Happy Monday to you!

This has been a VERY busy two weeks.  I've thankful to be back at my apartment and hopefully I am going to check some things off of my to-do list this week. So, come back and see what gets accomplished, K?

Now on to the weekend re-cap. These collages make everything easier! I love documenting what I do every weekend. Thanks, Sami for letting us all get together and share our memories.

one.// Little Harper woke me up wanting to play go potty. Isn't she the cutest thing you've ever seen? Or is it just that I'm partial??? two.// I went to Erika and Kyle's wedding reception. They got married about a month ago on the beach and had their beautiful reception this Saturday. She looked beautiful and so happy. :) three.// This reception turned into a small class reunion. I love these girls and can't wait to have a "real" get-together. I'm working on this! four.// Our small town USA Thaxton had a great "community" get together this weekend. We had food, fireworks and fun! Thaxton Baptist did a great job putting this together. I love getting together with people who I haven't seen in years! five.// Love these news shoes! They were half off and I couldn't resist. I've already worn these twice. Shoes are my love language. 

Haley, one of my sweet roommates from Ole Miss has re-joined the blogging world. Please go follow her on bloglovin and show her some love! She's a precious girl who teaches, has the cutest clothes and a HUGE heart. Go. follow. her. NOW.

Hospital humor.

Hey ladies! Hope y'all are enjoying your weekend. :)

I'll be posting my weekend link-up with Sami Shenanigans on Monday but until then, I'll share a photo shoot from the hospital last week...

Shouldn't you be serious when your best is in the hospital?

I. think. not. 

Poor Caitlyn had to say goodbye to her gallbladder and we had a party before. 

She wasn't doped up at this point so we took advantage of her situation but I'm sure her mother took care of the embarrassing videos after the surgery. Oh, I can't wait to see these.

So, if you are ever bored in a hospital and your "patient" doesn't feel like complete pooey, have a photo shoot and lift their spirits!



Hopefully you'll be on your way to feeling better soon!
See y'all Monday!

Toes in the water.

the waves of the sea help me get back to me. 

I'm rested from the trip and ready to tell you all about it. Instead of doing multiple re-cap days ( i have nothing against that, just not for this trip) I'm going to jumble it all together here for you, ladies. 

We go on this girl's trip with my cousin Linda and her family. It's our 2nd year to go and we have already started talking about next years trip! We love our girl time and being able to do what we love. Swim, eat, and shop.

I was loaded and prepared with many monogrammed pretties this year and couldn't wait to get on the beach. I also had a cooler painted for the trip and ask me how many times we used it. (1 time) It'll come in handy for the future. :)

Mama and I enjoyed laying out on the beach and then when it got so hot that we couldn't stand it, we would head to the pool. That's where Linda, Nikki, and Kristin enjoyed being and we would join them there for the best of both worlds. Our condo was wonderful, even though we really only enjoyed it at night when we came in from eating.

We enjoyed lots of places to eat on the beach and even though I am not a seafood person, I did eat shrimp once! We enjoyed our nights, no doubt!

Tacky Jacks, LuLus', Wolf Bay Lodge and The Hangout were out choices and we made lots of good decisions with what we ate! 

I got to watch the sunrise over the ocean, listen to the waves, meet new people, spend time with my mama and live it up on the beach. What more could this girl ask for?

I'm thankful, oh so thankful for a family who loves to be together and I hope that the beach memories continue throughout my lifetime!

*hint, hint.

Happy F o u r t h!

Hey friends! 

I'm home and trying to get over the "back home from the beach" blues but I promise to have a re-cap of that soon! 

Until then... 

that picture above is one of my favorites that I captured on the trip and I thought it perfectly fit with today's holiday. I just love the Fourth of July because it reminds me of everything I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for:

my freedom// Soldiers who gave their lives so I could live in Freedom/ /the right to vote and express my opinions even when others might not like them/ /Religious Freedom and the ability to worship my Savior.// American food// Our United States.

I could go on and on and on....

Enjoy your day with your friends, family, and fireworks!

I'll be wearing my new American flag scarf while enjoying a cookout with my family. :)

God Bless America!

Guest Blogger // Joy.

Hey y'all! I'm Joy from the Sowell life and I'm so excited to be guest posting for sweet Lauren who I'm kinda jealous of right now. You see, she's got her toes in the water and her hiney in the sand, and I'm sure she's getting a nice little tan by now! But, while she's enjoying her girls beach trip I told her I would keep y'all company for a little while. And I maybe try to get some of y'all Ole Miss fans to convert to be Mississippi State fans. Hey, a girl can try, right?! #hailstate!!

Since Lauren is living it up at the beach, I thought I would give y'all some tips and tricks for your next beach getaway. And tell you about some of my favorite places to eat on the Gulf Coast, too. We went to the beach the last week of May, and I'm craving that salty beach smell all over again!

