October 2015

This month was jam-packed and full of travel, fun, and friends. The first weekend was ASU Homecoming (10-2-10/4). Jack and I rented a cabin with some friends from college. We laughed all weekend trying to count up how many bears we could find in the place. Literally there must have been over 100 statues, pictures, cups, etc. that all had bears on them. Although it poured the entire weekend, we did not let the rain stop us from having a great time. Friday we stayed at the cabin, played Wii, and hung out waiting for everyone to arrive. Saturdaymorning we headed to Big House to tailgate and watch the game since it was…pouring & quite cold. For dinner went to Lost Province Brewing Company . Their pizza and beer we delicious and I am looking forward to going back soon. After dinner, we headed to Boone Saloon where we ran into some other old college friends. Sunday we watched the Panthers beat Tampa Bay & now we’re 4-0!!

10/9 -10/11 started out with dinner at Mellow Mushroom followed by a surprise party for one of Jack’s best friends, Ben, and he was truly surprised. Saturday Jack and I picked out pumpkins for a pumpkin carving party that evening to celebrate Amanda’s Birthday. We watched football, carved pumpkins, drank spiked apple cider, cooked a spaghetti dinner, and topped the night off with a slice of pumpkin pie. The pumpkin winners were #1- Amanda, #2- Me, and #3-Jack. Sunday Jack ended up really sick—not exactly sure what from--- which allowed me to get some chores done (insert frown face). Thankfully, the Panther’s had a Bye week—so Jack did not miss a game.

Top left to right: Canaan, Amanda, Nach, Goddard
Bottom left to right: Elise, Jack, Allison, Kirkham, BethAnn

10/15-10/18 was full of  celebrations. Thursday, 10/15, was the wedding of my friends Jessi & Sean. I was so happy to see them finally tie the knot during an intimate ceremony at the Morehead Inn in Charlotte. Old friends Holly, Jordan, and Mike came in from out of town and it was wonderful getting to catch up with them. Friday I headed to Mount Airy to visit with family and leaf-peep. Mrs. Linda (Jack’s mom) had prepared the most delicious meatloaf dinner when I arrived. I LOVEE meatloaf—owning it! Saturday Jack and I were in Greensboro celebrating the engagement of my sorority sister, Katie, who now lives in Alabama. I enjoyed seeing some of my Chi O sisters as well as friends from college. On the way home (to MA) Jack and I picked up Bill’s Pizza. If you are ever passing through Greensboro and need a bite to eat you should stop at Bills. The pizza is delicious- almost all toppings & little crust. Sunday mid-day we drove on the parkway to “leaf peep”. The trees and colors were beautiful and I enjoyed the crisp, clean, fresh air as we drove around. Sunday afternoon we cheered the Panthers to another win over Seattle—and now we are 5-0!!!

Almost every week, Sara, Katie, Jennifer and I have some form of dinner together. We take turns cooking and on 10/21 Sara’s mom was visiting and cooked for us all. I wish that I had taken more pictures, but our apartment was turned into a beautiful dinner setting. She had flowers, wine, appetizers, cute napkins, dinner, and dessert for all of us—it was truly amazing and I am so thankful. Friday, 10/23, I took off to go to the N.C. State Fair with my mom, Alex, and Jack stopped by for a little bit too. My favorite part was the bumper cars—a family favorite.Saturday I ran errands and got a new computer. Sunday I was back in Charlotte for Amanda & Canaan’s gender reveal party. Although I started our girl, by the time of the party I was team boy. Jack was team boy the entire time… and guess what??? They’re having a BOY!!! If that was not enough excitement, Jack and I had great tickets to the Sunday Night Football game-- Panthers vs. Eagles, which was a franchise history record of 6-0!!!

Monday, 10/26, Sara and I hosted our friends for a Halloween Wine Night and Winston dressed up in his Halloween costume, a lobster. Later in the week, I burnt the Halloween cupcakes but it turned out to be alright because on 10/30 the company had a Halloween celebration and we had these delicious cupcakes.

10/31 was Halloween!!

XX

ETB

September 2015

whew! this is a little long but HOW could it not be long... I am covering 30 days in a catch-up post. Enjoy!

