Granny B's 90th birthday

On valentines day we had a little road trip to Whitesburg, aka my hometown in Eastern KY.

Baby brother, hubby and I pilled in my SUV an headed home for a very special occasion.....to celebrate my Granny's 90th birthday. Did I tell you it was a surprise party?!? 

Let me back up for a few seconds and mention that nobody in my family expected this day to happen, making it even more special for my family. You see, Granny B suffered a major heart attack last summer and has never truly recovered. She requires 24/7 care split between a paid caregiver and my dad and his two brothers. For the woman who loves to get up and go, it's been really hard for her. She's always tired and can't do the things she used to love to do - going to church religiously, weekly trips to "Pennys" (aka J.C. Penny) and any excuse to shop for a new handbag or "pretty suit". I know exactly who I get my love for shopping from. It's clearly in my blood. 

Keeping a surprise from her is almost impossible. She may be the nosiest person I know. She lives right next door to my parents and knows every step anybody in my family makes. We love her dearly for it. Growing up, I can always remember exactly 2.5 minutes after we walked in the door to my house, that  the phone would ring. It would of course be Granny, wanting to know every detail of what we had been doing. She's a trip. 

So Satruday morning I called her and told her that Kevin Rex and I wanted her to come over for dinner. I also told her that she knows I would be taking photos and we needed to get cleaned up. Her reply "Now Whitney Elaine, I am not getting out of my pajamas...and you are just gonna have to be okay with that." That of course wasn't going to happen. When you turn 90 you need to wear your pearls, your wig, your lipstick and Kentucky Blue...duh!

So the inner occupational therapist came out in full force and off to Granny's house I went to giver her a bath and doll her up. It's the first time she's had on makeup since Christmas. I even pulled out the lipstick and she couldn't have looked prettier. (even if she secretly hated it the whole time....can we say DIVA?!?! she totally is and i love it!) 

My brother and Dad pushed her across the street in her wheelchair through two inches of snow to my parents' house. Where everyone was hiding......and then SURPRISE!!!!

We had a small get together of about 20 people. Mostly immediate family, but some of Granny's friends and her caregivers. It was perfect. I snapped away on my camera and will cherish these pictures forever. She was so happy and so surprised. 

My  mom and aunts made hot dogs/hamburgers and endless amounts of appetizers and finger foods. It all came together so well. 

Here is my other grandmother...aka Mammy Dot...she's such a sneaky little bird. Always into something. She now lives with my parents as her dementia continues to progress. She's a hoot and we love her. Her and my granny are total opposites and it cracks us up. 

Granny racked up in the gift department :-)

And this non-pinterest worthy cake is the best sheet cake I have ever tasted. It was made by a lady in the community who is famous for her birthday cakes. Growing up in Whitesburg, an "Abbey-cake" was the epitome of a good birthday party. So darn good. 

Ohmygoodness how cute is the picture of Granny and her bestie? I can't take it :-)

She talks to this woman on the phone more than I talk to all of my besties combined. I am talking hours. It's so sweet to me. 

Granny and  three of her grandchildren....she has 6 total. 

Granny and her baby Boy. It's a big joke in our family that my dad is the favorite. The secret is that it couldn't be farther from the truth. He is 110% her baby.....still today! 

To prove it...after the party and everyone had left, I was int he room with her and dad and she looked over it at him and said 

"thank you Steve so so so much for doing all of this. it means so much to me. i can't believe you did all of this"

Say what?!?! I am pretty sure my dad didn't do a thing...that it was all my mom and I pulling this off. But that's just the thing, she would of course give my dad all the credit! 

Granny and her three lil redneck boys. Boy, did she have her handfuls raising them...and that is putting in mildly.

It's been a rough year for Granny, but she made it to the big nine - zero! That's truly an accomplishment. We love her dearly as she is the matriarch in our family and has held us all together. She has lived without my papaw for over 30 years and still wears her wedding ring everyday. 

I see so much of myself in her - my inner diva, my love for shipping, my nosey nelly-ness, my tendency to stress over everything.....oh i could go on. While I consider myself close to all my grandparents, she takes the cake. I grew up next door to Granny B and she was so involved in mine and baby brother lives as children and adults. She attended every graduation from kindergarten to graduate school, she was at every gymnastics recital and cheerleading competition, she tailgated with us through baby brother's college football games in her late 80's, she drove me to piano lessons and picked me up from school when mom and dad couldn't. She was right next door when my brother drank the last bit of milk, she was there when I wanted to play dress up in all her jewelry and shoes, she was there when I was learning to drive and would almost giver her a panic attack.......and the list goes on. There are not many childhood memories that she isn't a part of....and for that I will always be grateful. I am thankful for every day God still gives us with her. 

I don't know how many birthdays we have left with Granny B, but i have a feeling she's a tough cookie and she just might make it to 100. 

Happy 90th birthday Granny! 

That's My Kinda Night (Luke Bryan Concert)

Last friday night was definitely my kinda night. Literally right up my alley.

