The blonde behind the blog: Get to know me TAG

The blonde behind the blog: Get to know me TAG

by | May 16, 2016 | Living from the heart, Personal, Travel

I thought this would be a FUN way for you all to get to know me a bit more!
I found this idea over at Noobbeauty and just had to join in on the fun!
I loved these questions and would LOVE for you to answer them too if you’d like!!

Make sure to pop over to my FACEBOOK page and answer these in a post!! <3

HERE WE GO 🙂

What is your middle name? Dee!  I was named after my grandmother Delores and she always goes by Dee.  I’ve loved my middle name my whole life and that’s what I go by for business!

What was favorite subject at school? Hmmm… English was a favorite because I love to read and write but if I can be 100% honest, it was ART.  No matter what class it was, I absorbed it all in and loved pottery the most.  I dream of one day having my own studio in a garage xox

What is your favorite drink? Right now COFFEE.  Black with a splash of cream. OMG I could drink it all day every day!! I am also a sparkling water fanatic and love to put a couple drops of citrus essential oil in my bubbly.
When it comes to an adult beverage, I love a good RED!

What is your favorite song at the moment?  No longer slaves by Jonathan and Melissa Helser.  YOU. MUST. LISTEN!!!

What is your favorite food? Pizza.  I mean, is there another option??  Ok but really… I am currently craving Thai food something fierce!  Get some yellow curry in my belly!

What is the last thing you bought? An adorable pair of TOMS that I got at Ross for only $16.99! I have teensy feet and can fit into a kids size 4! LOVE!!!!!

 

Favorite book of all time? The Bible.  Where would I be without those words of LIFE!?

Favorite Color? Always and forever P  I  N  K  !  !  !  !

Do you have any pets? My furbabes and besties for life Lovie the fun-loving Yorkie and King Felix the tyrant of a cat 😉  I need to start-up their own Instagram because they are so cute!!!

Favorite Perfume? I stopped wearing perfume a few years back but have an Essential Oil blend that I swoon over!!  Its called the Joyful Blend and actually boosts the endorphin’s in my brain making me happier and healthier!

Favorite Holiday? I am all things CHRISTMAS!!!!  It’s the most magical and wonderful time of the year!  It’s when we celebrate the birth of Jesus! Happiest time you will see me… plus the weather is PERFECTION and I get to wear boots, scarves and pea coats!!!

Are you married? To my best friend and love of my life!  You can find our love story HERE <3  He was definitely worth the wait!  I would do it a thousand times over to be with him xox

Have you ever been out of the country, if so how many times? The travel bug hit me hard when I was younger and I love going overseas!  For both pleasure and ministry, I want to touch so many nations with the life and love of Jesus.  I have been to Mexico (for a missions trip when I was 16 and we also Honeymooned in Cancun!) Uganda (we helped build a medical clinic as well as a fresh water well!) Cairo, Egypt (I actually rode a camel around the pyramids… CRAZY!) England (London, Bath, Shaftsbury, Manchester) as well as Scotland!  Ready for my next adventure for sure!!!

Do you speak any other language? I wish I did but only a little bit of Spanish… Very little!

How many siblings do you have? One amazing sister who is my best friend in the world! And an incredible sister in LOVE that I get to keep forever <3

What is your favorite shop? Oh man… I have a few faves!  I have always been an American Eagle girl but looooooove the deals I can get at Macy’s!  I love finding a good bargain and am NOT attached to name brands!  Forever 21 is great for all the cheap trends I don’t want to spend a fortune on!!

Favorite restaurant? I have 2! Fogo De Chao, a Brazilian steakhouse is where we favorite EVERY year for my birthday but I also fell in love with the customer service at The Capital Grille 🙂  Perfect for an anniversary or celebration!

When was the last time you cried? Yesterday… The waves of sadness still creep up on me from time to time in loosing our first baby and the pain of miscarriage.  I miss our son so much but know that he is in perfection with Jesus!  That reality alone gives my heart so much HOPE!  We miss you little guy xox

Favorite Blog? I’m super crazy about my business coach and mentor Sandi Krakowski at arealchange.com 🙂  She is AMAZING!!!

Favorite Movie? You can’t have just one!  Beauty and the Beast, Little Mermaid, The Princess Bride, Die Hard trilogy, Lord of the Rings trilogy, How to lose a guy in 10 days, The Intern, Frozen (don’t judge!!) and so many others!!!!!!!!!!!

Favorite TV shows? 24, Person of Interest, Once Upon a Time, Agents of Shield, The Flash, HGTV (Fixer Upper is my fave but I will literally watch anything from there!) Madame Secretary, When Calls the Heart… SO many others!

PC or Mac?  I’m a rebel… CHROMEBOOK!  I know it is probably on the PC end… but its in a land of its own!

What phone do you have? A Sprint iPhone 6! Only the best!

How tall are you? 5″1 and a HALF!  I take my half very seriously thank you very much!!!

Can you cook? I looooooove to cook!  Every since we discovered how severe my gluten intolerance is, I had to get real crafty in the kitchen.  The only thing I haven’t mastered yet is the art of making a perfectly cooked steak.  I leave that and the grilling to the Mister.  He is WAY better at that than me!

WELL THERE YOU HAVE IT!!!  Now you know a bit more about ME and I want to know a bit more about YOU!

Comment your answers BELOW or pop over to my Facebook page and post some of them there!!!

xox,

 

WEEKEND REVIEW: Hilton Head Island

WEEKEND REVIEW: Hilton Head Island

by | Apr 26, 2016 | Living from the heart, Personal, Travel, Vacation

When life hands you lemons…
MAKE LEMONADE.

