Anna's birthday celebration

You may remember, Anna had a birthday, but let's reverse a few weeks to talk about the celebration!  Three of the four of us G's got together to celebrate with her (Emily recently had a baby, so she was out for the evening), but we got to take Anna to a new Italian Restaurant and celebrated afterward with Frozen cupcakes, because what birthday is now complete without a little Olaf?  (Anna, of course, got the Ana cupcake!)

So if you have followed this blog long enough you know that Anna and I always get Mexican food together!  Always some margaritas with a side of tortilla chips, salsa and chicken tacos!  Well since Anna's big present was a ticket to the "So You Think You Can Dance" show in December, I wanted to get her a little something else--just something to open on her birthday!  Well  I found this adorable pinata and filled it with candy because Hello!  It reminds me of our Mexican dinner dates!  Well I told Anna her gift was just a small thing that made me think of her and here is a few pictures that capture what she thinks of that...

After a little more explaining I think she finally came around, who wouldn't love this cute little thing:

Overall, it was a fantastic night with some of my favorite friends!  Where else can you find 2 other girls equally as excited about Pinata's and Frozen plastic rings?

Walk this way...

Well back in early September, Amanda came into Richmond to spend the night because the next day we were going to see Aerosmith in concert in Bristow, VA with CJ!  Well we had quite the time, we got up and got ready and got on the raod early for a little outlet and Ikea action in Woodbridge, VA.  Then we meet up with Erica for lunch before heading over to the concert.  It was in an open field, and I swear there was thunderstorms basically all around us and my biggest concern was where do we go in the event of lightning--but the rest of the crowd did not seem to be as concerned.

The opener for Aerosmith was Slash, but they did not use the video screens for him so it was really really hard to see anything!

Getting ready to jam out:

Obviously we were a little ways back from the stage but it was still a good show and I especially enjoyed knowing so many of their songs!

We lucked out, it really looked like we were going to get the rain dumped on us but it really only rained a little bit and we were throughly prepared with our IKEA rain ponchos (which I convinced everyone to buy)

After the show, we headed back home and stopped at the rest stop to snap a quick picture with the LOVE signs!!  We made it home pretty late, about 1am, but it was a fantastic day and a great weekend!

Friday Favorites # 8 (Richmond Edition)

96 days until Christmas, so it may be a good time to start thinking about gifts for that RVA lover (which since this blog is not too wide reaching is probably most of yall), so today I have rounded up a collection of cute gift ideas to show some hometown pride!  ENJOY!

1. 804ork Cookbook ($40):  I just got this cookbook from my friend, Kathryn for my birthday and it is awesome!  If you love some of the great restaurants in RVA you will enjoy getting a sneak peak into some of their famous recipes!
2. Richmond Ornament ($22):  Just found this ornament and it would make the perfect Christmas gift for any Richmond native or Richmond Lover!
3. Virginia Frosted Tumbler ($14): I think these tumblers are just so cute!  If I was less clumsy I would probably get a set, however I stick with plastic cups whenever possible!  But I do have the matching tea towel and apron!
4. Richmond Trivet ($17): Another cute gift for the Richmond lover and kitchen lover alike!
5. Richmond Skyline Print ($12): What a cute and inexpensive gift idea!
6. Hello from Richmond Notecard ($4):  I could not make a list without note cards or something on the cheaper end!  I have also seen these at Southern Season!

10 books that have impacted/influenced me! (plus a few extras!)

So my friend, Amanda tagged me in a post on facebook to name the 10 books that have profoundly moved/impacted/influenced me and since it has been awhile since I have done a book post of any kind, I thought it was fitting to answer the post on here!  As you hopefully already know, I am an avid book reader and lover, so after much thought, here is my ten books (in no particular order);

1. Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
2. Radical by David Platt
3. Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book series by Ann Brashares
4. Summer Sisters by Judy Blume
5. Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
6. Mountains Beyond Moutains by Tracy Kidder
7. The Bible God breathed, but multiple contributors ;)
8. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
9. The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
10. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

And because it was hard to encapsulate all my choices in just ten books, here are a few bonuses for you all:

11. Night by Elie Wiesel (I know Amanda already picked this one too, but it works for me as well)
12. Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prohphet, Spy by Eric Mataxas
13. The Hunger Games book series by Suzanne Collins (I am not sure I would say this is life-changing but I think its a worthwhile read for sure :)

Chesterfield County Fair

I am sure all you Virginians have heard of the Virginia State Fair, but more locally, we have the Chesterfield County Fair!  A much (MUCH) smaller version but equally as entertaining!  I always think of fairs as being about 50% fun and about 50% people watching so this was sure to excite!  (Don't worry, I feel equally confident that people are watching me as much as I am watching them--yes, I cheering on pig racing, yes, I was the only adult feeding animals in the kid's petting zoo area, and yes, we got our picture with the clown).

But as anyone who has been to a fair can attest, you cannot leave without some taste of a fried something, and since I was attending this one with my mom and aunt and uncle and NONE of them had had a fried oreo, I felt that was a good place to start, so we shared a batch!

One of the many animals, I saw, fed and/or petted while there:

Here we are getting ready for the pig race, I cheered on Denny Hamlet (of course!):

I think I always love the colors and lights, sounds and smells of the fair--it really is one time when I truly appreciate having all senses in tact!