Kev and I headed to Lexington to watch Mr. Luke Bryan shake it for me (shake it for Kev ....not so much, but he is a fan of his. just not so much in the booty shaking department).  

Insert shameless car selfie here.

And yes, I rocked a headband, it's a given for country music concerts. Just channeling my inner Carrie Underwood.....

I was so excited to be back in my old stomping ground. I miss Lexington so, so much. It will always be my second home.

We met my bestie and her hubby downtown at Shakespeare and Company for dinner before the concert. Kev and I love this restaurant. The goat cheese and beet salad was on point as well as their bbq pizza that Kev and I split. In true Kentucky spirit, we sipped on some bourbon in a few mint juleps. They make a damn good mint julep at that restaurant. We ran into a few friendly faces while downtown and it was so refreshing.

This little lovey ran into my hubby while I was in the ladies room. We had texted earlier about meeting up and we made it happen. I sure do miss my Jilly and can't wait to see her again soon. We already have lunch plans in the next week or so when I am back in Lex. 

Hubs and I kinda matched in our button ups. I swear it was unintentional, but cute nonetheless. 

Lee Brice and Cole Swindell opened up the show. We are big Lee Brice fans and were also pleasantly surprised how much we liked Cole. 

But the best was yet to come......

I stole these pics from my girlfriend's facebook account. Ummm no, our seats were not this close. 

Luke set Rupp Arena on fire. I have been to my share of concernts at Rupp, but none this crowded. It was truly sold out and Mr. Bryan brought his A-game.
He covered Dwight Yoakum, Mackelomore and Ryan Lewis, and Tiao Cruz and of course played all his current and past hits.

I teared up during Drink A Beer. It gets me every time. I tried to mentally prepare for it, but hearing it live was hard for me emotionally. It hits so hard to home with what my brother is still going through with the recent loss of his best friend.

Back to happy thoughts......the man literally did not stop shaking his derrière. So much hip action throughout the entire night.

oh luke.......

So much fun in historical Rupp  .....I don't think Megan and I sat down one time while he played.
Thumbs up Luke Bryan.....you played one hell of a show!

Until we meet again :-)

Five on Friday

It's friday again....yaaaaaay! I love my three day weekends. Oh you didnt know I have fridays off? Yeah it's pretty sweeeeeet. I love this part-time work thing. 

Back to business, it's one of my favorite blog days...five on friday.

1. One of our favorite couples surprised us with an impromptu visit to Northern KY on tuesday night. We had casual date night at Flipdaddy's and it was perfection. We love Chris and Dana to pieces. So excited about our trip to Atlanta to the SEC tournament with them in March. 

2. Some new things! These adorable earrings that came in my mailbox yesterday. Did I mention they were only 6 bucks??!?! My sweet friend makes them and I am pretty sure you all should head on over to her etsy shop and check them out. More patterns to come. 

This pillow that Dana ordered for me. Sooo me!

These vests that I snagged on clearance. I swore to myself this was my last winter clothing purchase. 

3. Remember when I posted about being so excited for Luke Bryan??? Well that didn't happen. The concert was cancelled/rescheduled. Sad face. Never fear, the concert is scheduled for tomorrow night. So so so excited to see him at Rupp. 

4. I started breaking out the Spring decor this week. There is still some snow on the ground, but it was almost 65 degrees here yesterday. Bring it Spring. I am so ready to see you!!!

5. Most of you that follow me on instagram already know, but my sweet granny turned 90 last sunday. It was a very special day for our family as she has had a very difficult year with her heath. Last summer we honestly didn't think this day would have ever came. I can't wait to share the full recap next week. 

That's it for me today. Happy friday y'all!!! 

is it just me or has life been a little too busy to squeeze time in for blogging?!?! 

i do love this little space of mine to document mine and kev's life....like LOVE it, but lately it's taking the back seat, and i am actually a-okay with it. it's just kind of dropped a little bit lower on my priority list. it comes after church time, husband time, family time, friend time, meal time, work time, workout time, house-to-do time and doggy time. and that's ok. i am just trying to embrace extra time i have day to day and not try to force time to blog....and that settles just fine with me. does that resonate with anybody else out there? :-)

The Exploring Cincinnati Chronicles

Kev and I have been exploring Cincinnati one weekend at a time. However, the weather has not cooperated. We have had so much snow this winter, therefore most of our weekends have been spent snowed in at our house. Don't get me wrong, we are total homebodies with a capital H, but we are beginning to get cabin fever. Can't wait to explore more of our new city as soon as the weather breaks. I have made it my mission to blog about our adventures in this town and hope you enjoy them as well. 

After church last Sunday, Kev and I headed downtown Cincy for lunch at Nada. Sweet Katie had recommended it when we first moved and it has been on my radar for weeks. Let me tell you....it did not disappoint. Think chic and eclectic mexican food. My mouth is watering just thinking about their chips and queso. So so so good. 