1) Pack Light — If you’re staying in a condo, remember they have washer and dryers so you can do a load of laundry half way through the week. We even wore most of our outfits twice since we were able to wash them. And since we weren’t eating at the same place every night, no one even knew the difference!

2) Bring Multiple Bathing Suits — This applies for adults and children alike. We headed down to the beach or pool every morning around 9:30, and would come back up for lunch. Who wants to stay in a wet bathing suit in a well air conditioned condo? Not me! So I would trade out for a dry bathing suit in the afternoon. And don’t worry if you fear people are going to see you in the same bathing suits all the time. Trust me, everyone else is doing the same thing!! And at night just wash them out and hang them up to dry and they’ll be good as new for the next day!

3) SUNSCREEN — Don’t forget the SUNSCREEN! No one wants skin cancer so do your part and lather up! My advice to all those whose sole purpose is to just get a tan… start out with SPF 50 or higher for the first day or two to get your skin use to the sun. Trust me, it’s different at the beach. Then once you see you aren’t burning you can back it down a bit. But please remember to still use at least SPF15 every day. Oh, and reapply often.

4) The Early Bird Gets The Worm — It’s true, the early bird does get the worm at the beach and the pool. Head out early to secure the best spots near the water, and the best lounge chairs near the entrance of the pool.

5) The Food, Oh The Food — Going out to eat at the beach is everyone’s favorite nightly adventure. But who wants to stand in long lines waiting to be seated? Not me! Which is why we would head up around 3:30 or 4 every afternoon to get ready for dinner. We were usually walking out the condo at 5 every night headed to our favorite eater of the night. Not only did we beat the crowd, but we got to pick our seats next to a window facing the water. And the best part is you’re back at the condo to take a walk on the beach while watching the sun set!

Now for some of my favorite places to eat!! 

Cotton's

If you're craving a delicious steak, this is one of the places I would highly suggest. We've eaten here every beach trip. It's a must for us. But, you'll want to get there early because it's a small place, but well worth the wait!! We all got the filet with a perfectly baked potato and salad. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

Shipp's Harbor House

Without a doubt this was my favorite meal of our trip! To be honest, I cleaned every inch of my plate from the salad, to the main course even down to the dessert. Okay, the dessert didn't end up with a clean plate, but you'll understand why after you see the photo below. It was huge. We all had filets and they were cooked PERFECTLY! We each got a different sauce to top off our filet, and they all were a hit! The desserts... a must, too!

The Original Oyster House

A trip to the Original Oyster House is a stop that everyone must make at the beach. They have a wonderful salad bar, and the service is great. The Mr got Shrimp Au Gratin and it looked and smelled delicious. Of course it was so big that he couldn't eat it all. Definitely a must for your upcoming beach trip! And even if there's a wait... they have great shops beside it make the time go by fast!

                            

I don't know about y'all, but I'm ready to pack our suitcases again and head south!! Until then, I'll just keep living through Lauren's instagram pictures!

If I didn't bore you to tears, and you want to find out more about the Sowell life... you can follow me at any of these social sites! Twitter // Facebook // Instagram // Bloglovin

I enjoyed invading your blog, Lauren! Hope your trip is full of relaxation and lots of sun!

                                                               




Joy- Thank you so much for guest blogging. I'm sad that I'm coming home from the beach but I'm thankful that I got to relax for a couple of days! 

and forget it about converting my sweet followers! :) #hottytoddy

If you've heard it once, you've heard it 1,000 times....

I hear that GFC is ENDING today!

Find me on bloglovin if you want to keep up with my Oh so exciting life! :)

Such a time as this.

Hope you'll follow along!

Guest Post // Rachel.

Hellooo sweet friends of Lauren. I'm so excited she asked me to come blog sit for her while she's on vacation!

I'm Rachel and I blog over at http://rachelsfrontrowseat.blogspot.com/

 I would love for you to stop by and say hey. I'm also participating in a pretty epic giveaway right now (think Keurig & Kindle!), so come check out the details.

If there's one thing we know and love about Lauren, it's that she's a major bargainista.

Allow me to present the evidence.

It's a complete battle of the wills when I walk into a thrift type shop because I would love to be able to save a ton of money and get a good deal, but I also want to have everything sitting in nice, neat, pretty rows with little outfits already paired for my fashion impaired self. This obviously doesn't bother Lauren. She will find the bargains and hunt them down. 

Speaking of hunting bargains, have you been to Bargain Hunt? They're popping up all over the south, and I'm pretty exciting about my 1 measly deal I scored recently.

Why yes, I may have had a Vicki reaction when I first saw these Michael Kors boots for $25!!
Granted, it's been about 100 degrees every day around these parts, but I need something to look forward to in the winter. :)

We miss you Lauren and hope you're having a fab time!

Rachel, Thank you so much for being such a great friend and guest posting for me! I'm loving the beach and having a great time. So thankful for what thrifting has allowed me to do so far in life and I hope you find your love for it soon!