First stop—DALLAS 8/31-9/1— for a short two day work trip. The hotel where we stayed was super nice and served these cool waffles in the morning. While in Dallas, we drove past the Cowboys stadium, which was neat, and we also ate at In-N-Out burger. This was my first time and I loved how the menu is just a few items, it makes ordering easy & the food was delicious too!

Labor Day 2015 Jack and I traveled to Oak Island with our friends Ben, Christina, Brooke, and Zac. We stayed in a tiny house that was just a few steps away from the ocean. The weather our first beach day was great. We played bocce ball, Christina’s parents came up to visit us, we met a dog wearing doggles, and we went to dinner at Frying Pan in Southport for dinner. Our second day was a little drearier, but we still made it out to the beach and had an afternoon dance party at the house. That evening, we decided to stay on the island. We played putt-putt and tried to have dinner at an oyster bar, which turned into a disaster mixed with monsoon rain. Needless to say, we ended up back at the house and made frozen pizza & pasta. On Monday before we left, we headed to Southport one last time for some seafood at Provision Company.

9/11-9/13 I headed up the mountain to Seven Devils, NC to spend the weekend with my Life Group. We stayed in a huge cabin and in the basement there were enough beds for us all to stay in one room. The first night was when the launch of the iPhone6S went live, and we stayed up until at least 3:30 in the morning talking & so one of the girls could place her order. In the morning we went on a hike to see a waterfall and the leaves were just beginning to change colors. We also stopped over at the original Mast General Store where I scored a new Columbia coat @ 50% off!!-- you know your girl LOVES a good deal In the afternoon we went to Grandfather Vineyard and Winery. My favorite wine was the red Grandfather blend. Sunday morning I headed to Raleigh to hang out with my parents since I had an eye doctor’s appointment on Monday.

While driving to Raleigh, I received a call from Jack that Enzo had gone to doggie heaven. I will never forget the call because I was driving past the exit where Jack and I met his parents when we first went to go pick up little Enzo. Enzo was such a loving dog and I miss him very much, especially around Halloween. Enzo loved to celebrate Halloween just like I did. You might remember this post on his Halloween costumes. RIP Enzo, I love you!

On 9/19 my committee for Junior League hosted our Family Health Link event, where we provide pre-K and Kindergarten children with physicals, dental check-ups, vision screenings, and hearing screenings, which are all required for these students to continue in school. We served over 100 kids that day and although the day was long & the hours were tough, I was humbled by serving so many in our community. That evening Jack and I celebrated the engagement of our friends, Andy & Kayla, at their Stock the Bar party. 

My parents celebrated their 30^th wedding anniversary on 9/21 and 9/26 Jack celebrated his Golden Birthday, 26 on the 26^th!! Although it was yet again a dreary, rainy day we made the most of it. For lunch we celebrated with Ben and Christina at The Porchfollowed by a visit to Raylen Vineyards. For dinner we went to a new restaurant in Winston, Quanto Basta Italian Eatery & Wine Bar, with Jack’s family. Everything we ate was amazing and I hope that we go back soon **hint hint**. Sunday, per Jack’s request, we had a cookout and cheered on the Panthers in their victory over the Saints. Since the theme was all things panthers, I got Jack a new Panthers polo and made him personalized "you pick the game" Panther's tickets. Also, check out the awesome cake that Jack’s mom custom ordered from Lorene's Bakery!!

A few other fun things in September: 

-Jack, Amanda, Canaan and I went to Scarowinds on the first night it opened.

-Amanda revealed to our friends that she’s pregnant and due in March 2016!!

-One of my dearest friends, Lyndsey and her husband, moved back to the States from Puerto Rico.

-A picture of Jack's family from Eve & Gray's wedding was in the 2015 Triad Weddings Fall/Winter Magazine.

-Brooke, Lyndsey, Amanda, Sarah Jo, and I met for lunch one afternoon, which was so nice because almost everyone else lives in a different city/state.

- I worked out a lot and have kept up eating healthy, for the majority of the time.

- Not so fun first—I got rear ended on 9/22, thankfully I was not hurt, and now my car is all fixed up!

xx

ETB