But isn’t lemonade bitter?
I think I needed something a little sweeter…

After a DIFFICULT 7 weeks, with a variety of personal challenges and struggles, we were at a point where we HAD to get away.  For our hearts… our sanity… and our marriage.

Gifted with a beautiful nights stay at a resort in Hilton Head Islands, we packed the bags and hit the road Friday night.

OH. MY. GOODNESS.
My heart and soul are SO refreshed!

RESORT: Sonesta Hilton Head love love loved this resort!  It had amazing service, wonderful grounds and fantastic amenities!  We enjoyed their gorgeous pool (with bar service), lovely poolside dining for lunch, private white sand beaches and loooooovely room.  The bed was SO plush and the room included a balcony (score!).  Though we weren’t there long, we want to plan another trip there soon.  The drive in alone was breathtaking!

DINNER: The Chart House we were craving delicious seafood and decided a splurge at this waterfront restaurant was in order.  It surely did not disappoint!  What I loved most is that they were very accommodating to my need to eat gluten free and ensured that there was no cross contamination. HUGE WIN!
We ordered the Shrimp, Crab, Avocado & Mango Stack for an appetizer and it was so light and refreshing.  For my entrée I chose the Bronzed Mahi Mahi: sweet & spicy seared fish, topped with lump crab, tomatoes, shallot butter and Yukon gold garlic mashed potatoes. OH MY SWOON!  Justin decided on the Peach-Bourbon Glazed Scallops & Shrimp: skillet fried corn with bacon with asparagus, red grape tomatoes & roasted red peppers.  So delicious and savory.  For dessert we chose our favorite Creme Brule and it was perfect! Paired with a Korbel Brut for me and a Blue Moon for him, we were happy as a clam!

Hilton Head was so gorgeous and I know that next time we will be able to take the time to explore more of the island.  For a spontaneous, gifted weekend away, these Atlanta residents were LOVING that little slice of paradise!

Have you adventured there in your travels!? Comment below with where you went and your favorite parts!

Here’s a couple of our highlights from the trip!

Till next time Hilton Head!

xox,

 

NC Weekend Getaway!

NC Weekend Getaway!

by | Jun 4, 2013 | Personal, Travel, Uncategorized, Vacation

I GOT TO SPEND AN ENTIRE WEEKEND AWAY WITH MY MR!!!

Justin and I just got back from our FIRST weekend getaway as a married couple and had SUCH a wonderful time with some of our dearest friends!  On May 27th, we celebrated 8 months of blissful marriage and decided it was time to have a little adventure!

Justin was able to get off work early, so I picked him up at 6pm!
(I know to most of you this is NORMAL or even late for a Friday, but it was anywhere from 2-4 hours early for us!!!)

As we drove to Charlotte North Carolina we stopped at a {surprisingly} BEAUTIFUL Rest Stop!
It had a gorgeous lake and woods and I made him do a spontaneous photo shoot!
***I LOVE THE SOUTH***
Did I mention how EXCITED I was to have a weekend getaway with my darling husband!!!?  My heart overflowed with love!

But lo and behold, even the shortest of road trips (ours being 4 hours!) causes one to be hungry!
SO LETS GET CHIPOTLE!!!
Its our FAVORITE cheap eats/semi fast food place to go and we were so stoked to have found one at the half way point!
Buuuuuuuut… It was No Bueno 🙁
Poor Boy. So sad.  Our favorite eatery had an OFF night to say the least {and we are NOT picky eaters!}
Rice-bland.  Meat-Forgot the seasoning.  Salsa-uhhh… wheres the kick!?
Half way through picking around my beautiful burrito bowl, I looked at him and asked
Me-“Is yours bland!?”  Him-“I was about to ask you the same thing!”

But we ate it, had full tummies and moved on with our weekend adventure!  Only a few more hours till we reached Charlotte! We pulled in just a bit past 10pm and were greated with joyful hellos from our dear friends Gavin, Colleen and their 3 year old princess Alyona!  We stayed up till almost 3am talking about life, the Lord and Colleens soon arriving baby boy Ethan and collapsed into bed.  What a gift it is to have friends so near and dear to our hearts close enough to still feel like we were on a mini vacation!

WE SLEPT IN!  Praise the Lord!!!
Gavin made us these decadent Paleo Pumpkin Raisin Breakfast muffins and we literally stayed in our PJ’s all day till we got ready for church that night!  My hair was CRAY and I had no makeup on and LOVED IT!!!

We were so excited to go to their new home church called Freedom House, and heard an amazing message on unforgivness!
We love the local church, and were honored to hear what the Lord is doing in NC!
After church, as we were on our way to dinner, we passed by a LEGIT snow cone stand and U-turned around so the 9month preggo lady could have a blue raspberry treat!
True love stands in a LONG line for snow cones 😉Dinner was at this delicious Tavern and we all got Burgers, some delicious fruity drinks and DESSERT 🙂

My baby LOVES his sweets ;)))

On our last day there, we decided it was the PERFECT day for a dip in the pool!
THIS IS THE WAY TO DO A WEEKEND VACAY!!!
I might have forgotten to put on sun block (ooooops!!) But it was SO worth it!
Justin and Gavin tossed the football for 2 hours in the pool while Colleen and I soaked up the sun!
To treat us before we hit the road, we dined on buffalo steaks (I die!) and coconut ice cream!
MY FAVE!!!
What a gift our dear friends are to our hearts!  We so enjoyed our time, and didn’t want to leave, but had to hit the road!
Till next time NC!

Cheers! Rachael & Justin xox