Girl Chat - If I Had a Million Dollars

How is it the second Thursday in July already? I feel like we just celebrated Christmas and bam we are in July. July and December are feeling the same due to the Nordstrom sale and Amazon Prime Day. So much shopping.

Anyways, it is time for another round of Girl Chat. This month we are asking, what would you do with a million dollars?

Answer: Buy all the things, right?

Well that is what I probably would have said 10 years ago. Now I am a little more meticulous about where my money goes. I would definitely invest, travel, shop and treat others.

INVEST

I don't have a portfolio of stocks (my husband does) except in my retirement accounts, so I think I would dabble at some fun investing (play the stock market) and then make some more strategic decisions and invest in safer funds.

Since a million dollars isn't that much money these days (except when you don't have a million dollars), I would definitely want to grow that into more money and then I can do more and buy more things.

TRAVEL

I LOVE to travel and since I haven't traveled with my husband and kids as much as I have for work, I would plan a European vacation. Travel to France, Germany, Italy, Croatia and a few other places. You know, take a month or two off of work and travel with my favorite people. I would still work because a million dollars doesn't go far today.

Croatia

SHOP

Let's be real here, I love to shop and I would definitely do a complete overhaul of my closet. Buy myself a new wardrobe. I wouldn't buy the most expensive items, but definitely more quality items over quantity. I would definitely buy a pair of Louboutin heels. I have always wanted a black pair with the red bottoms. Gorgeous.

heels

I would also pay off my mortgage, renovate some more or buy a new home.

And then maybe get that Range Rover I have always wanted.

And finally...

TREAT

Treat family to some amazing things.

What would you do with a million dollars?

To link up - just grab our graphic, link up, and let's getting to chatting!  Make sure to stop by a few others linked up for an extra bit of girl chat! 

Danielle / Sparkles and Lattes - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Emily / A Little Bit of Emily - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram
Lindsay / Lindsay's Sweet World - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram - Twitter
Lizzie / This Happy Life -  Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Facebook - Instagram
Sierra / Beautifully Candid - Bloglovin' - Pinterest - Instagram - Twitter

Wednesday Thoughts

Since tomorrow is our monthly link up for Girl Chat (What would you do with a million dollars?), I thought I would write some thoughts and confessions today.

THOUGHTS/CONFESSIONS...

- I get soooo excited every year about ALL the things on Amazon prime day and then everything I want isn't on sale. I wanted a new tv, a certain pool float, a beach wagon, some Sam Edelman sneakers and the list goes on. The one thing I did want that we did get, the Amazon Echo. Welcome to our family Alexa.

Echo

- Speaking of sales, the Nordstrom sale starts tomorrow for card holders and again I want to buy all the things, but from the catalog that Nordstrom posted, it is all the most expensive things. I need a new pair of black flats, some dress slacks and other things for work. Am I the only one who buys clothes for fun and rarely buys things to wear to work? I need a overhaul for my work wardrobe.

- A few weeks ago Sarah, posted about a new workout she was doing and I was intrigued. I watched the videos she recommended and started said workout. Since I run all the time and get bored of it, I thought this change would be fun and so far it is. Basically, you walk at a really steep incline (at least 13% - 15%) with a 3.2 speed for at least 30 minutes.

I am on my second week of it and it is killer. I really didn't think you could burn that many calories walking up a constant hill. But I burn more calories in the 40 minutes of walking up the steep hill than I do with running. Plus my joints feel better.

- This blogging slump is so real.

- I tripped over my own shoe yesterday while walking into the coffee shop. Not only did I lose said shoe, but I landed on my foot and knee. I wasn't even embarrassed. I cared more about my Kate Spade purse getting scratched. #priorities

- I finally decided on a dress for the wedding. I am going with this beauty from Lulus. I tried it on and wow. It fits beautifully. It is flowy and the material is perfect. Plus it will pair well with these shoes that Lizzie recommended a few weeks ago (that I just had to buy).

Dress

Wedge Sandal

- I taught Sutton how to raise her eyebrows up and down over and over again and I get the biggest kick out of it when she does it. She thinks it is a game and does it all time. I need to get it on video. 

- I finally made it to over 1,000 IG followers. That took a long time and a lot of effort. I want real legit followers and not spam accounts. It is a lot of work, but I am proud of it. Now onto the next goal.

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Weekending

Another weekend has passed. Why do they go by so quickly?

We had a pretty good weekend. Sutton does have a cold (who gets a cold during the summer?), but we made the most of our weekend which included the beach, the playground, going out to dinner, some pool time and a whole lot of sunshine. We are having the hottest summer. Hotter than many years past. It seems like we had a intense winter and now an intense summer. But I will take a beach day over a snow day any day.

