I love bike rides, especially at the beach where the land is flat and you ride with the wind. Saturday morning we decided to get some exercise and rented bikes at a cute little shop. It was by far my favorite thing we did all weekend!

The weather was absolutely perfect. Ah to be riding in the sunshine again!

Bike Riding on the BeachMy Pretty Pennies -

My goodness did I have a wonderful weekend! I have actually had a series of great long weekends lately and am getting used to these four-day weeks. ;) This is my second beach weekend with friends in the last month. The last beach trip I got there to find out my camera battery was dead (boo) so this trip I took a ton of pictures to make up for it.

Friday: We all arrived to the beach Thursday evening at our friend Christen’s grandmother’s beach house. J and I went to see Wicked Thursday night, so we came right after the play ended, which was 10:30 or so, which meant we arrived at the beach at 2am to find the Parkers and Gregorys waiting up for us. Friday morning we woke up and had a full day at the beach together.

The boys weren’t exactly up for lounging in chairs all day, so they played bocce ball, frisbee, and then got bored again and started to bury J in the sand. We thought it would be funny to turn them into a 3-headed mermaid, although I don’t know if you can really tell from this picture.

Friday evening we decided to eat at home, so the girls fixed the meal and then enjoyed a cocktail on the deck while the boys finished it on the grill. We made margaritas with tequila, limeade and pineapple-orange juice. Yum!

After dinner we played Dominion, a game that the Gregorys introduced us all to a few months ago. Between the three couples, we had all of the expansions and stayed up late playing a few rounds.

Saturday: We woke up to another beautiful day and decided to rent bicycles to ride along the beach. It was so much fun! In fact, I took about a hundred pictures from that event so I’ll capture those in its own post. :)

The boys managed to turn anything into a game.

That evening we had another cocktail before going out to eat for some seafood.

After dinner we went for ice cream and the girls went for another bike ride while the boys sat on the patio and smoked cigars.

Sunday: I woke up really early so I decided to take a little walk on the beach. There’s something so lovely and peaceful about walking on the quiet beach at sunrise.

That morning we packed up, cleaned the house and finished off our food for lunch. It was such a fun beach trip and we were so sad to leave… but if you have to leave the beach, better to leave on an overcast day. We’ve already started planning our next beach trip, so I have a feeling we’ll all be back sooner than we think. :)

My Beachy WeekendMy Pretty Pennies -

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on groceries. We have a membership to BJ’s (which is like a Sam’s Club or Costco), and it saves us a lot of money in the long run, but each trip feels expensive since we buy a lot of bulk items.

2. Today I am thankful for the kind responses I got on my post last Wednesday regarding our new roommate for the summer. I am humbled by the kind words in the comments and in emails – thank you readers!

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was go to see Wicked! We saw it on Thursday night and it was amazing! I had seen it before in New York, but this was J’s first time and we both enjoyed it immensely. (Okay, it wasn’t free, but was discounted through work and paid for months ago, so that kind of counts.)

4. I will consider this week a success if I spend at least 20 minutes each morning reading my Bible. I have gotten out of the habit of reading it consistently and would really like to get back in the routine.

5. My favorite Disney character is Belle. She was most like me, since I was a major bookworm, and Beauty and the Beast was the first movie I ever saw in theaters.

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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies. To participate, fill in the blanks in the comments section, or post it on your blog and link below. If you do post it on your blog, please credit MPP and link it back here. Thank you for participating!

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on _____.
2. Today I am thankful ___________.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was_____________.
4. I will consider this week a success if I _____________.
5. My favorite Disney character is __________.

Weekly Money Check-Up: 5/14My Pretty Pennies -

Happy Wednesday! Today I’d like to talk about work out schedules… do you prefer to work out in the mornings or the evenings?

I go through phases, but usually I work out with the sun. In the winter, I like to work out in the mornings because when the sun sets at 4:30 pm, the only thing this girl wants to do is get cozy on the couch and eat something warm. But in the summertime when the sun stays up for hours, I love running or going for a bike ride in the evening after work when the sun stays up for hours and it’s okay to eat dinner at 8:30. However, my favorite time of day is mid-morning, but that is only possible on the weekend and usually only when I am in town (which seems like never these days!).

So do tell — when is your favorite time to work out?

(photo credit)

Wellness Wednesday :: Morning or Evening Exercise?My Pretty Pennies -

I hinted at this Monday, but J’s friend (we’ll call him “Dupree”) will be living with us for three months this summer and is arriving today.

It all started back in March. Dupree lives in Atlanta and was going through a very rough time. I won’t get into all the details, but he ended up losing a fiancée, found himself penniless, and didn’t have a place to live after May. He was in the bottom of a deep, dark pit. He came to stay with us a few weekends to figure things out, and J and I decided to invite him to stay for the summer to help him get his feet back on the ground. He’s in the middle of getting his doctorate degree and will spend his time here doing research for a grant, working at a pool to earn some money, and we’ll be helping him create a budget, get in shape, and work through some tough stuff he’s dealt with for a while.

You may be thinking we’re crazy for cramming three people into a small two-bedroom apartment for three months, and maybe we are! But it was one of those decisions where we felt convicted to help and ended up being an easy one to make. I was reading Acts a few months ago and admired how the early Church would sacrifice their possessions to help those in need. It says “there was not a needy person among them, for each distributed what they had to those who had a need.” (Acts 4:34-35) What would the church look like today if Christians really lived like that? If Christians today didn’t keep to themselves in their own individualistic bubble, but truly opened their homes, gave generously, had real friendships with outcasts, and sacrificed their belongings and time?  It would probably look like the early church, where their numbers were multiplying daily because there was something different about a group that gave that generously and loved that strongly.

