Life on Lake Keowee:

The pup, parents and I had such a fun time on the lake today! 

The sky was blue and the water was a soft green. 

We stopped off at the Lake's hot spot, Tiki Hut, for drinks and snacks. 

Tiki Hut is a BOAT ONLY RESTRAUNT... how cool is that?!

Loved it!

We put Big Bertha in the water and got pulled around across the wake, my dad even joined in the fun!

2011 has been such a relaxing summer... 

I hope you all can say the same!

xoxo

Friday Recap:

Woke up.
Showered and got ready.
Headed over to Clemson to snag a free pair of earrings at a new boutique and pick up dry cleaning.
Got to the new boutique, Entourage.
Fell.
In.

Love.
Bought a rather expensive necklace at this new boutique when I really only should have gotten those free earrings!
Browsed their tops, dresses, belts, shoes- everything.
Picked up an application.
Drove home.
Realized I forgot dry cleaning.
Oh shoot? Oh well.
Filled out an application to Entourage.
Got an E-mail.
Read said E-mail.
Got a job with my other favorite boutique in Clemson, Plaza Suite.

Ripped up the Entourage application.

Cheered myself on:
"I AM NOW EMPLOYEDDDD!"
Drove to Greenville to meet up with my bffff from Clemson who was in town for a few days.
She got a call.
Dropped our plans for a day of shopping, and went to babysit her adorable little cousins.
[They're ages: Girl A-8yrs Boy B-4yrs Girl C-1yr]

Realized I do not want kids for a very long time.
Left 8:30 so I could be home a little after 10pm.
On the roooad againnnn!
Got home.
Showered.
Sleepy sleep sleep.

Time to get FIT:

I would really love for today to be another lazy day, relaxing at the pool, maybe going out on the boat... but the excessive fat dripping down my stomach and thighs (okay, that may be an exaggeration.. but still!) is pushing me to go to the gym... and stay there. Now, I don't only want to got to the gym to slim down, I want to go to get toned! I want to feel strong, be strong and get healthy! 

I've also realized I need to change my eating habits. My goal? Drink a tall glass of water first thing in the morning and eat a hearty breakfast. Lunch, and especially dinner, need to be smaller. (You go to sleep burning a small fraction of what you put in your body that night at dinner- so lighten dindin up!) More veggies and fruit- less soda and potato chips. 

Annnd last but not least, my motivation body:

Pleaseeee.... 

Just give me your abs, arms, shoulders... everything!!

Stay motivated, ladies. Hope you all have an eventful Thursday!

xoxo

Blog Addiction:

 >>> atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com <<<

If y'all haven't checked out this fashion blog, you need to.

Click it.

Love it.

Obsess over it.
Follow it.

Because bloggers, I just can't get enough.

Sneak Peak on what cha been missin':

ALL IMAGES VIA : http://atlantic-pacific.blogspot.com/

xoxo

Tuesday Reads:

After another long weekend of visiting my mom in Virginia, I am so very happy to finally be back in the Upstate- snuggled up in my big warm bed, reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. 

The book is a romantic page-turner about main character, Jacob Jankowski. Now living in a retirement home, Jacob tells the story of his life at twenty three. His parents dead, penniless and a recent college dropout, Jacob hops aboard the train of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth... a traveling circus.
I can't wait to finish! 

If y'all have already read this classic I recommend picking up Riding Lessons or Flying Changes, also by Sara Gruen. Let me know what you all think of the book, too! I'm anxious to talk about it!!

And keep me posted on any of your good reads, I'm always open for suggestions.

I Want It... & I Want It Now!:

Yeah, you heard. I want it.

(VIA weheartit.com)

I really wouldn't mind the old Nano iPod, so long as  it could hold my music library and have some extra gig's to fill up for the future! But I just really want this. My current "iPod" (I guess you could call it) is actually the old  16G iPhone I had before I upgraded to my 8G iPhone 3GS. Wow- what an UPgrade. Anyways, I had wanted a new phone ever since I dropped mine on the granitic cement parking lot in front of my apartment. It's got a nice, ghetto looking crack down the middle of the screen that shows the green computer chip inside the phone. So ever since then I counted down the days for my upgrade.

