Summer Vacation Recap

A couple of weeks ago, Matt and I headed to Ocean Isle Beach with Jamie, Kristy, and Emmalyn.  Its been a few years since we took a family vacation, and we had a great time.  We did a lot of relaxing, sleeping, and just enjoying spending time with family. 

We left on Saturday and headed to Chapel Hill North Carolina for the night.  We stayed at the Rizzo Hotel and it was very nice.  The next morning, I got up and took a walk about the hotel.  It was simply beautiful.  We checked out of the hotel and ate breakfast at Mama Dips before hitting the road to the beach.

When we arrived in Ocean Isle, my parents were still there so we spent some time visiting with them, before heading the Myrtle Beach to meet our friends, The Montomery's for dinner.  We had a great dinner, and it was nice to catch up with everyone and kick off our vacation.

Mom and dad left on Monday morning, and we hit the beach.  We had a great time, and loved watching Emmalyn enjoy her first beach trip.

The rest of the week was filled with lots of beach time and lots of good eating.  We enjoyed several local restaurants, and of course had Sun Set Slush every night. 

We came home the following weekend, rested and ready for the week ahead at work. All and all it was a great vacation, and I would love to go back and visit that beach again. 

Fall Vacay Recap

This past week has been soooo nice.  For the first time in years, Matt and I waited until the last minute to make any plans for vacation.  We hadn't been in Myrtle Beach in several years, and decided to head down to the South Carolina coast for a few days. 

Myrtle Beach has always been our "go-to" place since we were kids traveling with our own families, so we know all of the best beach spots, restaurants, and shopping stops.  We ended up stuffing everything that was on our "must do" list into the 48 hours we spent in Myrtle, and then we headed to Charleston and Folly Beach for a few more days of R and R. 

In Charleston we drove and walked around our favorite parts of the city, and in Folly we explored the beach town we had never been too.  We spent some time on the beach, shopping (in Mt. Pleasant), and eating at some of our favorite places.  

We headed back on Thursday afternoon, and spent Friday cleaning the house, running errands, and just enjoying the weekend.  All in all it was a nice, relaxed trip, and so glad we decided to take a few days to unwind.  

And, if you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that when it comes to vacation pictures, I often forget to take pictures.  So, here are a few pictures I did take: 

 The View from our room in Myrtle. 

This picture has the sweetest story. 

A sweet woman took this picture of Matt and I at the Sea Captain's House.  

We were waiting on a table, and another couple eating inside took the picture. 

Once we got seated, the sweet woman came over and asked if I wanted the photo. 

And, of course, I said Yes!! 

This picture makes me smile, because its Matt pointing at Fort Sumter, and we have so many memories about that place.  LOL!

 And, Folly Beach.  Where we found sun, ocean, and NO ONE ELSE!! 

It was amazing.  

Have a good week friends! 

Kim

Fall Vacation 2016

Our fall vacation was amazing!!  We had such a great time getting away, and enjoying the beach with good friends and lots of sunshine.  I decided before we left to completely unplug from normal life, and I actually uninstalled my work emails and social media alerts (for work accounts) off my phone, so I could totally relax and unwind.  It was sooooo nice, and so glad I did it. 

We spent a week at Navarre Beach on the Florida Panhandle.  If you are looking for a QUIET beach vacation, this is the place to be.  Most days, I left like we had the beach to ourselves, and just simply enjoyed sitting, watching the waves, reading under my umbrella, and just enjoying the rest.  

We ate WAAAAY too much, and we are getting back to healthier eating and workouts this week. LOL!!  

All and all it was an incredible vacation, and can't wait to start planning the next one. 

 Our sweet friends Marisa and Todd take such good care of us.  

I love all the small touches to our beach house.

This is the second time we have vacationed at Navarre Beach, and the fourth summer we have made our way to the Pensacola/Navarre area.  We simply love it, and its worth the 10 hour drive.

 This is our house for the week.  

We love this house, because it has four master bedrooms that all have ocean front views.

My favorite view ALL week! 

 One day during our vacation, Matt and I headed to Destin for a little seafood eating, lots of shopping, and even caught up with our good friends Todd and Marisa for a sunset sailing cruise. 

 Let our sailing adventures begin! 

The sunset was AMAZING!! 

And, did I mention we saw lots and lots of Dolphins.  

I am so incredible blessed to call this amazing lady my friend.  Her love, encouragement, and support truly show me what it means to be a true friend.   

A little blurry, but we loved going with our friends. 

 We ate well.......and that includes Chocolate Nachos from our "afternoon snack" one day!

We even got in a few adult beverages too.  

Of course, mine were the froo-froo kind with little umbrellas.  LOL! 

And, I honestly think Matt ate fried white fish 5 days straight.  

I think he is going to take a little break from fish for a while. 

 We did get to eat at several good places while on vacation.  

These included:  Aloha Grill, California Dreaming, Peg Leg Pete's Harry Ts, Dewey Destins, Shrimp Basket, Crabs, and Shaggy's.  

 We had such a good time with this awesome group.

All and all we had an incredible time.  Lots and lots of relaxation was exactly what we needed. 

Until next time.............................

Ending one of the Best Weeks EVER!!!

