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Friday, March 28, 2014

Friday Five

Hope y'all have had a great week! I can't believe March is almost over. I'm linking up with A.Liz Adventures and friends again this week for Friday Five!


 1. Lilly Pulitzer Perfume
I thought Lilly perfume was long gone, so I was super excited to find not one but TWO bottles at TJ Maxx during my lunch break this week!

2. Precious Quote 
I often struggle with unfulfilled dreams and desires. One in particular was particularly weighing me down this week, so I went back and re-read this beautiful quote that a precious friend texted me a couple weeks ago. It's a great reminder to keep my eyes on Jesus and make Him my number one obsession. Easier said than done though!

3. Consolation Treats
A couple of my awesome co-workers knew I would be feeling rough after UNC's loss in the second round of the NCAA Tourney last Sunday, so they brought me some treats on Monday to cheer me up.

4. Free Chick-fil-a Birthday Cookie
One of the best things about having a Chick-fil-a calendar card is that you get a free cookie the month of your birthday. I went ahead and redeemed mine this week! Yum!

5. Birthday Celebration Begins
I have a sweet friend in town this weekend to help me get my birthday celebration underway! We went out tonight to watch March Madness, even though my Tar Heels are out of the tourney. And I laughed at myself due to the fact that I wore a Lilly dress out to watch basketball, as this represents an unlikely combination of obsessions that one girl might have. My friend replied to my observation by simply saying "only you Liz."

Hope y'all have a great weekend!
-Liz
xoxo

Friday, March 21, 2014

Friday Five

1. MARCH MADNESS
This weekend might be my favorite of the whole entire year because there is non-stop basketball from noon-midnight on Thursday-Sunday. This year's March Madness hasn't disappointed. I am especially thrilled that Dook lost in the first round (even though my bracket didn't call that upset) and that UNC survived and advanced with a close win against Providence (they about gave me a heart attack in the process, however!). My bracket is actually doing really well and I did pick some upsets correctly, including Dayton, Harvard, and SF Austin!

2. Easter Candy
Easter candy is truly the best, and I love that I can buy these huge variety packs at BJ's!

3. O For A Thousand Tongues by James Ward
Last Sunday at church the closing hymn was a different arrangement of the classic hymn "O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing." I loved singing this version because it's so upbeat and full of joy. It was perfect for concluding a worship service. You can listen to it here.




Friday, March 14, 2014

Friday Five

Hope y'all have had a great week! I'm linking up again with A. Liz Adventures!


1. Lilly Pulitzer Croakies
This Spring Lifeguard Press has redesigned their Lilly Pulitzer sunglasses straps so that they are higher quality. The sides are sewn together rather than just glued onto a center piece of fabric that would come unattached easily. If you have bought Lilly sunglasses straps in the past you will know exactly what I'm talking about. The gold accents contribute to the higher quality design. I bought them in the Elephant Ears print.

2. Kate Spade Sunglasses

A few months ago I bought another pair of sunglasses to add to my collection, but am just now featuring them on here. The Saks outlet had a great sale, so I scored these polarized Kate Spade sunnies with a retro look to them. My favorite little detail is the design on the inside of the arms. 

3. Chex Mix Funfetti Muddy Buddies
I couldn't resist buying a bag of these when I saw them at Target recently. Definitely my favorite flavor of Puppy Chow I've tried!

4. Don't Compare Yourself to Others
This quote was in a really great chapter I read in my Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl book. I might have to do another blog post soon about things I've learned from this book, but basically this chapter talked about how things aren't always what they seem when we compare ourselves to someone else and long for her circumstances. God has given each of us a unique set of blessings and trials which He has uniquely equipped us and no one else for. And that is a comforting thought! His plan is PERFECT!

5. March Madness!
Although my Tar Heels did not fare well in the ACC Tournament today, I have still enjoyed watching the games. There have been some instance battles so far. NC State upset Syracuse and then Clemson almost upset Dook. I was soooo hoping the Tigers could pull it off! I love conference tournament weekend because it gets me even more in the mood for the NCAA Tournament to begin next week! And the weekend culminates with the NCAA Selection Show as they reveal the brackets for the Big Dance. 