My music library wouldn't fit on the new phone, so I kept the ghetto one and have been using it as my iPod ever since. But now, I think that it's time for a change.

I want a legit iPod.

I want it now!!

:)

I also really want to go to Michaels Craft Store so I can buy some pretty gems to hand glue onto it! How precious does that iPod look?! I have a sick obsession with sparkle y'all.

XOXO

Two Quick Questions:

Do you like the new layout?! Please tell me what you think!

And some words to ponder for the rest of this evening:

That makes me curios about you, bloggers...

Please, tell me a situation where you weren't given what you wanted but then realized that you were given a better opportunity or greater sense of self afterwards.

........... GO!!! :)

Have a great rest of the day, y'all.

XOXO

Baby On The Way:

Yesterday was another crazy day with more hours of driving and family fun! My dad, grandpa and I traveled to High Point North Carolina for my cousin Lizanne's baby shower! It was a fantastic day with tons of great food, champagne, old stories and baby fever!! We grilled hamburgers and hot dogs on my uncle Timmy's back deck while his fiancee whipped up a delicious shrimp quiche and tasty homemade potato salad inside! The cozy seating and refreshing mimosas had everyone comfortable and chatty. 

As the day went on, we moved from the patio to the much cooler sitting room for the expecting mother to open up all of her gifts and cut into her cake! 

  -----Pictures from the shower will be coming soon!

Made by Pam Medina in Chesterfield Virginia! 

Thank you so very much for making my cousin this cake!
Such a gorgeous job and delicious treat! It was such a hit!

The beautiful Mommy and Daddy to be,
Liz & Heath Batchelor

Congratulations to the both of you! 

You are such fantastic people, I can only imagine the joy you are going to bring to your baby boy and how handsome he is going to be!
I can not wait to help you welcome Sawyer H. Batchelor into the world!

XOXO

Anybody Lollapalooza Bound?:

So for those of you headed to my dream concert, Lollapalooza, this year... know that I am beyond jealous.

Also, I've picked out a few looks for "outfit inspiration" that I think would not only look great- but feel great in the summer heat! Think rocker tops, lace anything, braids, cut-off vintage shorts, bandeau's and turquoise weathered metal accessories. 

A few stores I suggest y'all browse are:

f

1. freepeople.com                  4. modcloth.com                    7. hm.com

2. urbanoutfitters.com            5. esty.com

3. lulus.com                          6. forever21.com

kAs for make up, keep it light with maybe a top eyeliner and mascara. I love the coral lips look and a light bit of bronzer. Don't go overload! The concert's at the beginning of August... that means crazy heat and a lot of sweating. Guzzle down tons of water to stay hydrated and pack on that SPF! A lot of make up now a days has 15SPFA, but that doesn't mean that you should skip putting sunscreen on your face! 

Another thing.. bring a blanket or chair when you want to sit down, the festival isn't held in an auditorium with stadium seating now is it?! 

You won't need to bring a backpack unless you'r man is going with, but I do suggest a cross-body purse to keep small valuables close by!

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

(weheartit.com)

xoxo

This Week's Reflection:

Sorry for the crazy amount of completely separate random blogs today.

But here's another if you don't mind.

In the past four days I have driven well over 23 hours.

My mom got sick while at a routine dentist appointment back home in Virginia.. so a day after I got back visiting my boyfriend in VA, I trekked another 7 hours down I-85N to help my dad get my mom safe and comfortable in the hospital. I got to Virginia that night at 12am and didn't get to bed until 3am. We took my mom to the hospital the next morning at about 7:30 and I was back on the road later in the afternoon to make a Tigers Who Care meeting that I had today.

Mom's been getting better but still hasn't been doing too incredibly hot, and the Tigers Who Care meeting went pretty horrible. I don't think there will be a club at all... but maybe this was the Big Guy's way at making me available to really focus on school.

I don't know. Pretty dreary mood as of now.
But tonight I'll get some much needed sleep.
And tomorrow will be a better day.

I love you so incredibly much, mom.