Friday we worked all day, so we didn't get to do our usual errands after work. We picked the girls up from my parents house, chatted for a bit and then headed to Trader Joes. The girls get so excited when we pull into the TJ parking lot. They know where we are going. We got the essentials for our beach day and then headed home.

Once we were home, I made the girls dinner, we played and relaxed most of the evening. I made Rory and I a quick dinner of pot stickers and wine since I had sushi with my co-workers for lunch and I was still full at dinner time. We watched a couple shows and called it a night.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early to get ready to go to the beach. We ate our breakfast at home, loaded up and made the hour drive to the beach.

We got settled in and stayed for about 5 hours and it was glorious. I never get tried of Tahoe. NEVER.

 We STILL have snow in the mountains in JULY!

 Yes the water is really this blue and crystal clear

We left around 2 pm and the girls were asleep before we left the parking lot. Once we got home, we gave the girls a bath and then showered ourselves. We played and did some things around the house until we took the girls to a new restaurant in town and it was really good. The girls loved everything. And I can just talk about my girls' eating habits for a minute? They won't eat fruit, but they will eat Thai food, spicy food, veggies, meats and almost anything you put in front of them....except fruit. Blows me away.

After dinner we headed home and relaxed until it was the girls' bedtime. Then Rory took Walter for a walk while I cleaned up around the house and did a load of beach laundry.

Sunday we had a relaxing day as I had the worst migraine. I am not sure if I didn't drink enough water at the lake or what, but I had a monster headache. Rory headed out to get some coffee and donuts which we all happily enjoyed.

I did manage to clean the house while Rory and the girls did some yard work in the backyard. After being cooped up for the morning, we took the girls to the mall so they could play in the indoor playground and burn some energy off. I stopped in Bath and Body Works for a lotion and ended up buying the two get one free and then I saw my favorite Champagne Toast on clearance. What? I thought they only had it during the winter months? Nope. They had three bottles of the lotion and a few bottles of the body wash, so I scooped up the lotion at over half off.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading home so the girls could take naps. Late naps, but they slept over 2 1/2 hours. While the girls napped, I took a little nap and then went grocery shopping. When I came back they were still asleep. Rory got their little pool ready for when they woke up.

The girls played in the pool while I cooked dinner (homemade spaghetti which simmers for a couple hours). The girls had my spaghetti and bread and they LOVED it. They were completely dirty after, but loved it sooooo much. While I cleaned up, Rory bathed the girls and then we cuddled until 8 pm when we put them down for the night.

Sutton's cough was keeping her up, so she was still awake when I got back from walking Walter. It took her nearly an hour to get to bed. Then she woke up around 1 am from coughing and Rory had to sleep in their room. I had to deal with Walter who decided to run laps in our backyard after an animal I am assuming. I only heard the noises. I didn't see the actual animal to tell what it was. Then some idiots decided to set off fireworks once he was settled down and then he cried for awhile and kept me up. So we are exhausted today. Phew. But we are at the start of a new week!

I hope you all had a great weekend!

I am linking up with Biana today.

Friday Favorites

I am so glad it is Friday. Having time off in the middle of the week was awesome, but it completely threw my week off. I thought yesterday was Monday, but it was really Thursday.

Sadly, I have to work all day today since it is a holiday week, but at least everyone else at my work does too.

Let's get onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. We had the best 4th of July. We got up, gave the girls baths and got them in their new festive gear. Then before we headed out to breakfast, I made everyone stop and take photos. The girls were so thrilled (not).

We had to drive around a bit to find a restaurant that was open on the 4th. After breakfast, we headed to Petco to get Walter more food (a bigger bag of the new one we got him) and then down to the mall to pick up a hanger for our coffee bag piece we got in Hawaii almost 4 years ago. The hanger didn't fit, so now I am on the hunt for another one. We tried to stop in Lululemon, but they were not open yet. So we decided to head to a nearby park.

We got to this park everyone talks about and they were setting up for a 4th of July event, so we had to park around the corner and it was pretty busy there.

This park was amazing. They had swings, some kind of teeter totter and two huge play structures. The one in the picture above was three stories high.

After the park, we headed home for lunch and naps. The girls didn't nap very well. Well Sutton didn't. She ended up watching The Secret Life of the Pets with me while her sister slept. Once Avery woke, we got everything packed for their sleepover at their grandparents house.

