Sweet Carolina

The second half of our trip was spent in South Carolina with my side of the family. Jeremy was only able to spend a few days in SC due to a conference scheduled for work. However, he did manage to win over M just a bit more with his fantastic lego creations. Please note the smile behind the paci.

The theme of my entire stay revolved around my favorite M&Ms, and they were not candy-coated chocolates. This little gal got a play kitchen from me and Jeremy. She went to town playing with it once she got in the swing of things.

We took a quick trip to the beach, and I was showing off my One Tree Hill shirt. My friend, Amy, gave this shirt to me. It took me 5 minutes too long to figure the meaning out, but once I got it - Proud fan alert!

These small town sunsets get me every.single.time. A lot of family time was spent cheering on the Coastal Carolina Chants in the College World Series. 

I sneakily, or not so sneakily, planned Jeremy's flight out of RDU so I could see some favorites.

This fiery red-head is one of the best. I am thankful for her and miss sitting on her back porch eating chicken salad.  #maybeoneday

These girls. Small group fun friends reunite. Oh how I love them and miss their babes. 

The trip also included time with many other friends. I had quite the organized rotation going and was able to see everyone (almost)! Brownies and ice-cream, laughs and friendly faces, trips to Michaels, good Greek food and convos - this is what the Triangle is all about.

Sweet Carolina - South and North. 

I've Tasted and Seen: Expounding the IG post

"O taste and see that the LORD is good." Psalm 34:8

Jeremy and I decided to take a Saturday night stroll across the closest bridge to our house. The weather here is finally the stuff dreams are made of - no humidity, blue skies and bright sunshine. We've finally returned from our Southern respite of 2.5 weeks in the lands that are slower, more quiet and filled with family and friends. We were finally home.

I've been a ball of emotions over the last two weeks as I've seen many family members and reunited with friends left behind in North Carolina. On my IG post, I warned that I am not pregnant. The considerable amount of tears that have flowed down these cheeks have been in response to the Lord's goodness. Though I've seen Him work in wonderful, awe-inspiring ways, it is sometimes the simplest of things that allow you a greater intimacy with Him - morning walks with my mama; family outings for a downtown concert with a sunset to kill in the backdrop; stepping in the bath tub with sweet M so she wouldn't scream when the water washed her hair; the sweetest of friends getting a surprise engagement last night / the answer to many of our prayers; a husband who knows me better than myself; a road trip with a best friend where we didn't take a breath of silence; and familiar faces that I love because the Lord gifted us a friendship. There was much transition over the last several weeks as I lived primarily out of a suitcase, but I wouldn't trade it for a thing. 

To see the Lord's goodness in the smallest of ways has humbled me. I don't have perfect or even pretty days for the most part. Most days I never put on make up. Some days I don't even want to smile because I'm beating myself up about something dumb I've said or done. Yet, He is gracious. He is good. He is kind. And just like I can't have a small bite of a cookie and must instead eat the entire thing, when we get a taste of the Lord's goodness -- we desire it more. 

I am thankful for the Lord's faithfulness in our marriage. I am thankful for the answers to His prayers in the smallest of ways. I'm pleased to make those "sipping noises" as M pours me a glass of pretend tea. I'm grateful for a family that I have such a love for that I have a hard time of leaving them when I pull out the driveway. I am thankful today. I've tasted and seen...

Conquering the Kingdom: Days 2 and 3

Day 2 of Disney began bright and early - a full day of the Magic Kingdom. Seeing as how we'd figured this thing out pretty quickly, we hopped on the train and headed to Thunder Mountain before others could get in line. A love for a Disney roller coaster was in full force. What has he done to me?

Tomorrowland Race Cars.

#wehadtheworstonthetrack

Liberty Square Boat Ride. My dad insisted I take Jeremy on this boat. I think dad was reliving Disney through us haha. This picture is for him.

Disney at night. We missed out on the parade because it was starting to rain, and we were just plain tired. So, instead we made a pit stop at the sweet shop on Main Street and headed to the resort where I managed to squeeze in some Dancing with the Stars while eating a red velvet cake pop.

#perfectioninaconfection

#magicaleveninthedark

Day 3 led us to Disney Hollywood Studios, or what I've always known as MGM. 

#MGMmoneyshot

I made sure we had tickets for the Indiana Jones show. I managed to capture Jeremy's look of complete fascination. He loves Indiana Jones and was in the zone here.