Have a great weekend and Go Heels!!!
-Liz
xoxo


Thursday, March 13, 2014

Winter 2014 Recap- My Great Snow Adventure

Winter 2014 was definitely one of the worst in years, weather-wise. Since I have not been diligent about blogging the past couple months, I want to recap my Great Snow Adventure of 2014 one month later, because it is too eventful not to share. So let's back up to the morning of February 12, 2014. I headed to work like any other day, but due to the forecast of snow in central North Carolina I figured I would only be working half a day. So in preparation I wore my Hunter boots. Usually when it starts snowing around here it begins with flurries and then gradually gets stronger and starts accumulating. So I wasn't too worried about leaving work at the first sign of snow and getting home safely, even though I live about 20 minutes away from work. So, a little before 1:00pm that day I left work when it first started to snow, along with everyone else in my office. I got on I-40 and things were okay at first. The snow was coming down pretty steadily but I turned my windshield wipers on and the roads were still clear enough that I could drive safely. However, the snow kept coming down harder and harder, and when I was about 5-6 miles from the exit I get off at to go to my apartment, traffic slowed down drastically. Cars were creeping along, and the snow continued to pour down. I should note that I drive a Honda Accord. Definitely NOT 4-wheel drive, and pretty much useless for driving in rapidly accumulating snow. For a little bit I was able to creep along the highway, and by this time my anxiety level was super high. Then I started slipping and sliding, and my car got stuck. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to make it home, so I was able to get my car unstuck enough to pull it over to the side of the interstate. I tried to call my parents, my roommate, and Triple A, but my iPhone wasn't making calls. I could text though, so I asked my parents and my roommate to call Triple A for me and tell them where I was stranded. When I wasn't getting responses after a few minutes I made the decision to get my purse and another bag out of my car, lock it, and walk. THANKFULLY, I was really close to an exit that had hotels, so I walked to the closest one, which was right across the top of the exit. I still walked about half a mile though, and I was so glad I was wearing my Hunter boots. They literally saved my tail that day! Once I got into the hotel lobby I was able to check my phone and see that my mom had left a voicemail but I was still having a hard time making calls. The nice lady working at the front desk let my use her phone to call my mom back. My mom informed me that there was a four hour wait for Triple A in my area, and that I should see if they had a room at the hotel. At this time it was probably a little bit after 2:00pm, and the hotel said that they had been sold out since noon that day. Since the hotel was so close to the airport and flights had already been cancelled, this did not surprise me. So it looked like I would be spending the night in the hotel lobby. To add to my anxiety, that day happened to be the one day I did not grab my iPhone charger. While my phone had about 90% charge when I got to the hotel, I was anxious about keeping it on since I didn't know how long I would be stuck there. In addition, that day was also the one day I didn't grab my Bible, journal, or other reading material, so I didn't really have anything to do while I kept my phone turned off to conserve battery. There was a computer in the business center of the hotel lobby that I could access though (albeit slow). So I got on to Facebook and updated my status on where I was, and that my phone was off to conserve battery. At that point the Carolina-Dook basketball game had not been cancelled yet, so I knew that people would think I was dead if I didn't talk about it on social media and didn't respond to texts about it, so I was glad to let the world know I would have my phone mostly off but would be watching it in the hotel lobby. Well, the snowstorm was so bad they ended up postponing the game until eight days later. You know it's BAD when the greatest rivalry in all of sports is postponed! I also sent a few emails to people. Later in the afternoon and into the evening the snow turned into freezing rain and ice. Eventually a room opened up so I didn't have to spend the night in the lobby. Someone from church actually wanted to come pick me up that night, but I told them to stay safe at home. And I found someone else stranded in the lobby that had an iPhone 4 charger, so I hung out downstairs for awhile and watched the Olympics while my phone was charging. I was also fortunate I had some snacks on me, so I wasn't too hungry. I somehow managed to sleep okay after going up to my room, but I still had some anxiety the next morning when I woke up because I still wasn't sure when I was going to be able to make it to my apartment where clean clothes and a phone charger and entertainment awaited me. Plus my car was still stranded on the side of I-40 and I was supposed to go out of town that weekend. And it was already Thursday and the snow and ice wasn't going to be melting that day. Plus more precipitation was supposed to fall later in the day. Ugh!!! I called Triple A but they weren't going to be able to come pick me up anytime soon since there was still a delay in my area. The main roads had been cleared overnight, so luckily one of the amazing pastors from my church with a heavy duty four-wheel drive vehicle was able to safely come pick me up from the hotel and take me to my apartment. I was able to spend the rest of that Thursday relaxing on the couch watching the Olympics. On Friday after the temperatures got above freezing and stuff started to melt, my roommate took me to retrieve my abandoned car. I thought I would find it sitting there and ready to drive. My car was sitting on the side of the road alright, but it was surrounded by a pile of snow from where the snow plows had come through. I couldn't even open the door on the driver's side- I had to climb over the passenger seat to get into the drivers' seat. There was no way I was going to be able to get out of the snow pile on my own so I called Triple A yet again. It was going to be at least two hours before they could come pull my car out of the mess. My roommate's parents live about 10 minutes from where my car was stranded, so they came and helped shovel snow around my car and tried to push it out of the snow pile. We made some progress, and then finally a random guy with a pick-up truck stopped and attached my car to his truck with a cord and literally pulled my car out. I was then finally able to hit the road and safely make it to SC to spend the weekend with friends.
This snow adventure is one of the scariest things that ever happened to me, but God was faithful through it all. It really could've been a lot worse. I'm so grateful I was near a safe, clean hotel when I got stuck rather than out in the middle of nowhere. I'm grateful there was a public computer at the hotel that I could use to check Facebook and email. And I'm thankful that there was another person stranded on the way home from work who had an iPhone 4 charger I was able to use so I didn't have to leave my phone off the whole time. Here are some pictures from my adventure:

