Oh Boy! Did we have a great time celebrating baby O this past weekend. Andrew and I, along with 4 other couples, hosted a couple's bbq baby shower for two of our closest friends in Greenville. We had a  large group of a little over 50 of the couple's closest local friends. 

I couldn't have thrown the shower without the help of the other girls so a big shout out to them for their creativity. 

So I'm basically just going to throw a lot of pictures at you, so enjoy! 

Leigh did the most beautiful job putting all of the flower arrangements together. They turned out to be absolutely gorgeous and a few of the greenery and hydrangeas are from my back yard. Think I can recreate these? 

Caprese on a stick! 

The first time parents to be!

Kyle, the mama-to-be and myself. 

The ultimate brownie heath trifle I made. Clearly, I didn't take a picture early enough because it was already missing a few bites. 

Okay, you just can't beat homemade banana pudding from a bbq joint so we got this one catered. 

All of the hostesses with the mama to be. 

We had quite a few mamas-to-be at the shower so a Shirley Temple bar was a necessity…and of course, in glass baby bottles! 

It was so much fun throwing this party and we absolutely can't wait to meet the little one in July. 

I hope y'all have a great weekend! 

Weekend Recap

It feels like lately I've only been able to blog about our weekends, but I'm hoping that changes very, very soon! I know I say this a lot, but we had a really great weekend. It was packed full starting on Thursday. We had some friends come to town to help host a baby shower with us, so we took them to dinner and just stayed low. 

I worked a half day on Friday and then met Leigh for lunch and went shopping all around town for my house. Leigh is a true artist and has such an eye for home decor so every time she comes to town, I beg her to redecorate my house. We went to Target and Hobby Lobby and bought a total of 7 lamps so that we could play around with the area and see which one we liked best in the space. Pictures to come because we decided on one! 

Oh, and I hung curtains and absolutely love how they turned out (after my mother-in-law hemmed them). They are the Ritva curtains from Ikea. 

On Friday evening, Andrew and I enjoyed a dinner alone at one of our favorite restaurants and then came home to start preparing for the baby shower. I made this Ultimate Brownie Trifle to take to the shower. 

Saturday was full prep for the shower and it was such a beautiful day, high of 85 degrees, sunny but very windy! So windy that I had to make sure that the tablecloths didn't fly anywhere! 

How beautiful are these flower arrangements Leigh put together for the shower? She put together the most gorgeous arrangements in silver cups, mason jars and mint julep cups. 

Some of the greenery and hydrangeas are actually fresh from my backyard. 

The couple's backyard bbq shower was a hit and we can't wait to meet baby O this July. 

We met Chesson and Patrick for brunch on Sunday as they were passing through town and man were we full afterwards. We walked off our brunch strolling through downtown admiring Artisphere.

Lots of baby shower leftovers made for a relaxing and extremely easy dinner in! 

I hope everyone had a great weekend! We will miss having guests with us but sooo excited to have some special guests coming to stay with us in a few weeks. Stay tuned to see who it is! 

A Surprise Wedding!

Yup, you read that right! We headed to Atlanta this weekend to celebrate two of our closest friend's engagement and while we thought we were walking into the nicest engagement party we've ever been to, we were pleasantly surprised to actually be attending their wedding reception!! Eeeek. So excited but we'll get to that in just a minute. 

We got to Atlanta Friday night and headed straight to our favorite Mexican restaurant, and the homemade tortilla machine, Texas margaritas and all of the chips and salsa did not disappoint. My sister in law joined us last minute and then we ended up staying up late laughing and talking with her and my brother in law. Thank goodness they only live .25 miles from Rio Bravo. 

We woke up super early (early for me) to try to get a table at Buttermilk Kitchen. This was literally our fourth visit but actually our first time eating there. Previously, it's always had like an hour to hour and half wait so we decided to get there pretty much as soon as they opened. And, oh em gee. It was amaaaazing and we will wake up at the crack of dawn every time we visit Atlanta if that means we get to eat here. 

Fried BLT sandwich with lemon aioli and rosemary hash browns. 

Haha. I thought this was so cute! They totally know my love language. 

The four of us ended up at Nadeau, our favorite furniture store, and ended up bringing a few pieces home! I will be doing a separate post on that but I'm really excited to finally fill up the empty space in our front living room. 

We met up with some of our close friends that we stayed with Saturday night that were attending the engagement party as well. We went to Verde Taqeria for lunch and that's always been a favorite because their margaritas….duh. 

