Black Friday

This year, there was nothing that I just had to have or want to stand in line at midnight for. That being said, I'm still participating in the whole Black Friday festivities--with two pre-teens.

What am I thinking?!

My two younger sisters and Josh's younger sister are my companions for this shopping trip. I'm hoping it won't be a drama filled day with a 12 year old, a 13 year old, and an almost 19 year old--it's me and all teens! We've never all hung out before so I'm hoping that this day will be a bonding opportunity and that the Ellzey girls don't scare Gabby away--we can be a little intense when we are all together!

First hurdle, get everyone out of bed. Easier said than done. Stephanie is the hardest person to wake up. Jumping on her bed, turning on the lights, ripping the covers off--nothing worked. She gets up on her own time. Fifteen minutes later, we're ready to shop!

Wish me luck--because I said so!

Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving!

This holiday was exactly what I needed  at exactly the right time. With the stress of work and everyday life starting to get to me, I am happy to have gotten off work early Wednesday (and for the rest of the week) to be home. After an interesting night crammed in one bed with 12 legs (two people and two dogs), a few elbows (did you know dog's have elbows? Well they do and they are super bony), and some snoring, I woke up and went for a much needed early morning run. I'm usually not much of a morning person, but running in the crisp air of the early morning was the perfect way to start my sure to be hectic day.

Thanksgiving Round #1:

The Ryan Family -- 12 o'clock noon.



Your standard Thanksgiving lunch with football in the background, sibling bickering, and a few not so subtle questions as to why Joshua and I aren't engaged yet. You know, standard. (It is engagement season after all)

I promise we did NOT intend to match!

 

Thanksgiving Round #2:

The Ellzey Family --4:45PM

Our Thanksgiving started with a trip to the movies to see the much anticipated movie, Frozen. I'm a sucker for little kid movies so after critics said it was the best Disney movie since Lion King, I knew I had to see it. It was actually very good and kept my dad laughing the whole time, which is rare. So this movie gets a two thumbs up!



After the movie, we rode by Best Buy and Target to check out the lines--and man were there lines. I had half a mind to pop out of the car and just ask WHAT exactly they were standing in line for. I mean is any new Playstation worth that? I guess to some people it is. For me, not so much. I prefer to do my shopping on the actual "Black Friday" which is not until tomorrow.

When we finally made it home, we started on Thanksgiving dinner. Up until about yesterday, the plan had just been to order pizza, but Carol wanted the "Traditional Thanksgiving Meal." And I'm glad, although, nothing my family does is "traditional." We threw everything together in about an hour or two and even learned how to fold fancy napkins! (Note fancy napkins below)



Dinner turned out wonderful, despite the fact that it was a mix n match dinner thrown together last minute! With only a few dramatic moments throughout the night, I have to say that this might be the best Thanksgiving yet.  I have so much to be thankful for and it's great to have this time to reflect on how truly blessed I am.

Off to D.C.

Well it's off to Washington D.C....

Not for me (I wish), but for my sister Carol.

If I thought I was getting up early yesterday, boy was I in for a rude awakening this morning. That would be a 3:30 AM wake up call early. But that's what being a supportive big sister is all about :)

Little Carol isn't so little anymore. Besides the fact that she is already taller than me, she's off to a brand new city without mom or dad--I know she's thrilled! She went on this trip with her school and they have a super packed itinerary! But in order to see most everything in D.C. in 4 days, with a bunch of twelve years, I guess that's the way it has to be done.

Besides all of the exciting, new sites I'm sure she's more than happy to: a. not be wearing her uniform b. be able to wear leggings and L.L. Bean boots everyday and c. showcase all of her new clothes bought just for the trip! She is quite the little fashionista!

We are staying in touch through our NOTORIOUS family group messages and a shared photo stream (thanks to me giving her my old iPhone). So far, she says its cold and overcast, but SHE. LOVES. IT! I can't wait to hear more about her trip...

Have fun Carol--you got it, because I said so!

Early Mornings

I dread getting up early, but when I finally manage to crawl out from underneath my warm covers; I'm usually so glad I did.

Getting up an hour earlier allows me to:

-make a healthy breakfast

-pack a healthy lunch

-see my nutritionist

-watch my favorite morning show--The Today Show

-prepare for the day

-reflect

Today and tomorrow will both be early days, but for good reasons. Today was the nutritionist. Tomorrow, my baby sister Carol leaves for D.C.

How exciting!! I'm so jealous...My mom and Carol will be staying with me tonight--I LOVE HAVING COMPANY! (but yikes, I should probably clean up before they get here)

Lets hope I still like early mornings after tomorrow morning!!!

Home Goods Happy

This past Sunday was the

GRAND OPENING

of Home Goods on the Northshore.

Hip Hip Hooray! My mom and I have been waiting forever for one to finally open in our area. And with me having a new apartment, what better way to spend all of my hard earned money (and my mom's and my dad's), right?

The opening was scheduled for 8 am, Sunday morning. So naturally we got there early--as did the rest of Mandeville and Covington.

(me super tired/excited at the grand opening)

The line was wrapped around the building before the doors were finally opened. Once we got in, it was HEAVEN. So many unique things to decorate with! And don't even get me started on their Christmas section! Regretfully I didn't pick up any Christmas decor, but I know I'll be back at least once before now and the official start of the Christmas season (which is after Thanksgiving btw) My mom and I literally made 4 laps around the store just to make sure we didn't forget anything!



 

Having never been in a Home Goods before, I found that most everything was affordable, unique, and just AH-MAZING!

After spending two hours shopping, we spent another 45 minutes in the check out line--which rivaled the length of the line to get in the actual store. It was wrapped/snaked all around and throughout the store. Seems like everyone wanted to check out at the same time...

