January 30: Very Fortune-ate

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Drew and I don't normally go out for Chinese foods, but we decided we were in the mood for some Pei Wei (if you've never tried it, it's the faster, cheaper version of PF Changs!) I picked up dinner while I was waiting for Drew to get home from work. After I finished my yummy dinner, I opened my fortune cookie with high hopes...and it read 'The one you love is closer than you think.' Less than a minute later Drew walked in the door! I know...I know...probably just a funny coincidence, but still! I decided to keep it and put it in my wallet so that I can always remember that the one I love is closer than I think at all times!

January 29: Neapolitan cake

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This was an attempt (and a rather successful one, I might add) at a recipe from the beloved website, Pinterest. The recipe is for strawberry cake--which I'm not normally a big fan of--but you forego all of the regular ingredients and ONLY use 12 ounces of Diet 7-Up. Dump that in with the cake mix and bake! Then I went rogue and topped it with cream cheese frosting and chocolate chips...making it more of a Neapolitan cake and it was delish! Feel free to try :)

January 28: 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall

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Last Saturday afternoon, the entire Peters clan (sans Ken) was in town so we decided to spend the love 65-degree afternoon at the Flying Saucer downtown next to Brian & Caroline's apartment. Inside, they have all of the saucers on the walls and ceiling to commemorate all of the people who have consumed 200+ beers at this bar. They have all sort of rules and regulations about what counts toward your total, but for each time you pass 200 you get a new color added to your saucer--Drew thinks he could do it...could you??

January 27: Flower Power

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My sister stopped by earlier in the week and had found this beautiful flower--although we have no idea what it was! I have a really pretty horizontal vase that we got as a wedding present that has ruby red stones in the bottom--so I figured that this pink/peach/orange flower would compliment them nicely (and I was right!) If the flower holds out, I figured I'd just leave the arrangement up as part of my Valentine's Day decor!

January 26: Go Heels!

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Basketball season is always the best time for Tar Heel fans...especially when we're winning! I had to get geared up for the annual match-up between UNC and NC State. In typical Tar Heel fashion, they took an early lead and kept it up the whole night, relieving some of the stress for us fans watching at home! Can't wait for the same outcome when we play Duke! GO HEELS!

January 25: Baby Love

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One of my dear friends from way back in the day is currently living just outside of Raleigh and I got the chance to finally go see her and her adorable baby, Davis. We had so much fun just hanging out and talking like old times...except now we're grown ups and have grown up things to talk about! It's always great to reconnect with people that you haven't seen in a while...and this was no exception!

January 24: Pillow Pup

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So I'm still not exactly sure how Raleigh ended up in this position or why on earth she decided to stay in this position. I was getting ready to head to Greensboro this morning and when I walked back into the living room, she was sound asleep just like this. As I continued getting ready and ate breakfast, I came back and she was still like this. I swear...this dog will sleep anytime, anywhere, in any position!

January 23: OCD, party of 1!

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I haven't technically been diagnosed with OCD...yet! But as many of you know, I do love me some organization. After traveling for 2 weeks and realizing just how little I actually need on a daily basis, I went on a major cleaning spree yesterday and got rid of so much junk that we haven't even touched since we moved almost a year ago (and probably not even before then!) I went to the trusty Dollar Tree and got tons of bins and stackable trays and went to town. This is a shot of my bathroom cabinet and, I must say...it looks much better! On to the rest of the apartment now...

January 22: Buckin' Bronco

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Ok, ok....so technically this isn't an old Ford Bronco, it's a Scout. For as long as I've known Drew, he's talked about how much he desperately wants to buy and restore an old Bronco. Not sure why, but it's one of those things he got in his head a long, long time ago and hasn't let go of yet! We were out and about and happened to see this bad boy in an old body shop parking lot so we had to stop in and take a look...of course! It wasn't exactly what he wanted, so the search continues....

January 21: Hark the Sound

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'Hark the sound of Tar Heel voices, ringing clear & true;
singing Carolina's praises, shouting N-C-U!'

For those of you who went to UNC or happen to be a Tar Heel fan, you know those words by heart! Drew and I headed over to Chapel Hill on Saturday night to have a belated birthday dinner for my mama. We were meeting them at Acme (just across the Carrboro border) and I made the decision to drive through my alma mater's beautiful campus. The Bell Tower, just like the Old Well, is an icon on campus and it looked so cool lit up and shining in the pouring down rain.

GO HEELS! :)

January 20: Happy Birthday, Mama!

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So I'm going a little bit rogue with this picture because I didn't actually take it today, but I wanted to dedicate this post to my incredible mom since today is her birthday! She has been my best friend for as long as I can remember and I'm so lucky that we have the relationship that we do. Here are a few of the things I love about her:

she's sweet...she puts everyone else first...she lets me call her 3-4 times a day and always wants to talk to me...she's a fellow UNC grad...she loves puzzles and puns...she cries at movies and tv shows...she gets so excited when something great happens to me or my sister...she's a great listener...and she's always been an incredible role model...

The list could go on and on, but I'll just wrap it up with the fact that she's an incredible woman I hope to be just like her when I really do grow up.

Love you, mama!

January 19: I Scream, You Scream...