Now, who is ready for the State Fair of Virginia?  It is coming to town in just 10 short days!  Let me know if you are interested in going, you can be sure I will be there, likely feeding the goats or chomping down a fried oreo!

Happy Birthday Anna!

It seems I am getting better at this thing!  Last year for Anna's birthday, I was 5 days late posting!  Then for CJ's birthday, I was 6 days late posting!  So the fact that I am only 1 single day behind this year means we are headed in the right direction!

I can still so vividly remember officially hanging out with Anna when she first moved to Richmond!  My friend, Allison, had give me a few things to get to her and I never really thought our one night out to dinner would morph into the friendship we have today.  I figured we could be acquaintances, maybe see each other in passing once and a while (mostly when Allison came to town to visit), but we have become so much more than that, and I am forever grateful for the simply little pressure from Allison to meet up with Anna!  Our first meal together in Richmond was at Nacho Mama's and it seemed to set the tone of our friendship--from then on out we would bond over Mexican food, unlimited tortilla chips and Margaritas!  LOTS OF MARGARITAS!

Sometimes we may even have 1 too many margs...then we often enjoy walks around Target as we sober up1

We love to tell the story of when she first started coming to my small group and I introduced her to everyone as my best friend (only really having ever meet her like 4 times in my life), well best friends we have become and it has been a wonderful adventure so far!

Allison made have brought us together as friends, but a love for margaritas, adventure, travel, accessories, decorating and fashion have helped to establish a lifetime friendship!  Anna is such a great encourager and can always have a positive spin on difficult situations!  She is not afraid to speak her mind, but is also always willing to listen and offer help as needed.  She has an awesome heart for the Lord and that has helped me over the years as we talk about and discuss various issues!  It is great to be able to call her my sister in Christ!

It is crazy for me to think about us back like 6-7 years ago when we first met (we were such babies), but I think that is also just a testament to how far we have grown and matured over the years and our friendship has only gotten stronger...

Jason Mraz concert!

Fast Forward 7 years and we are still going strong and are still young at heart!

Happy Birthday to one of the most fashionable girls I know!  You will always be the Carrie to my Charlotte!  I hope this year is the best yet! Love you Anna Banana!

Friday Favorites # 7!

I am back with some more cute (non-hokie this week) things, feel free to check them out and enjoy!  Happy Friday :)

1. Shutterfly card assortment ($20): So in fairness, I got this set for free from shutterfly during a promo they were doing, but I am still super excited about them! They are so cute and a great variety pack to have around! Plus I think they would make a cute gift!!!

2.Free Lunch Box Printables (FREE):  I know, I know, school has already started but I think these would be great to incorporate into your kiddo's lunch box through the year!  What a quick and easy thing to do, plus did I mention they are free!!!

3. Red Console Table ($230):  So at $230 this piece is a big steep, but what a statement it would make!  I am not sure I could fall in love with the red all the time, but I am sure it would work for some people!

4. Bobby Pin Print ($24): As someone who relies almost daily on the help of bobby pins, this print just seems so fitting and would find a perfect home in a bathroom!

5. Baby Boy outfit ($16):  Hello Hipster, I could not resist this cute little baby hipster outfit, and for the twins--it would be double the cuteness!  If I buy it, I may have to sneak it on them so they can be twinning!

6. The Very Hungry Caterpillar Wooden Pull Toy ($15): It seems that the amazon children's toy section has recently become my friend with so many little ones birthdays recently or coming up, but I stumbled across this cutie and could not resist including it!

Nephews Galore (alternate title--an Ode to Tiffany)

If a picture is worth a thousand words, I can stop talking typing now (but that would never happen--come on you know me better than that!)  As promised, the nephews were in town in mid-August!  Fun was had, sleep was minimal, and memories were made!  Feel free to browse the brief snippets from the week (and I apologize in advance for the fact that there is more than 2 selfies in this post)

Garrett is a walking fool now!

And Holden finally figured out this crawling thing so well!  Look at those eyes!!!

This picture is like get out of my way brother!

"Who me?"

Handsome Division for sure!

Corbin loves this thing and what a cute face impression that is!

We are trying to make the same face apparently!

Selfie #3 if you lost count!

Google Plus is at it again, I took a few pictures over a few minutes of play time and it is just amazing to see how active a 3 (almost 4) year old is--I would like 50% of his energy that is all!

Ice Cream is for the weak--we just like the cones!

"Want some"

Bath time with trucks!

How could you ever say no to this face?  No really, please tell me how!

Uncle Andy comes for a visit!

Double Triple Trouble

Andy going in for the pound, Corbin is waving

Corbin going in for the high five, now Andy is not...gotta get in sync boys!

Dude was entertained for all of 5 minutes with that whisk!

As promised--we got a bubble bath one night!  "More bubbles, Auntie Lala, more bubbles"  I think I created a monster!

Selfie #5 and yes, Garrett is waaaaaaaaaaaaay over them!

Well as you can see we survived the week--just barely!  And I have a new found respect for all mothers out there, and one in particular--my wonderful sister, Tiffany!  Girl, I don't know how you do it, but you manage and you have the 3 most awesome kids in the world at that!  Love you :)