So glad I was wearing my Hunter Boots the day I got stranded!

Took some pics on the deck of our apartment once I finally made it home safe after a night in a hotel.
Outfit Details: Hat- Target; Fleece and Scarf: Lilly Pulitzer, Leggings: Old Navy, Boots: Hunter

What my car looked like when I found went to retrieve it from the side of the interstate two days after the storm.


Now let's hurry up Spring!
-Liz
xoxo

Friday, March 7, 2014

Friday Five

I have seriously been the worst blogger in 2014. I'm still adjusting to working full-time, settling into a new place, and finding time to blog regularly. But I'm finally back with another Friday Five and linking up with A. Liz Adventures and friends!


1. Carolina Beats Duke!

Okay so this shows how bad I've been about blogging. I haven't blogged since Carolina beat Duke two weeks ago. The Heels were down for most of the game but made a comeback in the final minutes to emerge victorious. The big test will be tomorrow night when they travel to Duke to play the final regular season game. Carolina is on a 12-game winning streak and I'm hoping they can make it 13!


2. Tory Burch Amanda Classic Hobo in Royal Tan
I had been wanting a large tan leather purse for awhile, and had my eyes on this Tory Burch bag from the Amanda collection for awhile. So a few weeks I splurged and treated myself to it. I think of it as a Valentine's Day present and early birthday present (my birthday is at the end of March.) It is a great size- big enough to hold all my essentials plus plenty of room for a book, journal, or planner. Yet it's not too big- since I'm only 5'3" huge leather handbags tend to overwhelm my frame. The Amanda hobo is perfect though, and and the exterior pockets are perfect for my iPhone. The logo flap on the front opens up to reveal a pocket, and there is also an open pocket on the back. I like that this purse has the option of a long strap to be worn over the shoulder or messenger style, but I prefer to carry it by the shorter handles over my shoulder. If you're looking to invest in a nice tan leather handbag, I highly recommend the Tory Burch Amanda hobo!

3. Pink Gingham Southern Proper Frat Hat
I couldn't resist adding another Southern Proper Frat Hat to my collection recently. This pink gingham is adorable and I feel like it's so "me."

4. It's March!
Even though the beginning of March still feels like winter (and this year is DEFINITELY no exception), I always love the arrival of March because psychologically I know that that cold days will soon be coming to a close and Spring is on its way. It also means the best month of college basketball has arrived, and it's my birthday month! I find it fitting that my Lilly planner featured one of my all-time favorite prints, Chin Chin, on the cover page for March.

5. Becoming More Than A Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa Terkeurst
I'm currently reading this book and doing the Participant's Guide on my own. My mentor is reading it for the Bible Study she leads on Wednesday nights in SC, the same Bible Study I used to be part of until I moved back to NC. So it's cool to be able to talk with her about stuff I'm learning even though I can't be there in person each week. The book is amazing and I'll have to write another post later on lesson's I've learned from it!

Have a great weekend and Go Heels!
-Liz
xoxo