I'm officially back from vacation; however, I am still in vacation mode.  LOL! This past week has been soooo much fun, and one of the best I have had in a long time.  To help capture some fun moments, here are pictures from the top 5 moments from the past seven (7) Days.

1. Washington DC

We had an incredible time in Washington DC on Monday and Tuesday.  We arrived Monday afternoon and hit up the International Spy Museum, before heading to the Adele concert.  We LOVED the concert, and it reminded us how much we love to go watch shows.  We vowed to plan on seeing more concerts. 

International Spy Museum's James Bond 007 Special Exhibit

 Walking around Chinatown 

 Pre-Concert!  

We had amazing seats! 

 This was Adele's 92nd show of her 107 show World Tour. 

She did not disappoint. 

 I loved this bluegrass feature during her show. 

 Did I mention we had incredible seats. 

She also preformed several songs right in front of us in the middle of the arena. 

Amazing!!

2. Softball

We got back in time for Matt to play in his last two softball games of the season.  Their team won the season and came in second in the tournament.  I love that Matt can experience this with his brother, as they have so much fun playing together.   

3. Dinner for Lunch 

I went back to work on Wednesday, and my co-workers and I helped host a group of travel writers that the State of Tennessee were hosting in Bristol.  We were invited to lunch with the group, and OH MY GOODNESS it was amazing.  We ate at a new restaurant in Bristol called Whiskey Rebellion, and it was sooo delicious.  We had a wedge salad, filet, and amazing apple dessert.  Its been a long time since I have had a full dinner for lunch.  It was amazing!!  

4. New Books 
Between this week and next week, there are soooo many good books coming out.  Last week, the following books made it to my hands and I am excited to start reading each of these:

~ Rachel Cruze - Love Your Life Not Theirs
~ Joyce Meyer - Seize the Day 
~ Amanda Bible Williams - She Reads Truth
~ Emily Ley - Grace Not Perfection

5.  40 Under 40
I ended the week by receiving a 40 Under 40 Award from the Tri-Cities Business Journal.  I was honored to represent BCM, and also so thankful to the Lord in guiding me through my career.  I will write more about this experience in a later post, but this honor definitely ended the week off on a high note. 

 

  Love my BCM Co-Workers!!  

December...........What a Month!!

This month has been...........CRAZY BUSY!!  I have been going non-stop since Thanksgiving and I simply LOVE IT. I thought it would be fun to do a recap post; however, WARNING....this is picture OVERLOAD! Enjoy!

We kicked off the month hosting a Casting Party for the Orthophonic Joy Film!
This project has been so much fun, and it was great to have many of the cast and our OJ friends at the party.

The next day we revealed the new BCM Display at the Bristol VA Welcome Center. 

Later that week we all posed for the staff picture for the New Year's Card.  

Can you guess our theme??

Later that same day, I headed over to Acuff Chapel to visit the film crew.  

Check out two of my favs Delnora and Carl. 

Group Photo 

Group Photo

After the film shoot I headed home, packed my bags, and headed to NYC to celebrate my B-Day!!

Times Square Selfie at 6:30 a.m. 

Eating at an authentic NYC Diner - The Red Flame

 

Next we headed to Top of the Rock to enjoy an early morning view of NYC!

Perfect way to start the day. 

So excited I got to go to NYC with my sweetie!!

This view is simply amazing!!

The TODAY SHOW!!
Had to get this sign because it had my birth date on it.  LOL! 

THE TREE!!

Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center

 Then we headed across the street to take in the beauty of St. Patrick's Cathedral

The Nativity at St. Patrick's 

 Next we headed to Central Park, and it did not dissapoint.

Skating in Central Park 

After Central Park we hopped on a bus and road downtown!

We stopped at Macy's and the Christmas decorations were spectacular!

Next we headed to lunch and then dessert at Max Brenner's!

After lunch, we visited to 9/11 Memorial, and it was so moving.
Just walking up to the fountains I felt so much emotion.  

This fountain and entire memorial is incredible. 

Then we strolled down to Battery Park to view the Statue of Liberty

We ended our visit with a little Broadway Show, that was AMAZING!

I got back home in time for a BIG presentation to the Community!!

After the presentation I was excited to get home and begin enjoying the holidays. 

Check out the Davis Boys!!

I volunteered at a Benefit Concert!  Check out one of my fav. local bands - Bill and the Belles! 

The next week, I had LEAD BRISTOL! I simply love this program, and my fellow classmates are amazing!

We also got a chance to catch several of our dear friends be in their church Christmas play.
Sometimes I love being back at our old church.  We have so many great memories there. 

And, then Matt and I headed to Speedway in Lights with these two crazy people for a little Christmas fun!

Love celebrating Christmas this my hubby!!
Last year we rushed through Christmas because we were in the midst of a move, so this year we have really soaked it up and really enjoyed the season. 

Of course, what's Christmas without Christmas movies!! We got to watch all of holiday favorites.

And, somehow in the midst of everything we were able to get ADELE Tickets!!! WOOHOO!!

The weekend before Christmas, I was able to get all the presents wrapped and finally got a chance to relax and enjoy the season!

After Christmas, my sweet Sis-In-Law invited me to the Barter to see Miracle on 34th Street!

So blessed by her friendship, and so honored I get to call her family! 

Yes, December has been CRAZY!  And, it just makes me excited for all the fun and excitement that 2016 holds!