Even though it was freeeeeeezing, it was so fun walking around downtown Cincy and stopping by fountain square. If it had been a tad bit warmer I think I could have talked Kev into ice skating.

Sometimes it blows my mind that I live in a full blown city. I grew up in a town with three stoplights and the closest Walmart still closes at 6pm on sunday. I grew up very naive and sheltered, and I wouldn't change a single thing about it. With that being said, downtown Cincy overwhelms me at times, and it always shocks Kev to remember that I have only lived two places my whole life prior to our move....Lexington, KY and Whitesburg, KY. (He still doesn't know how I managed two weeks in Europe at the age of 22 haha!)So when we first walked into the restaurant I immediately went into my shell. It was hopping and full of so many different types of people....and I LOVE THAT, but I can't believe i live here. Like I live right next to a big, bad city. How did that happen lol?!?! I can't wait for us to explore more things here together....i may have a two page list of things I want us to do....and every time we cross the bridge, I get so awe struck by the city skyline. It's gorgeous and I am learning to call it home.

but remember,  you can take the girl out of the country, but you can never take the country out of the girl :-) Amen!  

3 years ago....

three years ago yesterday, Kev put a ring on it. 

three years!!?! where does the time go. i was very nostalgic yesterday. reflecting over where our relationship has been and where it's going. i thought i loved him three years ago, but that doesn't even compare to the way i love him now. 

marriage with kev is so easy. don't get me wrong, sure, we have our little fights, but always over something so small and trivial. he's easy to love. our marriage comes easy.

i am so blessed and thankful to have found him. we don't celebrate anniversaries other than our marriage anniversary. and i can't even tell you the exact date of when we started dating.......but today I just wanted to acknowledge this moment in time three years ago.....it changed my life all for the better. can't wait to continue to share my life with this man. 

just a few photos to capture such an exciting time in our lives....the engagement phase. enjoy! 

you can see more engagement photos

here 

here 

and 

here 

Happy Hump Day! 

Five on Friday: Blog Life vs. Real Life in Our house

Linking up with the fabulous five on friday gals to discuss blog live vs. real life.
 I think it's very easy to look at photos and blog posts and think "well their lives look so perfect"....when we all know that is just not the case.
 I am the first one to admit that sometimes social media/instagram/bloglife is really pretty with all the perfectly edited photos and their filters................
- that it's easy to blog about makeup, home decor, and what you do on the weekends......................
- that blogging tends to mask the shi**ty stuff that life throws us......................
and that is A-OKAY in my book.
I love coming to this little happy place of mine and putting whatever the heck I want to put on it. I love the relationships it has brought me. I like posting about the happy things in life. I love the plethora of information I get from it...hello makeup tips, fashion, recipes and workout tips....keep on keeping on :-)

However, I think it's easy to show the easier side of life on our blogs. We all tend to do it....and I am not here to judge. I know I am guilty of showing photos when my house is perfectly put together, when I have makeup on and my hair is fixed, when I am doing only the fun stuff. It's an easy habit to get into. That's exactly what inspired today's post. 5 little blog live vs. real life moments in my life.
 Enjoy!!

1. Our bedroom:

 our bed rarely gets made. it's true. there i said it. we usually make our bed on the weekends and that's it. i do straighten it up every day, but as far as throw pillows and nice bedding, it just ain't happening.  hour throw pillows are in baskets and our bedding is over the quilt rack. we have two dogs that sleep with us, they are not ruining my pretty white ralph lauren bedding, oh hell to the no

Blog life:

Real life:

2. OOTD

oh i love instagramming cute outfits and looking at what everyone else is wearing, but the truth is m-f it's scrubs to work, workout clothes around the house, lulu leggings, or VS jammies. i do try to fix myself up for my hubby on the weekends and actually look acceptable through the week, especially the days he works and i am off...but that usually consists of tight leggings and trying to show a little cleavage. that's about as good as it will get through the week over here. 

Blog Life:

Real Life 

3. Dinner

 i do admit, i cook 4-5 times a week (this is including weekends), but this isn't 7 course meals y'all.

sometimes it's as easy as a frozen pizza and salad. i try to do some type of protein and veggies every night. but if kev ever wants to run out to pick up panera or chipotle, i am all in!!! i despise cooking. i do it out of necessity to feed my family the right foods. 

Blog life:

Real life: 

4. The husband and Photos

Truth is - Kev hates photos - hates them with a capital H. The moment the tripod comes out, he rolls his eyes. Majority of pics I take, i have to talk him into it and he plays along nicely, but let's be honest....not his favorite thing. 

Blog life:

Real life:  This pic cracks me up!!! 

5. Blog life: manicured home withe everything put in the proper place

Real life: we have a ladder in our closet at the moment, my boots are all over the floor and it's not color coordinated

Just trying to keep it real. Hope you enjoyed.

Happy Friday friends! I hope it's warm where you are....we are still stuck with huge amounts of snow and ice in the backyard with 20 degree temps. Booo boooo booo!