OK. Now onto the most exciting part of the weekend. Katie and Ryan (bride and groom) have been telling us about one of their favorite restaurants, St. Cecilia,  in Buckhead and the last time we stayed with Ryan and Katie, we tried to book a reservation but couldn't get in. So, when we found out that their engagement party was there, we were so excited to finally try it out. 

It is the cutest and coziest yet modern feel and I was totally digging it. And, the food was out of this world. We will definitely be making a reservation weeks in advance so we can go back! 

A little back story. Katie and Ryan are two of our most favorite people (but you already knew that) and have been together for several years and both have previously been married. So, when Ryan brought Katie around a few years ago, we totally fell in love with her and knew that they'd end up getting married one day. Ryan finally proposed this previous New Year's Eve and we couldn't have been happier when we found out. Everyone's been asking for months, "when are y'all going to get married?" and they'd never give a direct answer and would say something along the lines of "oh, no rush but maybe next year?" So, fast forward to last night. 

One of Katie's best friends and hostess of the evening was giving her welcoming speech and looked to the happy couple and said "When are y'all finally going to set a date to get married?" And she kept going…"I mean, next year….next month…yesterday? ...Yesterday?" The bride and groom pulled out their wedding bands they had secretly been hiding all evening and the tears and screams just started filling the room. Everyone of course looked around cluelessly and was obviously surprised to hear that the couple had gotten married Friday morning with just the presence of their parents and pastor (who actually married Andrew and I). 

So needless to say, the engagement party we thought we were attending ended up turning into a perfect reception with their closest friends and family. It was small, intimate and so perfect for one of our most favorite couples. 

The beautiful bride and me.

And after dinner, things got interesting. We had the best time goofing off and laughing until our bellies hurt. We went out to the bars and then ended up in the married couple's hotel room. The cute one in the Lilly maxi is expecting a little girl this coming August and she was such a trooper and the most perfect DD. We can't wait to celebrate baby EBP in June! 

I literally have no idea what we were doing in this picture but clearly we were having too much fun.

Boys will be boys.

Sunday morning was brunch and shopping and of course, Pinkberry. 

We just had the best time in our old stomping grounds and at times, we both wish we still lived in Atlanta because we miss our crew so hard (and all of the fabulous shopping and restaurants). 

Congratulations to the beautiful bride and groom! We love you. 

A Weekend at Home

We haven't had an entire weekend in Greenville in a long time. It was so nice to stay around the neighborhood Friday night and eat dinner with some of our best friends. We decided on Italian since Brian was running in a race the next morning. Had to fuel up…and that, we did. 

I had to work Saturday morning but it went by quickly so I texted Steph when I left and said something like "I'm coming to pick you up for lunch and a pedicure!" Obviously she agreed and we ended up at a brand new local neighborhood spot, 29605 (The 05) . So new that it actually hasn't opened yet. The owners and wait staff were so great and said they'd love to "practice" on us. So, we ordered all of the cocktails, cheese boards and flat breads they had to offer and called it the best lunch ever. 

Andrew had finished day 1 of playing in a golf tournament so we got ready and headed downtown for sushi and ice cream. Two of our absolute favorites. We called it an early night and ended up watching Trainwreck and it was hilarious. It got a little slow at the end but Amy Schumer is hilarious. And, she is going to be at the comedy club this Friday in Greenville! 

Andrew had day 2 of golf so I twisted Stephanie and her family's arm to come to the Biscuit Head pop up at Swamp Rabbit Brewery. Beermosas and loaded bbq and pimiento cheese biscuits? Oh yes. Andrew and I have been big fans of Biscuit Head for a while and love the local to Asheville restaurant. We can't wait for our own Biscuit Head to open up in just a few weeks. 

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We continued to day drink our way into dinner with card games and outdoor snacks and sangria. Andrew finished his golf tournament and met us at Stephanie's to grill out. Brian and Laura and their little boy joined us as so it was a perfect way to end the weekend. 

Photo by Steph

Thank you so much for all of the emails, comments and texts about my father in law. We are slowly getting back into the hang of things and are just so thankful for friends and family to get us through this difficult time. 

Have a great week! 

xoxo

One Year.

Wow. It's crazy to think that one year ago today, I posted my very first post. 

As most of you know, this has been a crazy and wild year. While there have been some very dark moments, there have been some really good ones too. 

Weeks or even months ago when I was wanting to plan this post, I had every intention of wanting to do some sort of giveaway to celebrate. You can probably tell that I haven't been writing many posts lately or getting the chance to read and comment on yours. Things lately have been hard. So very hard. I honestly haven't had the energy to pick up the computer and blog. I've been where I'm needed most right now, with family. It's been kind of nice to get away from all social media and focus on what's important in life. 

