I’m sold.

// Again with the sweatshirts!!  I love the look of this one, and it looks so cozy.

// Nadine sent me a link to the Disney x Pop Sugar Collection at Target.  Tiana is my favorite Disney princess, and I love this little trinket tray.

My favorite moment of the week was getting to have lunch with Zoe and Nadine – sometimes you really just need to sit and have a poke bowl with your bestie and her kid.  It was really really good for the soul.

 

I hope you all had a great week and have a good weekend!  Can’t wait to get my Sheffield back!

We got to spend Sheff’s sixth birthday in PA with my mom and step-dad.  We got up there late on a Friday night, enjoyed some spaghetti and went to bed super early.  We had a birthday party to get ready for in the morning!

The next morning, we got up and hit two markets.  We got so many good local goodies – including ranch and old bay pickles, and a log of smoked bologna.  At the second market, we got the BEST pretzels ever (the line at the stall for these was hella long, and with good reason.  Think Auntie Anne’s but better), and a delicious boba tea.  They had almost everything you could think of there.   My mom had also gotten a really cool yard sign with dinosaurs to boot.

After we dropped the boys off, we went to get balloons for the party.  We got so many balloons – because Sheff loves balloons.  I helped my mom make the apps and got ready to celebrate our 6 year old!  Luckily my step-dad’s grandson has two younger kids and brought a water slide, so they played in the water the whole time.  They were all so cute together.  We did a hamburger and hot dog cook out, enjoyed cake and an ice cream bar, and watched Sheff open his presents.

I am glad Sheff got to spend his birthday with his meemaw and pappy.  He definitely got spoiled for his sixth birthday!

Man, am I far behind on my posts.  There has already been another trip to New Orleans since this one – so I need to get on my shit.  Prepare for a lot of NOLA this upcoming week.  Maybe.  Who knows if I’ll keep my word and actually post.

It was brought to my attention that a lot of my “online” life was under some scrutiny – what I was posting on Instagram about my workouts (which I addressed) and in general.  I’m worried my blogging will come under the same fire, but decided it’s too important for me to not link up my life on my blog.  The circle of people that I completely trust keeps getting smaller and smaller.  And in a world where I’m already pretty guarded, people keep giving me reasons to keep it that way.

On this day – we started out with Cafe du Monde in City Park.  As always, their beignets were delicious, and we got to enjoy a frozen cafe au lait as well.  After that, we walked a few minutes and decided to do the sculpture garden.  It was really neat, and Sheffield really enjoyed it.  We unfortunately got caught in the rain, so we were all soaked by the time we got back to the car.  We drove over to Parkway for fried shrimp po’boys and a hot dog that Sheff inhaled.  Later that afternoon, we decided to just roam the Quarter for a bit, and Sheffield picked out a fun New Orleans Pete the Cat print and book.

That night, my dad and step-mom graciously kept Sheffield overnight in their hotel, so we could go out and celebrate our 12th year anniversary.  We hooked up with Robert and Lindsey to get bikes, and we rode our bikes all around New Orleans.  We started at Auction House, where we got some dinner.  B got sushi, and I of course, got Mexican food.  After that, we headed to the Higgins hotel for some rooftop cocktails and beautiful views of NOLA.  Then we headed over to the Carousel bar for French 75s. Lindsey and Robert had to get back, so we just rode our bikes around for a bit.  Our last stop was Bar Tonique, and then we headed back to the hotel.  It was definitely a fun way to spend our anniversary, and was really glad that Lindsey and Robert could join us for the celebration.

The next morning, we went to pick up Sheff and the parents and headed into Jean Lafitte for an airboat ride.  Our guide was amazing, and knew exactly where to find the gators.  There was one who stayed by the boat pretty much the whole time.  And Sheff even got to throw a marshmallow to him.  It was honestly a really fun trip, and I definitely recommend doing it.  Later that afternoon (since the pool in our hotel was closed), we took Sheff over to Dave & Busters for some game playing.  We all had a really good time.  Later that night, we had our trusty NOLA babysitter come over, so we could enjoy an adult dinner at Vessel.  We ordered an amazing cheese plate and food, and then went to some hole in the wall bar and had seltzers and brews until about 11.  It was a good way to send them off – since they were leaving the next day.

