Spooktacular

I am so excited to finally have the house fully decorated for Halloween! When we bought our house, I remember being so excited about having trick-or-treaters, but to be honest we don't get many (if any at all)! Our neighborhood's charter school always has festivities there so I think many of the kids don't make it near our house. Oh well!

Despite our lack of trick-or-treaters, we still like to get in the Halloween spirit.

J even helped decorate the inside of the house and hung our new spider garland. The skull idea was his too. I love how excited he gets about holidays. The wreath and chalkboard sign were DIY projects from years ago. 

Now we just have to carve some pumpkins and make some pumpkin cupcakes!

What are you doing to get into the Halloween spirit?

xo

Leather

We had the best anniversary this week! On Wednesday, we went on a run together (lots of hills, but felt great) and then went to the new Irwin Street Bell Street Burritos location. Dinner was awesome (the guacamole was insanely delicious) and I had a handsome date if I do say so myself!

We came home and exchanged our gifts. J + I decided to use the traditional wedding gift themes, but we try to make them unique (see the 1st year paper and 2nd year cotton ideas). The third year is leather which we weren't thrilled about. I have tried to make him something each year, but I struggled with this theme.

I ended up getting J these custom leather travel tags from Etsy. I loved the quote and figured they'd be perfect for our future adventures. I also got him a wildflower mix, some ties, and 2 books that I hope he'll love. J spoiled me with an amazing silver bangle with a secret message engraved inside (!), an amazing belt, a canvas print (look familair?), leather origami, bookmark, iPhone case stickers (he thought they were cases), and some poems he wrote for me printed on leather! he is so incredible and i am so lucky! 

♥

J had the best surprise gift ever and really outdid himself - he booked us a night at The Farmhouse Inn where we got married 3 years ago (the altered version of our wedding invitation was inside the card)! We are able to bring Townes too...I cannot wait to enjoy the farm together! We will wish everyone could be there with us again though.

I am so happy that it's Friday! J is starting the Southern Odyssey Relay race today. I am so proud of him! Although I will miss seeing him (he won't be home until later tomorrow afternoon). Good luck honey!

Tonight I have a girls' night date with my dear friends Divya and Beth. Then tomorrow, a pup date with a new friend. I'm really looking forward to it! Then I'm sure J will need some recovery time on Saturday night! Sunday we are planning on brunch with some of our best friends. Should be a blast.

Hope you all have a magical weekend!

xo

3

Happy 3rd Anniversary to my insanely amazing husband!

Each day truly gets better and better with you by my side. This year has been a big year of growth for us individually and together;  I feel like our marriage and love is growing stronger by the second.

I am forever thankful that our paths crossed and I do believe that many things aligned to get us together (read about how we met here). I was drawn to you instantly and have been captivated by you ever since. Our wedding still remains the happiest day of my life. Thank you for all of the love, support, friendship, and laughter. 

You are my one-in-a-million.

 "Give your heart and soul to me and life will always be la vie en rose"

 ♥

To see more of our wedding photos, go here!

My Buddy

Timing is a funny thing.

 Last night we celebrated my sweet MIL's birthday with fun yard games and a cookout (loaded with tons of vegetables)! My SIL is studying sign language right now (she studies Music Ed and Music Therapy and hopes to work with blind and deaf students one day). 

She was educating me last night on the deaf culture and it was all so fascinating. 

While cooking dinner, we were discussing how deaf people can hold your vocal cords while you sing to "hear" you. Isn't that beautiful?

When we got home, we watched Boardwalk Empire (our favorite) and despite the violence, the episode ended with the most beautiful scene ever. Al Capone sneaks into his deaf son's room in the middle of the night (following a very violent scene, of course) and plays him the song My Buddy. His son is cuddled behind him holding on to his throat to "hear" his singing. Cue the tears.

It's funny that without the discussions with Lauren, I may have just thought that he was cuddling his father's neck. Go figure! If you don't watch the show, I definitely recommend it!

Also, you can check out the song, My Buddy, here!

♥

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday y'all!

I have been traveling all week for work so I'm looking forward to some quality

 time with my boys and time spent catching up on errands and yard work.

Tonight we are going to go to Fernbank for their Martinis + IMAX night. They have a special swing dance night tonight so it should be fun. J + I need a refresher for sure! 

The rest of the weekend will be spent celebrating J's Nana's birthday and his mom's birthday. 

Should be fun + I'll probably indulge in too much cake.

Next week I have to get back on track - not a good week this week. Oops.

Have a fabulous weekend and go Braves!

xo

*I cannot remember where I got this photo so if you know, please let me know so I can give credit! Thanks!

Unite 4 Girls

My girlfriend, Jen, works for the humanitarian organization CARE. She sent me a note regarding their work to end child marriage. They have great facts and information regarding the tragedy of childhood marriage. Please check out their site and spread the word about the International Day of the Girl campaign!

Please take a minute and spread the word before October 11th! You can inform others via social networks, donate money, or sign this petition for Hilary Clinton.

 let's #unite4girls!
xo

World Vegetarian Day

Happy World Vegetarian Day!

J + I made the switch to a vegetarian lifestyle over 5 years ago and we haven't looked back. It feels good to know that we are healthy and living sustainably without needing to take the life of an animal for food. It always amazes me how little the mass population chooses to educate themselves on the practice of factory farming and the negative effects on our bodies and world caused by eating meat (read more here).

Order this vegetarian starter kit to learn more about the benefits of a vegetarian diet and some great + tasty recipes!

"A human can be healthy without killing animals for food. Therefore, if he eats meat he participates in taking animal life merely for the sake of his appetite. And to act so is immoral" - Leo Tolstoy

xo