A picture for his favorite!

We had a little time in between Fastpasses, so a picture with Mickey was in order. No kids. No discrimination. Mickey welcomes all. Jeremy wasn't completely for it but obliged his wife.

#wheninDisney

#Mickeyorgohome

After Star Wars we were a tad bored and wanted to head back to Magic Kingdom before our flight out. We were people on a mission. One more ride. One more snack.

All was going just fine until ... the bottom fell out. We were sprinting to the bus line. I climbed on Jeremy's back for a minute. And we still walked away soaked. 

#wetrats #stillgottorideThunderMtn.

Due to some flight situations or ten, we managed to finally make it home at 3:00 AM. It took me daayyyyysss to recover. Lots of coffee!  We loved our time in Disney - right down to the Mickey Mouse ice-cream and a Coke a day. I now no longer have to dream about missing out on the rides :)

Conquering the World - Day 1

After numerous dreams about going to Disney World and missing out on the rides, the Staches decided to head to Florida for our first family vacation! We have quite a bit of traveling ahead of us for the summer, so this was our chance to kick off the summer with a bang! Disney it was!

I can't begin to describe the well-oiled machine that is Disney World these days. We were impressed by the Magical Express that picks you up from the airport and takes you to your resort as well as the Magic Bands and timely shuttles. We locked in our Fastpass options before arrival but quickly changed those around to maximize the time.

On our sprint to hop on the Disney Train, I snagged this postcard worthy shot.

 #nothingsaysDisneyliketheMagicKingdom #Merica

I'm not a fan of roller coasters. Well, I wasn't. But now I'm a safe fanatic of Disney coasters. You can read about conquering my fears of Splash Mountain by clicking on the "Her View From Home" tab found at the top; I wrote a sweet little article about my thought process while climbing the mountain. Our first stop was Thunder Mountain. It's safe to say we rode this 3 more times during the course of our stay. I'd planned nice adult rides for Jeremy, while I was content on a Tea Cup. It quickly became me who was begging to go on a roller coaster.

#seriouslywhyamInotaDisneyphotographer

Haunted Mansion and the moving bookshelf.

#concentrationequalstongueout

It wouldn't be Disney without a parade in the middle of the day.

 #tokenMagicKingdomshot #HelloWalt

Since we had reservations for a dessert party at EPCOT, we spent the second half of the day there. I was slightly disappointed. Read: BORED. I knew that would be the case. We walked a solid 17K steps that day and were tired. Dessert was in sight!

#tokenEpcotpicture

Side Note: This will be the 4th time I've gone to Disney. Every time over the course of the last 2o years that I've visited, the ball has been closed. The odds are not good for this ride. 

Found a way to keep cool in a 3D movie! 

This ride. Mission: Space. Hello, I didn't know what I was doing. I was a little on edge and asked Jeremy 50 million questions. You would've thought we were solely in charge of an actual rocket. When I came to terms with reality, I actually enjoyed the ride. Who would've thought?!

#Disneycreepinonme #Houstonwedidn'thaveaproblem

The Dessert Party at EPCOT was the best money we spent on this entire trip! I highly recommend it! We knew I didn't need a Goofy stuffed animal like my heart's desire from 1997, so we splurged and made this experience our souvenir. Desserts from all the countries? Yes! Do we like dessert? Yes! Were we excited? Duh! We talked about this the entire day. Part of the package was having a prime location for the Fireworks and Laser show - Illuminations.

#noshame #17Kstepsfordessert

Please note the Mickey sprinkles. All ends well with Mickey sprinkles when in Disney World!!

To say we were tired is an understatement. I'm certain we are still recovering from Day 1. Stay tuned for Days 2 and 3!

The Gandys Take New York

Over the last couple of weeks I've managed to make it to SC and back again. A visit to meet the nephew was in order and some Madelyn time was needed. It's all fun and games with a 17 month old at the children's museum with bubbles. We had a great time! The mama and daddy packed it up and drove me back to NY. My dad has never been to the city, so we thought a trip was in order for my birthday and Mother's Day! 

Thanks to my friend, Holly, we found this neat Citysighting Ferry and Madame Tussaud's combo deal. After a minute or thirty at the ferry booth, we are finally happy campers - and by happy camper I mean singular - me! She was taking her sweet precious time, and I was over. it. 

