Vacation Part I: Destin, FL! Beach and my Birthday!

I have been counting down to a week off from lab/grad school/working for...like 3 months now? I had SUCH a great vacation and I hope you all enjoy my recaps as much as I enjoy sharing them with you!

The first part of our vacation was 3.5ish days in Destin, FL.

Zach's best friend Scott (college roommates) is in the military and back in the US on his month off between deployments! Scott had been in Starkville staying with us for the week before the trip so he followed us down to Destin! We left Friday night (July 1) and drove down to Jackson, MS to leave sweet Zoe with Zach's grandparents for the week. Saturday morning we got in the car and headed on down to Destin!

Scott is ridiculously entertaining in the car. He had a solo dance party the entire time.

It typically takes about 5 hours to get to Destin from Starkville/Jackson. Traffic however caused this 5 hour ride to become a 10 hour ride. (I told the boys we should have left at like 6 am but they wouldn't listen to me).

Our mad traffic faces.

By the time we got to Destin, it was almost 9 pm instead of our anticipated arrival time of 4 pm. We met my parents and sister who were also in Destin at McGuire's Irish Pub for supper and a few drinks before calling it a night.

Parents.

My sister and I at McGuires

Zach and Scott

Zach and me!

Sunday morning (which was Scott's 25th birthday!) Zach and I woke up pretty early to take a run/walk on the beach! Destin's beaches are a little hard to run on because the sand is so soft and there is a big slope down to the water but we made the best of it!

I also had gotten the WORST sore throat at the end of the week before we went to Destin. It seemed to have gotten better by the time we got there but Sunday morning I woke up and had almost no voice! I sounded like a boy!

Run run!

After running we went to meet my parents and sister for breakfast then Chelsea and I went shopping in the outlets while Zach did a little work in the hotel room before the beach (grad students LOVE when their advisors send them work the day before a trip).

After the outlets we headed out to the beach for the afternoon then ate an early supper with my parents, who were headed back to Jax that night. We told the waiter it was Scott's birthday and they made him sing Happy Birthday TO HIMSELF!

"Happy Birthday to Me!"

I would have died of embarrassment!

Zach, me and Dupree (haha)

After supper we went into a few stores then went to Hooter's (Scott picked) to celebrate his birthday!

I have no idea how I managed to eat wings after eating supper but I did! The boys also had a few drinks and then we went to the hotel, changed, and hung out for the rest of the night!

Monday was the fourth of July! Zach did a little work in the morning but we spent most of the day on the beach! This day I had NO voice AT ALL! It was awful! But I'm sure the boys enjoyed the peace and quiet! Haha!

After the beach we got ready and took a few pictures on the beach before heading to eat.

My Fourth of July outfit! I got this one-shouldered red dress from Vestique, and I put a gold belt, gold sandals, gold and pearl necklace (long necklace but I wrapped twice to make it shorter) and gold and sparkly starfish earrings!

Scott and Zach with the sparklers

Zach and I...I had him wear blue so we would be red and blue and festive! :)

The three of us!

We then went to eat at Hooters (again I know....but the wings were so good and I didn't really have any voice to protest! LOL)

After supper we changed and took the sparklers and beach chairs out to the beach to watch the fireworks and relax!

Fourth of July was SUCH a great time! I really enjoyed spending all day at the beach and the fireworks and sparklers at night!

Tuesday (July 5) was my 24th birthday!

(This vacation we celebrated FOUR birthdays!)

Zach and I got up and went for a walk on the beach and collected tons of seashells! I LOVE seashells and I have them all over the apartment as decorations!

After the beach we went and ate birthday cake frozen yogurt for breakfast!

Birthday girl!

Happy birfday to me!

Then we went and woke Scott up and went to eat lunch at Panera Bread! There isn't any P-Bread in Starkville so I picked there :) Then we went to a few outlets and then to the BEACH!

Destin is just so pretty!

We took this blow up raft out to the sand bar to look for sand dollars

and we found nineteen! It was such an awesome birthday gift from the ocean!

After the beach we got ready and went to PF Changs for my birthday dinner! I love PF Changs!

Zach and my birthday outfits

I don't really drink alcohol but I did have one birthday drink called the Pink Bellini! I know I've mentioned it before and if you go to PF Changs I highly recommend it!

After supper we went to The Melting Pot for birthday fondue dessert!

I LOVE this place! Zach and I went in March last time we were in Destin and I enjoyed so much I knew exactly what I wanted for dessert on my birthday!

After dessert we changed, packed up the beach chairs, and went back out to the beach to talk and hang out! Scott is really funny and I always get a kick out of him and of course I love Zach to pieces! I had such an awesome 24th birthday!

We saw a few of these creepy sideways crawling crab creatures on the beach at night...I hate them they gross me out!

Wednesday morning we woke up, packed up, and headed to our next destination on the vacation...

To be continued! :)

Waverly Mansion-Columbus, MS and my newfound love of Instagram

Last Saturday, Zach, myself, and his family went to the Old Waverly Mansion in Columbus, MS. (I meant to post this like...Monday but this week has been so busy!)

Waverly used to be a cotton plantation after it's completion (that took 12 years) until the early 1900s. It was abandoned in 1913 and bought in 1962 by the Snow family of Philadelphia, MS, who have spent since then restoring the house and currently live there! During the time it was abandoned, the mansion was a popular "hang out" for teenagers and college students. All you had to do to know who loved who was visit the mansion and read the walls! The remarkable thing though, is not not one thing was missing from the house and aside from graffiti (with absolutely no profanities!) there was also no vandalism. Crazy huh?