You may be thinking “Amen! That’s the way we should all live every day!” but when it comes to your own life? You kind of choke on that amen as you think of how it may really affect the things you love. I’ll be completely honest – as much as I care for Dupree, this summer may be really hard. I like my stuff. I don’t really want to share my bathroom, my space, my food, my time, my husband… but I’ve already seen countless prayers answered in his life and truly feel that God is going to do amazing things in Dupree’s life and ours. Maybe not huge in the way the world sees it, but if I can learn to sacrifice my time, one idol I cherish deeply, then that’s an amazing work in itself.

So I don’t share this today to tell you how awesome we are (because really, we’re not!), but I share this only to ask for prayer for Dupree during this summer and for us as we attempt to live out the gospel to him on a daily basis. (And I also share this to introduce him in case I reference him later during any future posts.:) There’s something so comforting and safe being obedient to God, even when you don’t know what the future will hold, and I’m so excited to see how He will work this summer. I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the summer’s joys and challenges in the months to come. :)

(photo credit)

You, Me and DupreeMy Pretty Pennies -

Baking Gigi’s caramel cake:

Running errands around Greensboro with my mom:

Family gathering Friday night:

My view from the hammock:

Petals enjoying the crowd:

All dressed up for the funeral:

A joint family effort to bury Gigi:

Naptime after the reception:

Cinco de Greensboro with the 15 cousins & spouses at Sticks & Stones:

A frozen yogurt after-party:

In summary, it was a wonderful weekend spent with family and celebrating my lovely grandmother. :)

My Weekend via InstagramMy Pretty Pennies -

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on our rent.

2. Today I am thankful for an amazing weekend at home celebrating my grandmother’s life.

3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was go out with my 15 cousins Saturday night.

4. I will consider this week a success if get everything together for J’s best friend to move in, which includes clearing out the guestroom, cleaning the bathroom, and baking something tasty to greet him when he comes.

5. The most delicious things I ate all week was caramel cake! It took a while to make (as per usual), but everyone at the memorial service said it tasted exactly like Gigi’s. Scoorrre!

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Weekly Money Check-Up is a weekly series on My Pretty Pennies. To participate, fill in the blanks in the comments section, or post it on your blog and link below. If you do post it on your blog, please credit MPP and link it back here. Thank you for participating!

1. The most I’ve spent this last week was on _____.
2. Today I am thankful ___________.
3. Money can’t buy happiness. One free thing I did last week that made me happy was_____________.
4. I will consider this week a success if I _____________.
5. The most delicious thing I ate all week was __________.

Weekly Money Check-Up: 5/7My Pretty Pennies -

How is it May already? Weren’t we just toasting in the new year? These months are seriously flying by so fast.

May Goals:

• Have a great time at the beach
• See Wicked at the DPAC!
• Read one book
• Stay within budget, no exceptions!
• Meal plan every week
• Cook 3 new recipes
• Make at least one craft and share on the blog
• Buy J’s birthday present

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I managed to accomplish ALL of my goals in April, how awesome is that?

April Goals:

• Have a wonderful anniversary!
• Go see Steel Magnolias at NC Theater
• Meet with a financial planner
• Have an Easter egg hunt
• Clean out guest room
• Buy a new hair straightener
• Co-host a fabulous shower for my dear friend Michelle!
• Read one book
• Lose two pounds
• Spring clean the apartment

What are your goals this month?

(photo credit)

May GoalsMy Pretty Pennies -

Last Friday I chopped off my hair to donate to Locks of Love. It’s one of my items on my 30 before 30 list, and it truly was a liberating feeling saying goodbye to those thick locks. I decided I needed to do it soon after looking at this photo from my New York trip:

Yikes! Look how long that hair is! Too long, if you ask me. And running in the 90-degree North Carolina heat? Don’t even think about it. My thick ponytail was like a blanket on my back the last time I ran outside.

So here’s the new short hair. :) What do you think?

Have you ever donated your hair before? Do you prefer your hair long or short?

The Time I Chopped off All My HairMy Pretty Pennies -

This past weekend I had the wonderful opportunity to celebrate the end and beginning of life. While we were awaiting my grandmother’s death, we were welcoming a new little girl in the world with the most adorably girly baby shower imaginable. My friends and I found out that Michelle was pregnant back when we had a girl’s weekend in October, and afterwards started planning the shower. This past weekend it came together beautifully!

The Food: Mmm we had so much delicious food! Cupcakes with butter-cream frosting, mini cupcakes with strawberry frosting, chicken salad in wonton wrappers, spinach artichoke dip, veggies and hummus, fruit salad, candy sprinkled around the house, and strawberry lemonade with striped straws.

The Game: We were only going to allow classy, make the mother-to-be feel good games, so we decided to let all of the guests leave notes on diapers for the new parents to read when they’re changing Reagan’s diaper in the upcoming months.

Music: Any song with baby in the lyrics, of course.

The Decorations: The shower was hosted at my parents’ house and Allison created some of the cutest decorations I’ve ever seen. Cute wreaths, pretty pom-poms, crape-paper garland around the table, felt pom-poms around the french doors, and the cutest “It’s a Girl!” sign as the backdrop on the back porch. Oh, and we can’t forget peonies! They were in full bloom in my mom’s garden and were scattered across the house.

The Favors: Sugar cookies in the shape of a onesie for each guest.

The Party: Embellishments, ruffles, frills – oh my! She got some of the cutest little outfits!

I love this shot of Michelle with her mom who will be called “Mumsie” — isn’t that the cutest grandmother name? :)

Such a fun party. :) I can’t wait to meet little Reagan Gayle in just a few weeks!

A Girly Baby ShowerMy Pretty Pennies -