F l i g h t S u i t F r i d a y

the past year has been so full of huge, life changing events and it seems like each month goes by more quickly than the last. so when i looked at my calendar today and saw that there is only one week left until july, all i could do was shake my head and wonder where the time has gone! friday was a huge day for James and his classmates because it was their Flight Suit Friday which is the first official day they are allowed to don their flight suit uniforms and celebrate being done with the horrible testing portion of API. and with the exception of the aviators themselves, nobody appreciates this portion of flight school being over more than the significant others! james and i actually got to hang out yesterday and go grocery shopping together! it was awesome. 

in this type of situation you have to learn to accept that more often than not its about the quality of time you spend together, not the quantity. its a hard lesson to learn and sometimes you have to remind yourself but its just the way things are and its always worth it in the end :) 

today we are going to go to the beach so we can enjoy the sunshine, drink some beer, and take a dip in the gulf. we honestly haven't been to the the beach in close to a month which is ridiculous considering we live about 15 minutes from it! however, with work, school, and life its been difficult to get out there recently. BUT NOT TODAY! this weekend has been all about relaxing, reading, playing video games, making pancakes, sleeping late, and all those awesome things that are so easy to take for granted. 

im also very excited because my parents are coming to visit a week from today! i can't wait to show them around pensacola and take them to the beach, eat good sea food, and just hang out. it will be a super fun week because I'm taking off work just to spend time with them AND get ready for Bekkah and Kevan's wedding of course, which is the next friday! its going to be a great start to july filled with family, friends, good food, celebrations, and fun. 

life is pretty darn good :)
so, on this wonderful sunday i hope all of you do something relaxing and enjoyable like us! and don't forget to call your daddy's and wish them happy father's day!

E

B u l l C i t y R e v i s i t e d

if any of you follow my instagram, or Facebook, or snapchat, ooooor any other social media outlet you probably know by now that i got to spend 3 glorious days back in durham this week. i was able to spend some great time with my family, and also managed to cram in a TON of other amazing activities...

on sunday afternoon when i arrived home, i was surprised to see some of our great family friends that we haven't seen in forever. it turns out that Edie, who is the author of some amazing young adult fiction like East, Hero's Song, Fire Arrow...READ THEM, THEY ARE AMAZZZZEEEE)was in town for a book reading for her latest novel called Ghosting. I was super excited because i read it when it first came out and thought it was incredible. I'm also a huge sucker for book readings and signings because you get to ask the authors questions aaaand i always have a million questions :)

later that day also just happened to be our annual neighborhood block party. trinity park was such a great neighborhood to grow up in because everyone looks after each other, kids are always running around playing, people are out walking their dogs, and everyone knows everyone else...and their mother...and their grandparents...and their uncles pet cat...you get the picture. its also a great time of year to be outside in durham because the huge trees that line the streets are covered in bushy green leaves, everybody's gardens are in full bloom, and people just like to sit out on their porches and drink sweet tea after work because its simply too hot for anything else. 

i was able to see a bunch of friends and catch up before everyone goes their own ways. it seems like this is the year for us all to find the next step in our paths; med school, dental school, backpacking through europe, grad school, new jobs! you all know who you are! and you better come visit me!

on monday, i was able to visit with my adorable baby Dillon and i think he actually remembered who i was! he is getting so big! he can even sit up by himself and pull up on tables now. this is such a fun age, I'm super jealous of his new nanny! but we got to read a couple of books and hang out before his bath time so that was great. i know the next time i see him he will probably be running around. 

after a whirlwind couple of days of visiting friends, shopping with my mama, lounging on the porch, and going to my favorite durham spots, it was time for the kicker. the REAL reason for my visit (other than seeing my family of course!). The Taylor Swift concert.

it. was. awesome. i think she sounds even better live than on her albums. Brittney, my parents, and I donned our flower crowns (okaaay, not my dad), applied copious amounts of glitter (also not my dad, i offered though!) and spent the evening rocking out with about 15,000 screaming 13 year old girls. and i am pretty sure we had more fun haha

overall, it was a super fast trip but i was so happy to be home for a short amount of time! it definitely doesn't get any easier to say good bye but i know that whenever i go back things will always just pick up where they left off :) not to mention, my parents are coming to visit very soon so it was important that i got back down here to buy a vacuum and start cleaning...ruh roh

k i d k r u d

if you are a parent, teacher, or in my case a nanny, then you are most certainly familiar with what i refer to as the 'kid krud'. its that nasty virus that school age kids get EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. it comes complete with runny nose, horrifying cough, sore throat, and body aches. and the best part is, you don't get a day off when you are a nanny and the kids are the ones who started the illness because they can't catch it back from you! its not like you can say 'stay away from me you sick child!' when i see one of my kids being all sick and pitiful i can't help but want to make them feel better...so long story short, i caught the 'kid krud'. wah wah

however, i did get about 24 hours of fun in this weekend before it hit me! we went out for sushi on friday night (or i did, J had a video game date) to celebrate our friends' flight suit friday. its crazy to think that James will be celebrating his in a few short weeks! then we spent the day at the pool, drinking gin & tonics, reading, and relaxing. 

saturday night we had people over for a BBQ. its nice to know that we are surrounded by so many great people. our tiny apartment was packed with fun friends, good food, and lots of noise. we had to call it a night early because J had some studying to do for his exam, but it was a good time :) also i needed to chug about 4 bottles of nyquil. 0_o

today was the first day of summer for the kids i nanny for so my days will be beginning at the crack of 8:00am for the next couple of months. the camp schedule for these 3 is insane, and i spent most of the day running them to and from their activities while trying to get laundry done in between. we did manage to watch Mockingjay, play 3 rounds of checkers, take the dogs to the dog park, and make crepes today though which is pretty good for four sick people haha. hopefully in the days to come everyone will start feeling better so we can go to the beach!

oh! and for all of my durhamites, i will be back in town this sunday until wednesday morning for the Taylor Swift concert and to visit my family. sooooo, if you wanna get a drink or catch up, you know how to reach me! i promise not to breathe on you...