Thinking like a marketer, it was actually a good idea for them to snake the line because I know for a fact that people were more inclined to impulse buy. That black and white rug in the buggy, yep. Impulse buy. The ladies in front of us in line practically got a whole new buggy just for their impulse buys. Well done Home Goods. Well done.

After spending close to $300.00 between the two of us, we finally wrapped up our first visit to Home Goods. When talking to one of the manager's and finding out their sales goal for the grand opening was $160,000; I feel sure they met it--especially with our hefty contribution.

As we were leaving, more and more people were streaming in! Good thing they had plenty in the store room! I  know that this is a store that I will visit every time I go home, just to see what new things they have in stock.

Thanks to Home Goods, my apartment is finally starting to feel more like a HOME!

If you are ever in the area, Home Goods is a must--because I said so :)

On My Radar

With it being a new month, I've decided to post what I'm currently loving--right this second.

1. The Nike+ Fuelband.





This little piece of technology is the coolest thing ever. It keeps track of how many fuel point you get a day by assigning a value to each thing you do. Basically the more active you are, the more points a day you get! It's the perfect motivator for me. I'm a visual person who needs a constant reminder to move. Josh has one too, so we can kind of race and make it like a game.

2. The Nikon Coolpix P520



This beauty is now mine thanks to the Joie de Vie last night! I've already taken a dozen pictures, my subjects mainly being Carol and Laney. They are natural born divas so they didn't mind my paparazzi like picture taking. I can't believe I have such a professional camera and can't wait to use it more. Now I will be able to take more pictures for my blog and edit them like a real photographer/blogger. #holla

3. Cold Weather

It is finally COLD here in the south. At least in the mornings. I think it was in the 50s this morning when I woke up. This make me so happy and like I've mentioned before, it puts me in a better mood...maybe because the holidays are coming up? I hope that it stays cold..it is November after all.

What's on your radar this month?

 

Joie de Vie

"Joy of living"

also known as the auction my old high school puts on annually

 Between the auction items, yummy food, and beautiful decor--the joy of living was accomplished and the auction lived up to it's name.

I went once before and missed last year, so I was thrilled to get to this year (and that my mom bought my ticket). Each year there is a different theme and the money goes towards one specific thing the school is working on. This year the theme was "A Joyeaux Cajun Noel" and all money raised is going towards building a new entrance to the school--and for anyone who went/goes to/knows anything of NCS know this IS HUGE.

I was pleasantly surprised upon arrival. The decorations weren't too tacky (a million things come to mind when you hear that it will be swamp themed and you are encouraged to wear your shrimp boots) and some even came from my mom's own personal collection (but shhh, you didn't hear it from me). 

Cute centerpieces right?

Also I must comment on the food from Don's Catering. Technically, he is "competition" for the company I work for now, but he also is part of the reason I got my job. The passed hors d'oeuvres consisted of crab cakes, bacon wrapped shrimp with pepper jelly, and a spinach pastry. Delish. I didn't get a chance to try much of the other food, but the food definitely matched the theme and was yummy! Again, pleasantly surprised.

And now for the most exciting part of the whole night.

I went into the auction knowing the one item I wanted to bid on. The camera. It was donated by my little sister, Carol's 7th grade class. So naturally I had heard about it for a week prior. A little back story--a camera has been on my Christmas list for 2 years running now and I really wanted one before Josh and I go to Pittsburgh this year.

Knowing what I wanted, I wrote my name on that item's sheet first and had to play the waiting game. The camera was one of the last items to close and I literally checked on it every 10 minutes! As the close for the camera came closer, I found myself hovering and willing people to not bid on--I may or may not have glared at some people. Sorry!

After a stressful, nail biting hour or so, I'm now the proud owner of a brand new Nikon! I will now be able to take pictures with something other than my iPhone. I'm so beyond excited and can't wait to test it out!

An added bonus for the night, was the doggie basket I bid on. I got it for $20 and it has all sorts of goodies for Laney including a $15 gift certificate to a dog boutique store, various treats, and a bone. Laney is beyond thrilled and is currently working on that bone.

Laney's ultimate dog basket of goodies

You can just call me Allison the Photographer!

I can't wait for the Joie de Vie next year! If you haven't been before, you should for sure pick up a ticket for next year...because I said so--and its a good cause!

Why Write

Who will even read it?

Who cares what you have to say?

All that work for only your family to read...

You're not an expert on anything.

I thought all of these things and even heard people say some. So why write? Why keep up with something so time consuming? And what do I write about? I'm no expert at really anything...except if you count having a good eye for design and telling people what looks good and what doesn't.

Well, to be frank, I don't really care if anyone reads it. Sure I love to look at the stats and hope that I have at least one reader or a new follower. But that isn't why I write. I write my blog just to write. I've always loved to write and have even been told that I'm pretty good at it. It's a creative outlet for me and for someone who is always on some sort of technology--it's easier to keep up with say a diary or journal.

Last January, while on the job hunt in the marketing field (social media marketing, journalism, etc.), my dad suggested I start a blog. After all, the people I talked to and interviewed with always asked if I had a blog--well no, but I've been meaning to start one was my answer for a while. My dad was just pointing out the obvious. Such a smart man. If they kept asking me if I had one, why didn't I just create one? Why hadn't I thought of that?  It would be a great way to showcase my writing skills and my personality. However, it wasn't until the summer that I actually got started.

And I'm so glad I did. I'm still pretty new to blogging and still struggle with what to write about, but as with anything else if it's something you love then you go for it--and who knows, one day I may make an impact in someone's life because I write.

I encourage everyone who loves to write and has been thinking about starting a blog, just to do it...because I said so!