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They say it comes in threes. 

One. 

This past October, my father in law as diagnosed with GBM, Glioblastoma brain cancer. He fought the hardest fight of all for his life. We've spent many nights with him in the hospital, gone through tough treatments, many trips to Duke University Hospital and countless nights crying ourselves to sleep. And, all of the prayers. 

But, it is over. The battle is over and he is no longer having to work so hard to live. He wasn't alone and I thank God for allowing us to be with him when he went to Heaven. We are in town this weekend to celebrate his life. 

Two. 

My grandfather was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer just a few short months ago. He has been in and out of the hospital because he is not able to eat or drink with the massive tumor. He is now going through radiation and chemotherapy. I am so fortunate to still have all four of my grandparents in my life. I never imagined we'd lose a parent first. 

Three. 

This is might have to be told at a later date because I'm not quite ready to talk about it. But, it's about me and the dark place I've been in for over a year and a half. Once we are able to figure out more of what's going on, I'll be sharing with you. I'm hoping very soon! 

I'm sorry for not really making this post my one year celebratory post, but this is what's currently happening on this date. It's what's been on my mind for months and will continue to be on my mind. 

I am hoping to get back into the blogging world, so thank you for your patience while I try to transition back into that. 

Until then, here are some of my favorite posts that I've written this past year. 

You'll Never Guess 

Guest Post for Medicine and Manicures 

Seester's Engagement Party 

25 Things You Don't Know About Me 

July 4th Weekend Recap 

Mexico Recap Part One

An Orange and Wine Kind of Weekend 

We Survived Our First Year as Homeowners

VIB Sephora Wish List 

Baby Sister Says "I Do" 

National Championship Recap

Warby Parker Home Try-On

Thank you so much for following me for this past year and I hope you'll continue to follow, even if I'm not able to post on a regular basis. 

xoxo, 

Ashley 

Rodan + Fields Review

You've all seen the Facebook posts, Instagram feeds and articles written about Rodan + Fields. I was always so intrigued about them and loved seeing the "before" and "after" shots of those using the products. My friend, Laura, is a consultant and was hosting a party at her house at the end of last summer. I attended and loved learning more about the company and different regimens they offer. They offer so many different options targeting different skin types and needs. I decided at the time that I would try a product, really just to support my friend, and needed an eye cream at the time. So, I chose the "Redefine" line because it is known to reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness (thanks, genetics),  and is supposed to minimize the look of crow's-feet. It is also supposed to help firm and smooth out your skin, minimizing the size of your pores. 

Studies have demonstrated that at around the age of 25, we begin to lose collagen at the rate of 1.5% each year. Most people will lose 50% of their facial collagen levels by the age of 60. This might not sound like a lot to you, but it is extremely important that we try to act now and prevent this from happening at this increased rate. 

To preface, I used this twice a day (morning and night before moisturizing my face). It took me about 6 months to finish the bottle. At $60 for the multi-function eye cream, that is not a bad deal since it lasts so long. When I used the cream, my skin felt so nourishing and hydrated. Your under eye area is the most delicate and thinnest skin so hydration is incredibly important when trying to hide those dark circles. 

Prepare yourself…you're about to see my naked face.

 

So, what do you think? Can you tell a difference? Although my under eye area still has some darkness to it…which, I don't ever think that will go away because of genetics, I think it is lighter. I think the biggest difference I could feel was the puffiness. It might be difficult to see in these pictures but I do feel like they aren't as puffy as they were before I started using this product. I'm sure that the longer you use it, you will only continue to see more progress. 

I have actually already repurchased this item and can't wait to start using it again. I've been out of it for about two weeks and I truly miss not putting it on. 

Here are a few helpful tips that seem like common sense but they are common mistakes that people make. 

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I also am still testing out the Essentials Foaming Tan that everyone raves about. I've only used it a few times and have loved it but will be giving a full review soon, once I've had longer to test it out. 

Foaming Tan | Lip Serum | Eye Cream

Sadly, this lip exfoliator is now discontinued but I've been using it on my dry lips. 

This has been awesome so far! This serum is incredibly hydrating and helps my chapped lips like crazy. I exfoliate my lips with the above product and then use the serum after that. I can tell a huge difference, especially when I put it on night and wear it while I sleep. 

If you would like to try these products, my dear friend Laura would love to help you with any questions  you might have! Feel free to contact her if you would like to order any products as well. 

*A few of these products were provided to me but I did purchase the eye cream on my own