I love how the Mississippi state flag looks hanging outside the mansion!

Zach and I in front of the mansion about to take the tour

Such a gorgeous house. They didn't allow pictures indoors but there was a beautiful formal parlor and dining room, amazing furniture and even a ghost story :)

It was so hot and humid out! The mansion had no A/C so we had to try to stay cool in the shade.

The head of the household (Mr. Snow) keeps chickens and peacocks on the property. The peacocks were so pretty.

I bet he was roasting carrying around all those feathers.

There was also an old graveyard just a short ways down the dirt road from the mansion that was part of the Waverly property. A tree had fallen and broken some of the tombs...creepy!

It was so much fun to go see the mansion and plantation and to think it was only about 20 minutes away from the MSU campus!

I also played around with the Instagram app I have on my iPhone this weekend. I have had it awhile but never really touched it until I got curious to what it could do with the Waverly pictures. Now I'm obsessed I Instagram everything!

Here are some "old" pictures I Instagrammed.

Z and I Jax Beach this past Memorial Day Weekend. I look more tan in the Instagram version haha

I LOVE how the water looks in this picture. Z in Destin in March

Me at Jax Beach Memorial Day Weekend!

Zoe Memorial Day Weekend in St. Augustine. I love the sand/black fur/sky constrast. I know I'm a crazy dog lady.

St Augustine!

My favorite picture ever of Zach and me. Destin in March

These are from this Tuesday of Zoe wanting attention and getting all up in my face haha

But she's so cute I can't even get mad.

Happy Wednesday!

Yay summer!

It's officially the first day of summer! But right now, I'm sitting in my office at school freeeeezing because it is POURING outside...and decided to start just as I was walking back from lunch!

Oh well...I was contemplating going home for a nap anyways...haha!

I have had a pretty uneventful few weeks so that's why I haven't had much to report back on...I have lost 10 pounds so far :) which is exciting, and have also been running again finally! I've been a runner most of my teenage-into-adult life, but running took the way back burner with the end of college and beginning of grad school. I am still knowledgeable about current races/training, etc and I'm REALLY glad I'm enjoying it again. I'm planning on signing up for some type of race so I have something to be accountable to.

This one is on the top of my list!

The half of course...my tush ain't running no full anytime soon! Haha

Who wouldn't want to run a race (and by race I mean just for fun/my personal satisfaction not actually racing) in this gorrrrgeous city?

I'm in love with Savannah.
Maybe as a reward I'll buy myself some sweet new kicks...

Like these!!

Or these! Still pink but not quite as...cheerful?

These two awesome running partners are a huge percentage of my motivation for sticking to my running.

Zach is incredibly encouraging and who could turn down Zoe's face when her tail is wagging and she is ready to go run outside!

Also...my first running partner and endless source of encouragement...

I REALLY wish I could be running with my mom every morning on the beach like we used to! I miss chatting with her and making her help me carry the shells I would find on our runs! :)

Anyways...I'm off to go take a nap before I continue working on research tonight...I ran this morning but unfortunately woke up at 5:30 and never fell back asleep before my 7 am alarm...

So I'll leave you with this...

:) That is all!

Happy Tuesday!

These are my confessions :)

I hate wearing jeans. They are incredibly uncomfortable

I love having curves and I don't care that I'm not a size 6

I love to eat

And bake

I'd live off diet coke and m&ms if I could

My running shoes are pink and green

I need the beach for my well being

And will pick my job next year with location and proximity to the beach as huge factors

I'm obsessed with my dog

And take way too many pictures of her

I moved in with my boyfriend 4 months after we started dating

And I've never been happier

And I don't care if anyone doesn't like it

I get jealous

I went to a doctor for help with weight loss

I have a condition that makes it difficult to lose weight

I'm not apologizing

I love shopping

I'm obsessed with picture frames

Especially starfish or beach ones

I like to gossip

I have two tattoos

I make lots of lists

I have OCD with symmetry

I have to chew even amounts of food on both sides

That fact could be a problem for someone with only 1 dimple like myself

It used to drive me crazy because my face wasn't symmetric

Now I kind of like it

I don't want a bachelorette party

For the wedding I've already planned

And I'm not engaged

I'm incredibly similar to my mom

I dance in the shower

When I feel especially chubby I dance to Shakira

I hate bandwagon fans

Oh are you a Florida fan? Or a Tebow fan?

Yeah that's what I thought

I love pink and sparkles and ruffles and bows and I'm not sorry

That is all.

Happy Wednesday :)

Pinterest obsession

I have totally jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon...and I'm obsessed. I may or may not have spent three hours of my evening last night on this addicting website.

Pinterest calls itself a "virtual pinboard". You can create your own boards for categories that interest you and search or browse for pictures and "pin" them onto your boards. Pinning shares them with your followers and also serves for idea safekeeping.

I added this picture to "Salt Life" board

This picture is so cute! I love the coral and teal color scheme!

Added to "Beach Decor"

I dream of having a beach wedding someday and I thought the blue color was just so pretty!

Added to "Cute Wedding Ideas"

And I loved this vintage map of Florida!

Added to "Florida"

Pinterest is really just awesome. I think I prefer it to Tumblr since you can pin your ideas and not have to reblog them.

Let me know if you have a Pinterest because I would LOVE to follow yall and see your boards!

If you don't have a Pinterest (yet...get one soon! ) email me at ash115ley@gmail.com and I'll send you an invite!!