 

We had a pretty couple of next days.  One was spent doing some remote work, but then at night, we went and let Sheff play around in the pool.  We had “moved in” to my dad’s hotel since they had it the whole week, and they had a really nice little courtyard area.  Sheff had a blast swimming around, and we enjoyed their free wine tasting.  The next day, we had planned for the zoo and splashpad, but as you can tell from the pictures above, we got totally washed out.  It actually wasn’t horrible walking around the zoo in the rain, and at least we got a good story out of it!  We stopped at Dong Phuong on the way home for banh mi’s, and they were honestly the best we’ve ever had.

It was such a nice little short getaway, and was glad to get to have that family time – especially showing my Dad and step-mom around, and showing them everything we love about NOLA.

(linking up with Steph and Jana for SUYB)

The Soulmate Equation – Christina Lauren // Ahhh, a new Christina Lauren.  This one took me a minute to get into, but once I did, I finished it the same day.  It had a The One element to it with the science of soulmates, but as always, this one has a bit more romance and fun.  I always love their characters, and if you’re a fan of their others, then you’ll love this one too.

Malibu Rising – Taylor Jenkins Reid // TJR can do no wrong.  I love loved this book.  It follows a family of four children who are the children of a famous dad.  Turns out he’s not much of a father, and so their mother is forced to raise them on her own, while the eldest takes more than her fair share of the responsibility.  It’s a lovely story about sibling relationships – and I loved every minute of it.

Quiet in Her Bones – Nalini Singh // I was confused for most of this book.  There were a lot of characters, and I got them mixed up a lot.  Aarav lost his mother when he was young, and doesn’t remember a lot from that night.  He lives in a swanky area of New Zealand, called the Cul-de-Sac, and they’re all involved in each other’s lives. Fast forward, they find Aarav’s mom’s Jag with her bones inside.  Aarav goes on a mission to discover her murderer.  The only reason I kept reading was because I wanted to know who did it, but trying to keep up with everyone was a lot.

The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave // I couldn’t wait to get into this one after seeing all the hype on it, and it certainly lived up to it.  Once I started this one, I couldn’t put it down.  I loved the relationship between Bailey and her step-mom, and loved watching it develop.  Excited to see that this is also becoming a series.  Can’t wait to watch it!

The Maidens – Alex Michaelides // OMG – a book that combined mythology and murder, and I don’t know how a book could be more perfect for me.  Plus, the twist at the end.  I got this one as my BOTM, and I honestly don’t know what book can beat this one.  It even had a tiny callback to Silent Patient.  Will have a HUGE hangover from this one.

 

Sheffield,

I can’t believe that you are six years old, and in just a few short weeks, you’ll be in first grade.  Can’t believe we’re going to have a first grader in the house!!  I truly hope you love first grade as much as you loved kindergarten.

We got to celebrate you pretty much the whole week – with sleepovers and playdates and a trip to MeeMaws where you’ll be spending a few days.  We already miss you like crazy – we miss that sweet face and that sweet voice, but also know that spending time with grandparents you don’t really ever get to see, will be really good for you.

You have learned so much in a year- you can read whole books by yourself. You love Pete the Cat and The Cat in the Hat books.  You can do multiplication and addition in your head.  You’ve tried new foods – you’ve made new friends, and a new best friend, Fisher. You won a basketball championship and got second place in Joy League baseball.  You can now float on your back and stay under water for 10 whole seconds.  Your favorite food in the world is Wendy’s chicken nuggets and Meemaw’s spaghetti.  You still eat peanut butter straight out of the jar and still won’t touch a vegetable.

You still love animals – dogs the most.  You always always want to pet them all, and still have your heart set on being a scientist and a vet.  You have the most tender heart, and I hope you keep that.

You still rarely get into bad moods, and you’re really intuitive to when someone else is sad or upset, and you’re quick to try to cheer them up.  You want everyone to be happy, and you want to be everyone’s friend.  You never meet a stranger.

You are the sweetest, smartest kid on Earth, and I thank every day that I get to be your mom.  I’m so so proud of you in everything you do and are.  I love you to the moon and back, boogs.  I hope you have a great sixth trip around the sun.

All my love,

Mama