Selfie game strong with Lady Liberty and the fam.

Was it windy much? Absolutely! But I insisted on being at the front of that boat when we got to the Statue of Liberty!

 

Because the ferry company had a bus waiting for us, we were able to hop over to NBC Studios. My dad is a Today Show fan - let's be honest, the whole family is- so we could see inside the studio.
But first, let me get a cupcake! We celebrated the Birthday and Mother's Day with cupcakes from Magnolia Bakery.

I stalked out the NBC Studios area while my parents were looking at some street art. I lost my cool and apparently my reaction time when I spied Lady Gaga and Ken Paves getting out of a vehicle. At least I didn't scream. My picture is a failed paparazzi of the back of their heads. Please note the lady with blonde hair aka Gaga.

Just a quick pit stop in Times Square...

 We cashed in on the other half of our combo package and visited Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. We might have a flare for the dramatic .. or just really great imaginations!

We finished the night at John's Pizza! It did not disappoint, and my dad loved New York pizza!

The Staches Take Manhattan

When family comes to town, you take them to New York City. My heart beats all sorts of happy just seeing the New York skyline! You may remember Jeremy and I taking a trip into the city around Christmas and being absolutely defeated by Manhattan. We took a beating and will probably never venture to see the tree on a Saturday again. This time we wanted to make a plan and show Manhattan who was boss - We did. Like. A. Boss. 

My friend Laura reminded me of the New York Pass, and we took full advantage. I'd used the pass before when I came to the city for my graduation present. My mom and I mapped our way through NYC and were determined to pull one over on this pass. If you plan to visit the city any time soon, I highly suggest the NY pass. (My own opinion and not a sponsored post.) I think we all had a great time. Jeremy and I felt nothing but sweet victory when leaving the borough that night on the train.

1st Stop - Madame Tusseud's Wax Museum

Jeremy got a little into it and insisted he have a picture with John Wayne.

Karly and I laughing it up with Wax Jimmy Fallon.

2nd Stop - Planet Hollywood

3rd Stop - Big Bus Tour. Top deck. Rollin high up. 

Bus view of Times Square.

4th Stop - SNL Exhibition

We partied hard like it was Wayne's World. 

View from the bus of the Chrysler building.

5th Stop - Top of the Empire State Building

He wanted a kiss. I obliged.

6th - Back on the bus to the south end. WTC 1

7th Stop - Lady Liberty

We hopped off the bus and ran through Battery Park to see the Statue of Liberty.

It looks a lot closer than this picture would lead one to think.

We ended the evening by walking over to Rockefeller Plaza and cookies from Magnolia Bakery only before eating dinner at Grand Central.

She's a grand one alright!

These would be the faces of happy tourists.

The Bestie and Mama take on WP

The weekend of all weekends finally came! Amanda and the mama came to town! I'd been looking forward to this weekend for quite a while. Jeremy says I haven't shut up about it since Christmas. Not so. Orrrrr maybe. Either way, I was happy to have them here and show them life in this little area of the Northeast. 

One of my favorite things to do with Amanda is to walk the aisles of Target. We have it mapped out and would walk Target on any given Saturday night when we lived together. This is was the first time we were able to be in Target together since August!

We toured the Visitors Center, and I showed them the Commissary. We managed a selfie on a timer right in front of the barracks display. Not a single person walked by, so we felt confident in our efforts.

Do you see the cold in our eyes? Jeremy was our excellent West Point tour guide, unofficially official.

After a morning filled with Fuller House, we were ready to take the Vanderbilt Mansion by storm. 

I kept saying "Let's take a picture in front of the moose head." Clearly, it was a buffalo.

Notice my excitement. It's palpable!

It must be stated that the three of us LOVE a good tour, and this one didn't disappoint. We were thrilled to be able to take pictures inside the house. I, for one, tried to imagine the parties and all about the walls talking with deep secrets.

So it's not the Biltmore, but it is the same family. This was a "summer cottage". Eye roll.

I love this man. I can act a fool and pretend I'm all Gilded Age and he's just consistent.

 Before departure, we made our way back to West Point to see some parts outdoors because it was oh so cold earlier on the tour. The chain gang if you will.. 

These are my people. I cried happy tears when I had to leave them. My worlds collided into one place, and I couldn't have been more delighted.