Around 3 pm, Rory headed to his parents house to drop off the girls and Walter (so he wouldn't be near the fireworks). I freshened up and waited for Rory's friends to arrive. His best man from our wedding was coming up from California with his girlfriend. Once they got there, we said our hellos, gave them a tour of the house (updated kitchen) and got to catching up.

We took an Uber downtown and had appetizers and drinks on the river. It was so beautiful outside and the weather was amazing. After drinks, we walked over to the Basement to show them the beautiful building, but they were already closed. So we walked over by the ballpark for dinner and drinks. We did lots of people watching and enjoyed the slight breeze going on.

We wanted to show them the ballpark, so we walked over to the second story bar and were able to go up. I am not sure if it was because the game was close to being over or they just didn't care, but we went in for free. We grabbed another drink and watched the rest of the game (2 innings). Once the game was over, they set off fireworks.

After the game was over we headed back down by the river to a bar and did more people watching. Around midnight we decided to walk home since it was just over a mile away. And that walk was so beautiful at night. So much fun.

How was your 4th of July?

TWO. Remember how I bought three dresses for the wedding I am going to next month? Yes, the one I have mentioned a million times. Well I finally took some photos Wednesday of me in the dresses. Well two of them. The third should be here any day now. So what do you think?

 I love the color of this dress, the lace and the feel of the dress, but I am unsure on the length of the dress. The photo on the right where my arms are down isn't that flattering, so I am not sure about it.

I love the length of this dress, the fabric, but it is slightly big on me. It doesn't show that it is bigger in the photos, but the chest is a bit big, but nothing a strapless bra can't fix.

And the last one is the beige maxi dress I posted last week. That should arrive any day now.

THREE. When we had our friends over on the 4th, we showed them our backyard and all the work we put into it with the DG. They suggested we get some sort of corn hole game and we could teach the girls to throw the beanbags for hand eye coordination. Plus it would be fun for summer evenings. So we are either thinking of getting one made or finding one we really like.

But while searching for a corn hole game, we found this Chippo game which would be so much fun. Plus I definitely could use some chipping work.

Chippo

FOUR. Remember the cute Allbirds shoes I talked about here? Well I got them this week and put them on and complete comfort, BUT my toes went to the end of the shoes. I bought a size 8 and I am always a size 8, but I am afraid they are too small. So I am sending them back (free) and hope to get the next size up. But when I did try them on they felt soooo amazing and comfy. Like walking on pillows. I will update you when I get my exchanged pair.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Karli, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Getting to Know Me More with 20 Questions

So it is an off week being that most people are on vacation, camping or just taking a week off. I do have today off, but I did work Monday and I have to work Thursday and Friday. Boo.

I have been fresh out of blog ideas lately (saving some good ones for later this month and next month!) and when Emily posted this getting to know me more link up on Monday, I knew I had to join. Just a few days late. Ha. Feel free to link up to The Blended Blog as well.

1. Favorite animal.  Dog. Especially my dog, Walter.

2. Wine or beer? Hands down, wine. But I do love beer. I just love wine more. I am especially loving whites and rose'.

3. Socks on/off while sleeping? Off. I do like my socks on when I am camping in a sleeping bag or if it is a really cold night during the winter, but generally off.

4. One piece or two piece swimsuit? Two. I am going to rock the bikini until my body won't allow it anymore. Or I look awful.

My J Crew bikini I rocked last weekend

5. Cooking at home or eating out? Eating out. I don't mind cooking at home, but when you eat out, you can chose something different, don't have to clean up the mess and are waited on instead of waiting on others.

6. Pepsi or coke? Coke. Always.

7. Regular or electric toothbrush? Regular. I used to have an electric toothbrush that I loved, but I hated buying the new brush heads. Lazy.

8. Candy or chocolate? Candy. I love fruity types of candy the most.

9. Coffee or tea? Coffee. If it is black coffee, add in all the creamer. If it is espresso, then a nice vanilla latte please. I do like tea though. I just like coffee more.

10. Music or talk radio? Music. Rory has been giving me crap lately about how much I complain about the stereo in my Highlander. I am used to having a good stereo with nice speakers. When my kids are not in the car, I turn it up, sing and just rock out. There isn't much better than good music.

11. Chick flick, action movie or documentary? Chick flick. I love chick flicks.

12. Regular or mechanical pencil? Regular. The mechanical ones break too easily (the lead).

13. Swimming or laying out? I love both, but I love laying out at the lake.

14. Dog or cat? Dog. See #1.

15. What do you drive? SUV, Van or Sedan? SUV - Toyota Highlander

16. Early bird catches the worm or night owl? Well I used to be a night owl. I loved staying up late and going out late, but ever since I had kids, I am more of an early bird. But I think I am most accurately a mid day person. Ha.

17. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta. Pizza is a close second.

18. While sleeping: phone in your room by your side or phone in another room? In my room by my side. It sits on my nightstand but as far from my head as possible. I use my phone as my alarm, so I need it near me.

19. Singing in the shower: yes or no? Not really unless I have music on.

20. Oreo cookies: eat whole, take apart and/or dunk in milk? I love to take them apart. I eat the cookie side that has no cream on it first and then I eat the other side and really enjoy that side so much more.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence (4th of July) Day to all my blogging friends! I hope you stay safe and have an amazing day. We are kid free this evening and I can't wait to see how the night unfolds. I will be back tomorrow with a getting to know me more post.

via

4th of July Weekend (Early)

Another weekend passed and today I am at work while my family is off for the day. Boo. That is what happens when your kids daycare closes and you use leave that you were not supposed to. At least I can look through my weekend photos and reminisce all the fun stuff.

Let's get onto the good stuff.

Friday after work I had a few errands to run. Mainly, I had to sell some clothes at our clothes exchange, go pick up wellness papers from the girls pediatrician for their new daycare, grab lunch and go to Trader Joes. Since I had time to kill between the clothing exchange and Trader Joes, I snuck in a manicure and it was amazing. I usually see the same people from my pedicures, facials, lashes, etc., but this time I went to a new place and I didn't have to talk to anyone and it was glorious. Plus they did an amazing job.

Trader Joes was insanely packed. Everyone was buying all the things. I missed out on the cheese I wanted, but was lucky to get everything else.

I also picked up this romper and dress for the 4th. They were $5 each. Such a great deal.

After my errands were finished, I headed home to relieve my in-laws from watching the girls. The girls and I played and they helped me clean up while we waited to start making dinner. The girls ate and then we played until Rory got home. He got home just in time to play for a bit and then it was their bedtime. Once they were in bed, he headed out to grab us some pizza. Then we settled in for some House of Cards and wine.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to pack for the beach. We knew it would be crazy with 4th of July weekend. We got there just before 9 am and it was already packed. We got to the front of the line and they closed the parking lot because it was full. The girls were not thrilled and we just sat there waiting talking to the park rangers. After a bit, she suggested the girls and Rory head down to the beach and I could wait until a spot opened. So they did that. And just about 5 minutes later a call came through  and they had opened the private parking, so they let us in. And she let us in for free which was even better!

I grabbed the rest of the beach things and headed out to find Rory and the girls. Once I found them, we got everything set up and then we played in the sand, swam in the beautiful water and just people watched. We spent four glorious hours up there and I loved every second of it. I am truly a beach girl through and through. I could live up there. Don't believe me? Check out these photos.

 This was about 9:30 am (to the North)

 (to the South)

I grew up going to this beach. It was either free of $2 to get in. Now it is $10 for locals to park here. It has the sandiest beach, the most crystal blue color and is just beautiful. I am so happy to share this with my girls. And I can't wait to go back up this weekend. Totally dreaming of the beach while I am working. Ha.

We left the beach at 2 pm and took the long scenic drive home. We wanted the girls to get a nap in since we had plans with family later on. We stopped for coffee by our house and then came home to take showers and baths and get ready for dinner at my in-laws house. My sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew were in town, so we all had dinner together.

After dinner, we were all outside and they turned on the sprinklers for the kids. My nephew loved this. He was running through the sprinklers over and over again. Such pure joy. The girls were afraid to until they saw their cousin doing it and then all the kids were running through. So adorable.

We left around 8:00 to get the girls to bed. We watched another episode of House of Cards and then went to bed.

Sunday morning we got up and headed out to breakfast. Then we tried to go out and get Walter dog food, but nowhere was open yet. Sundays. So we took the girls to the park for a bit, but it was getting hot quickly, so that was short lived. Plus one pooped. So we headed home and the girls and I played, vacuumed my car out and watched Rory mow the lawn. Then I fed the girls lunch and headed out to the grocery store.

After naps, I got the girls ready again and we headed to my friends house for a little get together. Our other friends from Portland were in town so we all wanted to get together. Plus the girls got to meet my friends kids. They all played together and had a great time. And us adults got to catch up. We stayed for almost four hours before heading home to make dinner and relax for the evening.

After we put the kids to bed, I took Walter for a walk and then we watched one more episode of House of Cards and then went to bed since I had work today.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.