Things I’m Loving Friday #392

Hello from Florida! We are in Jacksonville this morning but only for a hot second. Ryan, the boys, my father-in-law and I all drove down to Florida yesterday because we have a wedding to attend this weekend! My parents will actually be watching the boys for us this weekend (thank you Mae and Pop!) and Ryan, Greg and I will be saying goodbye this morning and heading to Orlando for Ryan’s cousin’s wedding. Ryan is the best man in the wedding (Daniel was also the best man in our wedding!) and we cannot wait to celebrate such a special day in his life! His fiancé Katie seems like his perfect match and we’ve been looking forward to their wedding for months.

Before I unplug this weekend, I wanted to quickly pop in today with some highlights from last week, Things I’m Loving style. Every Friday I try to roundup a few things that made me smile throughout the week and, as always, I welcome you to chime in and tell me about something that is making you smile in the comments section of this post. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Things I’m Loving Friday

• Savannah Girls’ Trip

(Top: ASTR via RueLaLa but unfortunately sold out / Flare Jeans / Booties)

Last weekend I spent my first two days away from the boys since Rhett was born. I missed my crew a lot but some time away from mom life and work was just what I needed. We headed off to celebrate my friend Lauren’s birthday in Savannah, Georgia and even though pretty much all of our plans got scrapped due to 24/7 rain, we still had the best time. (Most long-time readers probably know of Lauren as Chase’s BFF Claire‘s mom.)

(Dress: cupcakes and cashmere but last year / Booties)

It seems like this phase of life with multiple little ones running around all day has many of us feeling drained and our girls’ trip rejuvenated me and helped me recognize that I cannot juggle as much as I think I can sometimes.

Rhett recently transitioned to one nap a day and with my naptime work windows dwindling and Ryder out of school all week last week, I felt like I was scrambling to find any windows of time to be productive. News flash: Productivity is impossible with a one-year-old and a three-year-old to care for all day. Connecting with my friends about some of the things we’re all struggling with as mothers helped me feel less alone and recognize that the feeling of trying to do it all and failing to do it all is very common. It’s a crazy season of life for so many of us right now and I’m so grateful to have friends who make me feel supported, understood and uplifted.

As for the trip itself, it was wonderful! We spent a lot of time in pajamas, sipping wine and prosecco, eating candy and talking late into the night. We also made it out to Alligator Soul, a beautiful restaurant with a cozy, speak-easy vibe. The restaurant is located underground and offers creative takes on southern fare. I ordered The Duke cocktail and the gumbo for dinner and loved both options. We also shared the tempura alligator to start and it was a savory delight!

One of my favorite parts of the trip was setting up a surprise birthday spread for Lauren! Everyone contributed with decorations, sweet treats, prosecco, face masks, etc. and she was thrilled! I also couldn’t resist ordering some custom koozies when I saw them on Etsy!

If you ever need custom koozies, I cannot recommend the CarolinaCanCoolers Etsy shop enough. They did a great job adding a little birthday hat to Lauren’s photo and the turnaround time was crazy fast — we’re talking less than a week!

• Fall Colors

I think this year’s fall is one of the most gorgeous falls I’ve experienced since we moved to North Carolina. Everywhere you look there are vibrant reds, oranges and yellows and, for the most part temperatures have been a little warmer than usual. We had a gorgeous 70-degree week and I was reminded exactly why fall is my favorite season of the year.

• Mini Thanksgiving

Our family won’t be together for Thanksgiving this year so my mom planned the sweetest surprise and made a mini Thanksgiving dinner for our whole crew last night. My sister, brother-in-law and nieces joined us for a big turkey dinner with all the sides and digging into stuffing and pumpkin pie a few weeks early made me feel like the holiday season is officially here!

• Burn Boot Camp Leg Workout

Wednesday’s Burn Boot Camp was a hamstring and booty burner! I’m still feeling a little sore this morning and knew I needed to share it with you guys today. I only made one change to the workout and loved the way it moved quickly from one exercise to the next, making time pass by fast, especially for a leg workout!

• Friday Flashbacks

Pumpkin Icebox Cake (A fall favorite and one I think is even worthy of serving on Thanksgiving!)

Do Anywhere Workout (A great one to keep in mind if you’re looking to work up a sweat while traveling over the holidays.)

 

• Question of the Day

What is one thing you’re loving this week?