Friday Sparkle:

Urban Outfitters is having an in store sale on a sparkley polish called "Afterhours"- buy two get one free. The image (found via weheartit.com) gave me the inspiration to paint my own nails with the same basic concept. It's a super different style... but i've gotten a lot of complements! 

Both images above can be purchased online at JCrew.com or in stores.

I am totally aiming to buy that skirt. So adorable!

The two images above are DIY projects I'm starting to do for my school accessories!

I got a lot of beads and jems from my local Michaels crafts store and am instead painting my clip board with a floral Lilly print inspired pattern. The book mark was a little harder to figure out how to start- but I decided to get some baking clay, pain, red glitter and a colorful patterned paper from Michaels crafts store.

They should turn out pretty cute!

Lord do 

I love 

me some 

sparkles.

Unless otherwise stated, all photos used on my blog today were found via weheartit.com!

xoxo

Coming to a Close:

So my eleven days in Virginia ended up turning into thirteen. I leave tomorrow morning at about 5:30 or 6 so I can be back home for a job interview. It's so bitter sweet. I'm excited to see my family and puppy Roxy, for my interview at a local Clemson tanning spot and I am excited for an upcoming meeting I have with the Tigers Who Care director, but I absolutely do not want to leave. I'm going to be leaving my home and the friends I love. Not only that, but I don't think my boyfriend or I are going to have time before classes start to see each other. So we'll have to spend a little over two months apart.

:( Sad.

But, the time I have spent here has been so great. I met up with a few of my girlfriends, went out to dinners and lunches and have spent a good time out at the pool. When July fourth rolled around, Matt and I cuddled up at his childhood home eating sacks from his neighbors/family friends cookout. Fireworks that night were a no go on account of a horrible storm that saturated Virginia. But the next night we went down to Richmond's Byrd Park and saw some gorgeous fireworks over the pond. 

(Richmond, Virginia. Byrd Park. July 2011)

The next day, Matt took me to the Diamond where Richmond's baseball team ("The Flying Squirrels"...so. dumb,) had their make-up game. Their win was celebrated with some more fireworks over the diamond.

(Richmond, Virginia. Parking lot at the Diamond. July 2011)

The next day after we woke up, Matt asked what I wanted 

to do... I said the first thing that came to my mind:

THE BEACH! :) 

A couple of hours later we left for Virginia Beach.

(Via WeHeartIt.com)

It was a little overcast in Richmond and on the drive to the beach, but as soon as we got there the sun came out! We buried each others feet in the sand and made little sandcastles. The water was still a little bit chilly, but compared to the hot hot sand on the beach it was super relaxing. After some R&R laying out, we went for a walk from the pier to some rocks a good bit away. Kisses, holding hands and tons of laughs. It was no less than an absolutely fantastic day.  And so random!  I'm way happy we were able to escape the rain and have such a fun time. 

I loved our little adventure!

After we got back home, Matt and I decided to plan another mini trip to a local Virginia theme park called Kings Dominion!

It was a lot of fun. The water portion of the park was open so we had a chance to escape the summer hear, the lines to the roller coasters were relatively short for a Saturday afternoon and we got to ride one of the parks newer roller coasters: The Intimidator. That coaster went so fast tears were rolling out of my eyes and if I turned to the side slobber would drip out of my mouth! Ahh groooossssss! But it was a lot of fun.. we sat in the very front cart too :) ! After our day in the park was done, we saw fireworks for the third time in one week. Kings Dominion spared no expense at lighting up the sky with a gorgeous show.

So insanely pretty! I hope y'all had a happy fourth and fantastic couple of weeks since!

TOMs anyone? :

So, I just found a pair of the most amazing TOMs yet.

(Check them out)

But there's a problem...
THEY'RE OUT OF STOCK!

Now.. I've already got a pair of my own. They're some sort of suede with a soft, cushioned inside- much more comfortable than the regular canvas TOMs. I've worn them so much they're starting to tare down. I've had them about two years so I've gotten good use out of them..
Which means as soon as these canvas shoes come back in stock, I'm ordering them right away!!

Man, oh man, do I love TOMs.