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There are few things in the world that make me happier than sprinkles :) At the hotel we're staying at in Richmond they have a happy hour every night with drinks and usually some sort of light dinner. Last night, however, they had an ice cream sundae bar...score! Considering it was 30 degrees outside it was somewhat of a struggle to want to eat an entire bowl of ice cream, but the few bites I had were heavenly!

January 18: Hide & Seek

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I was in the other room getting ready and came out to find Raleigh sound asleep in this position. It was so funny because she could not have had her face buried any further into the corner of the couch...it looked like she was playing hide & seek. So cute!

January 17: Pedi Pampering

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Once again, in an effort to conserve a little extra money these days, I'm learning how to give myself mani/pedis...so to speak. Obviously I don't have the little foot tub and I don't give myself hand massages, but I'm getting better at the actual painting part--especially when I have to use my left hand! Since it was a rather rainy morning I decided to go for a new color on my toes...I got the pink color on but decided to forego the sparkles. Regardless, I'd have to say I'm rather happy with the results!

January 16: Rise & Shine

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Even though yesterday was Monday, it was a gorgeous one! One of the best things about getting to travel with Drew is the extra half an hour we spend together in the car when I take him to the office every morning. Even though Drew was one of the few people that had to work on MLK day, it was a nice surprise to see this crossing over the Veterans' Memorial Bridge yesterday. Just goes to show that Monday doesn't always have to be a bad thing...

January 15: Beaujolais 2011

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Even though Drew and I don't pretend to be seasoned sommeliers, we thought it would be fun to start collecting this bottle of wine for each year that we were together. The bottles are always festive and fun and have the year displayed on them. Chances are, we'll probably never drink any of them, but I love traditions and this seemed like a fun one to start!

January 14: Flyin' High

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Drew and I headed up to DC this past weekend so that Drew could celebrate his friend, Kurt, who is getting married next month. Their night consisted of bocce ball, beers, whiskey, steak & cigars...very manly! While the guys were out, I got to spend the evening with my good friend, Kate, as her boyfriend was involved in the bachelor activities as well. We went to Sonoma Wine Bar and indulged in some amazing flights...she got red wine and I got champagne (shocking, I know!) It was delicious and all-around lovely evening!

January 13: Workin' at the Car Wash

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Sitting in a car wash is always fascinating to me--it's so loud and messy, but everything is so precise to get your car looking shiny and new! You can't really tell in the picture, but the soap was all sorts of pretty colors as it ran down my windshield. This time I did remember to put down my antenna though, dad!

NOTE: If you have a dog, don't take them through the car wash with you. Poor Raleigh was traumatized by the water and the loud blowers.

January 12: Gossip Girl

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On my uneventful Thursday afternoon I decided to head to Barnes & Noble to indulge in my guilty pleasure--celebrity gossip magazines! Much to Drew's dismay, I used to spend so much money buying these every single week even though they all say the exact same thing. Instead, I grabbed a table in the cafe, ordered myself a Black Cherry IBC and caught up on all the juicy gossip that is essential in any girl's life :) Maybe I'll make this a weekly habit...the reading, not the buying!

January 11: Wrapped Up Pup

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DISCLAIMER: Since Drew & I don't have kids yet, Raleigh will probably end up as the subject of a lot of my posts!

Since we're living up in Richmond for a few weeks and only have one car, Raleigh and I get bundled up every working to take Drew to work. Since it was chilly and rainy again today, we made sure Raleigh was all snuggled in her blanket. Perhaps we got her ready a little too early because she sat in our hotel room like this for a good 5 minutes before we actually left.

January 10: A Mile in My Shoes

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For those of you who know me at all, you know that exercise is not so much my thing...especially running! But, in the spirit of the new year (and the fact that Drew & I are going on a cruise in April) I figured it couldn't hurt to at least try to get into shape. It was unseasonably warm for January so I took advantage and Raleigh and I went for a nice jog near our hotel in Richmond.

January 9: Lovin' from the Oven

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Let's face it...no one likes Mondays (unless you're on vacation!) This Monday was a triple whammy for Drew...it was a Monday (strike 1)...it was cold and rainy (strike 2)...and it was the first official day of busy season (MAJOR strike 3!) So I figured that when he did get home from work, that gooey fudge brownies would be a nice treat. Now I just have to resist the temptation to eat all of them myself...

January 8: Heaven by the Slice

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YUMMMMM! As Drew & I embark on Phase 2 of our travels up in Richmond, VA we found a pizza place nearby that was to die for! We've been on a meatball pizza kick for the past few months so decided we better give theirs a whirl--it did NOT disappoint! Thank goodness we had tons of leftovers that we get to eat tomorrow...

January 7: Poker Face

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During a fun-filled afternoon celebrating our friends John D & Lisa (they are getting married in May!), my husband pointed out this really cool clock that was on the wall behind us. It took me a minute to get my brain around the cards as the clock numbers, but it was something I had never seen before and I wanted to remember it!

January 6: Peek-a-Boo

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This sweet face belongs to my pride & joy, Layla. Although she has been unofficially adopted by my parents and got transplanted to Greensboro...she is still my baby and I love the times when I do get to visit her. She is so sweet and cuddly and loves to burrow under blankets. Needless to say, during a Friday night sleepover in Greensboro, I found little Miss Snuggle Bug curled up under her favorite blanket...but she made sure to keep an eye on me to make sure I wasn't going anywhere.